Brunch. On Saturday and Sunday. In Cais do Sodre. 

Cafe Tati, situated on the road directly behind Mercardo Ribeiro, opens at 11:00 at the weekend and, for €10 you can have a delicious, filling brunch, complete with freshly-squeezed orange juice and coffee, tea or hot chocolate, and a choice of fruit salad or cereal and yoghurt to start out with.

The main course is a beautifully arranged plate of local cold salamis, hams, salmon and cheeses which are accompanied by a portion of scrambled eggs and toradas (huge, fat slices of hot toast), jam and butter. Then, just when you think you can’t possibly eat more and are contemplating another shot of coffee, a little slice of carrot cake appears on your plate, just to finish things off.  

The atmosphere is casual and laid back and the cafe tends to start filling up after 12:30 when people have finally woken up to the world of the weekend.

This quirky little cafe is decorated with a random selection of chairs and tables and the crockery is all mismatched and some of it is delightfully old-fashioned.

It is also possible to have lunch or dinner throughout the week in this charming venue, and it is a good place to meet in the evening for a drink before heading on to one of the other bars in the area. 

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Cafe Tati | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants | Brunch € 10
Rua da Ribeira Nova, 36 | Riverside
11:00 – 01:00 daily

This hotel is one of the most charming luxury hotels in downtown Lisbon. It’s location could not be better: right at the Praça Luis Camões.

Just like Hotel Chiado, the real price for me is the top-floor terrace. Comfortable sofas and chairs, heating and a great view.

Come at night, and have a drink here before dinner. The terrace is heated, so it’s comfortable all year round.

Expect to see a lot of (well-off) foreigners and no Portuguese at all. Prices are as expected: expensive. Best to just take a deep sigh and enjoy the view. Or have some of the free Japanese snacks.

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Hotel Bairro Alto | Bars | Beer & view € 4.00
Praça Luís de Camões 8 | Bairro Alto | +351213408288
Summer 12:30 – 00:00 daily | Winter 12:30 – 22:00 daily

Esplanada do Principe Real is a nice terrace in one of Lisbon’s nicest parks. It’s a great place to have breakfast or just a coffee.

The place has changed owner several times in the past, with mixed results. But it seems that this time they’ve got it right. Each Saturday morning you can visit the Principe Real Organic Market, right next to the terrace.

Although I normally come here during the day to catch some sun and read a magazine, they are open until 2 in the morning.

The whole area around the park has become increasingly interesting, with a lot of shops and cafés opening. A nice place to stroll around a bit.

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Esplanada do Principe Real | Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Meia de Leite € 1.40
Jardim do Príncipe Real | Príncipe Real | +351962524513
Thu – Sat 09:00 – 02:00, Sun – Wed 09:00 – 00:00

Besides having rather nice (and pricy) rooms, the hotel hosts a terrace with a breathtaking view of Baixa and the castle. A great place to have a drink.

Bring your wallet, because each beer will cost you around €4.00.

The entrance is right next to the Armazens de Chiado. Just step into the lobby and head for the elevator.

This terrace has a different view from the Hotel Bairro Alto terrace. So visit both while you are in Lisbon! In case of lack of time, stick to Hotel Bairro Alto, since it is less windy and heated in the winter.

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Hotel do Chiado | Bars | Beer & view € 4.00
Rua Nova do Almada 114 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213256100
12:00 – 23:00 daily

Chiado is definitely one of the most charming areas of Lisbon. The main street is has some nice historical cafés, but they tend to be very touristic. A great alternative is Café no Chiado.

The location is excellent: smack in the middle of Chiado, with tram-line 28 passing right in front of you! The place has been renovated in 2006. It nowadays has a very cool interior and a great terrace.

Come here to have a cup of coffee or lunch, read a book on the terrace or just to enjoy the setting. Try the salads, they are great!

At night it’s a great place to dine, especially after visiting one of the nearby theatres, since they serve dinner until 02:00. Try the steak with mustard sauce. I did for a dozen times already

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Café no Chiado | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Portuguese) | Great salad € 8.00
Largo do Picadeiro 10-12 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213460501
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 02:00

4 exposition rooms, 2 bookstores, 3 shops, a bar, a restaurant, a terrace…. all this is Fábrica Braço de Prata. And I think I still forgot half of it.

