fabrica braço de prata
For Culture Vultures
This former arms and military munitions factory is located across from the docks on the East side of Lisbon. This is one of those unique places that cannot be pigeonholed with one description, and for those who enjoy getting a taste for the local art scene, this is the place to head. There are concert halls, art galleries, curio cabinets, a film studio and cinema, art workshops, jewelry makers, a restaurant, bar, urban gardens, tango dance studios, bookstores and even a used clothing shop for those looking for retro fashions. The entire complex is surrounded by huge outer wall, with a central yard where where multiple layers of graffiti artists are creating a visual history of the factory. In the summer you will find the huge beer garden a great place to checkout theatre and circus acts, concerts and ball games for kids on Sunday afternoon. There are several artists in residence who regularly present their work in exhibitions organized by factory.
Location
Rua Fábrica de Material de Guerra,1
Marvila area of Lisbon
bracodeprata.com
Phone: 965 518 068
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pavilhão chinês- chinese pavilion
Bar & Cafe
An eclectic bar with shelf-filled bric-a-brac and arguably Europe’s finest collection of miniatures from the Napoleonic Era, World War I and Russian Revolution. Here you can order exotic fruit cocktails until 3am, sip single malt scotch in large velvet chairs, or shoot billiards in the back room at one of the oldest and most eccentric bars in town.
Location
Rua Dom Pedro V, 89-91
Principal Real, Lisboa
Phone: 213 424 729
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chapitô
Bar, Restaurant, Clown School, and More
Chapitô has to be one of the most original and interesting restaurant/ bar concepts ever dreamt up. Positioned at the top of the Alfama hill, its unassuming door opens to a Robinson Caruso like courtyard & garden where this one-time 17th century prison has been transformed into restaurant and bar with some of the most amazing views of the Tejo River and Alfama as it unfolds on the hillside below. But wait, it doesn’t stop there! Chapitô also doubles as a state funded school for circus performers, a kiosk for hand-crafted jewelry, and they frequently offer live music and theater performances. The place is funky to say the least, with the young and old mixing together over tapas and drinks.
Location
Costa do Castelo, 7
Alfama, Lisboa
Phone: 21 886 73 34
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café versailles
Cafe
If you are staying anywhere near the Saldanha area, stepping into this 19th century old world cafe is a must. Replete with brass fittings, molded plaster ceiling decorations, crystal chandeliers, etched mirrors and stained glass. Once you’ve settled into a linen covered table surrounded by locals, get ready to enjoy some of the city’s best pastries with a cup of hot coffee.
Location
Avenida da Republica, 15a
Saldanha, Lisboa
Phone: 21 354 6340
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tágide
Restaurant & Tea Room
A secret with locals who want a mid-day table for tea or wine with amazing views of downtown Baixa and the Tejo River. If you decide to have dinner here, you won’t be disappointed. Friendly service with delicious Portuguese and International menu selections that can only be matched by the views.
Location
Largo da Academia Nacional de Belas Artes, 18
Chiado, Lisboa
Phone: 213 420 720
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fábulas cafe
Cafe
Tucked away and out of sight in a courtyard that can also be accessed from the famous Rua Garrett shopping area, this victorian cellar-like cafe is filled with old furnishings, velvet chairs, and broken treadle sewing machines as tables. Besides the art and photography installations there is also free wi-fi access, and seating in the courtyard under a canopy. Try any of their decadent deserts or savory snacks and you won’t be disappointed.
Location
Calçada Nova de São Francisco 14
Chidao, Lisboa
Phone: 216 018 472
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kaffeehaus
Cafe
Located next to our favorite shop, A Vida Portuguesa, this Austrian-owned cafe serves light lunches and dinners inspired by Austrian recipes with daly specials on a chalkboard above the bar. This is one of the few cafes in Lisbon where you can order a mixed salad and actually get something more interesting than iceberg lettuce and tomatoes. Their yummy lemonades made in house are perfect after a hot day of walking in Chiado, and there are a few flavors like ginger-aid and frutas vermelho-aid which can be ordered by the glass or by the pitcher.
Location
Rua Anchieta, 3
Chiado, Lisboa
Tue. to Sat. 11.00 to 24.00
Sun 11.00 to 20.00
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miradouro sophia de mello breyner andresen
Outside Cafe & Scenic Overlook
The best place in Lisbon to catch a sunset drink is in the quiet, car-free terrace in front of the Igreja da Graça, (Church of Grace) where a miradouro, (scenic overlook) takes in a panorama of the city’s red rooftops, Castle S. Jorge, Tejo River and April 25th Bridge. There is a cafe kiosk with tables and chairs under a canopy of umbrella pine trees for enjoying a glass of wine in the shade.
Location
Largo da Graça,
Graça, Lisboa
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confeitaria nacional
Pastry Shop
A pastry shop that opened in 1829, right in the heart of downtown. Its French brasserie style decor, famous at the time, is still charming with elegant woodwork, mirrors and marble countertops. Arrive here after 17.00 on a Friday afternoon and you’ll have a difficult time getting past the old ladies at the counter stocking up on pastries for the grandkids that will surely visit on the weekend. For locals this cafe is famous for its fruit candy-glazed holiday cake called a Bolo Rei.
Location
Praca da Figueira, 18B
Baixa, Lisboa
Phone: 21 342 4470
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pastéis de belém
Pastry Shop
A Portuguese egg tart called Pastéis de Nata was likely created before the 18th century by nuns at the Jerónimos Monastery of Belém. The Casa Pastéis de Belém first started selling the original creamy dessert after the monastery was abandoned in the 1820s. This little pasty shop took over in 1837 and mobs still line up outside to buy a tart hot out of the oven an sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar. This is the only place they are called “Pastéis de Belém”, and eating only one is impossible. Ask your Lisbon Explorer guide about how to skip the line at Pastéis de Belém.
Location
Rua de Belém, 84-92
Belém, Lisboa
Phone: 213637423
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a ginjinha
Libations
This literal hole in the wall at Largo de São Domingo's was the first establishment in Lisbon to commercialize a drink that has become the signature liquor of Portugal. A Galician friar of the Church of Santo Antonio, Francisco Espinheira, had concocted a recipe that involved leaving sour cherries (ginja) soaking in distilled grape alcohol with cinnamon and sugar until a delicious beverage
fermented which has become known as Ginjinha and is the name of the shop. A stop here is a Lisbon tradition around lunch, or in the evening before dinner when friends and family stand outside the shop sipping Ginjinha from shot glasses.
Location
Largo de São Domingos, 8
Rossio, Lisboa
