Hostel kitchen disaster in Lisbon: is it worth cooking or just buying street food?

I was in Lisbon last month trying to save cash by cooking pasta in the hostel kitchen. Halfway through boiling the water, the burner just died and the hostel guy said they wouldn't fix it until Monday. I ended up spending 8 euros on a sad takeaway sandwich from a corner shop. So here's the debate: do you swear by hostel cooking to keep costs down, or do you think the risk of equipment failing makes it smarter to just grab cheap street eats? Has anyone else had a kitchen fail ruin their budget meal plan?

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the_jesse7h ago

Has anyone else noticed how hostel kitchens are basically a GAMBLE on whether the appliances will actually work? It's like the whole "shared kitchen" concept sounds great in theory but in real life the burners are always half broken and the pans are all scratched up. I've had the same thing happen in Barcelona and Prague where the stove just stopped mid-cook and I had to scrounge for food. Honestly it feels like a pattern in hostels where they advertise a kitchen but don't actually maintain it, so you're better off just learning where the cheap street food is. Street food in Lisbon is honestly way better value anyway, like a pastel de nata or a bifana sandwich is cheaper and actually tastes like something. I'd say skip the hostel kitchen stress and just spend that few euros on guaranteed good food from a local spot.