This cultural venue is located on the former location of an armaments factory. Swords to ploughs one may say! It’s a bit out of the way (located near the docks, between Santa Apolónia and Expo) and not that known actually.

It’s a very accessible and fun way to sniff some culture. The crowd is young and dynamic. Due to the variety of rooms and bars, there is always something interesting going on. From time to time (in the warm months) there’s a tent outside for concerts.

Listen to a Bossa Nova concerts, see an exposition or just have a drink. Check out the agenda online!

There is also a nice bookstore inside the building.

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Fábrica Braço de Prata | Art & culture, Bars, Music | everything € 5.00
Rua da Fábrica de Material de Guerra | Riverside | +351967435743
Ticket office: Wed – Sat 20:00 – 02:00, Sun 16:00 – 22:00

Kaffeehaus is located in the middle of Chiado, just next to one of Lisbon’s most famous theatres, São Carlos. It fits in the old, and almost lost, tradition of literary cafés that were the trademark of Chiado. Kaffeehaus, however, does it in her own, Viennese style.

The place is hard to classify since you can go here for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a drink at night. A better way to describe it would be its style: a great place to get up to date on what is happening in Lisbon, read a newspaper, have a coffee or a drink.

Besides the setting, the food helps! Try great Austrian pastry in the middle of Lisbon! Amazing Apfelstrüdel and a lot of other surprising dishes. There is something different written on the chalkboard every day, so you can always come back for something new!

Great place for a pit-stop on your Saturday-shopping in Chiado or a more prolonged break on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Be patient though, it is becoming and awful popular place! So popular in fact that they increased their capacity. No more waiting (almost )

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Kaffeehaus | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (European/Austrian) | Main € 8.00
Rua Anchieta 3 | Chiado & Baixa | +351210956828
Tue – Thu 11:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 02:00, Sun 11:00 – 20:00

So many bars in Bairro Alto, why go to Capela? Owner and resident-DJ Pedro is one of the main embassadors of Elektropop in Lisbon. Music never comes second place in Capela.

Prepare yourself for a kaleidoscope of people and styles and just let go! It looks a bit trashy, but you will get used to it.

When most bars are winding down late at night, Capela keeps just getting better. And since the place is rather small and narrow, you are guaranteed to meet lots of people.

Great combo: late dinner at Império dos Sentidos (next door) and then off to Capela.

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Capela | Bars, Music | Bacardi Limon € 4.00
Rua da Atalaia 45 | Bairro Alto | +351213470072
20:00 – 02:00 daily

Pois Café is owned and run by a couple of Austrian ladies. And it shows! The pies and cakes are absolutely fantastic. The interior looks like a huge living room, filled with comfortable sofas and chairs.

A nice detail are the books and magazines. It is full of them! All clients are encouraged to leave a second hand book or magazine, so you can spend all afternoon reading and eating Apfelstrudel!

This is a great place to have lunch or just a cup of coffee. It is close to Sé and the castle, so why not stop here after walking around in this historic part of town?

Better visit soon, the place is currently “for sale”. So let’s see how long we will be enjoying these apfelstrudels.

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Pois Café | Bars, Coffee & tea | Sandwich € 6.00
Rua S. João da Praça 93-95 | Alfama & Graça | +351218862497
Tue – Sun 11:00 – 20:00

This surprising enoteca is located in one of the former buildings of the ancient Lisbon watersupply-system. The huge aquaduct with the enormous arches that you see when you drive into Lisbon from the direction of Cascais is also part of the same system. If you are interested you can visit the old bassin (entrance in the middle of Jardim Príncipe Real).

In Chafariz da Mãe de Água the water is literally passing by your table. A great location. Here you can enjoy a glass of wine from their huge wine collection. Or stay a bit longer and try a bottle! They serve dinner as well.

They also offer winetasting activities and other special offers such as Happy Hours. Check out their site.

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Chafariz da Mãe de Água | Bars, Restaurants (Portuguese) | Bottle of wine from € 17.00
Rua da Mãe d’Água | Príncipe Real | +351213422079
Tue – Sun 18:00 – 02:00, kitchen closed 01:00