Coffee & tea – All our local tips

This garden is one of the most romantic of Lisbon’s gardens. It’s not a big one, but it is so cozy and so resplendent you really don’t care about its size. It’s wonderfully designed, being a perfect square with its tall trees and a graceful fountain in the middle. It’s one of the oldest Lisbon’s gardens, it was inaugurated by order of Marquis de Pombal in 1771, the same guy who rebuilt Lisbon after the great earthquake.

I personally love visiting this garden at night, when it is very quiet and kind of gothic, owing to the old and impressive Águas Lisbon Aqueduct and to the small church underneath it, “Ermida Nossa Senhora de Montserrat”. These monuments are a gorgeous sight at night, with the night lights reflection on them!

As it’s supposed to exist in every decent garden, Amoreiras Garden also houses an adorable renovated Bistro. Coincidentally, every time I go there, I meet a lot of French people, what makes me wonder if the french guys are always attracted by the best cafes… Probably the reason is the Portuguese pastries they sell there, for they are delicious and not exaggeratedly big, which I love.

And also in front of Amoreiras garden there is a interesting museum to be visited, the Arpad Szenes Museum, located where it used to be an old Silk factory.

More reasons I love this garden? It’s close to the Mãe D’Água Amoreiras Reservoir, the Procópio Bar, Rato’s metro station, Amoreiras Shopping and it’s surrounded by a lovely neighbourhood. And best of all, it’s very close to where I live.

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Amoreiras Garden | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Snacks | Free
Praça das Amoreiras | Estrela
24 hours daily

We, Portuguese people, even those not originally Portuguese like me, love eating out. Obviously this is no news. But what a foreigner may not know is that we love even eating breakfast out, all week days included. So, if you are a tourist and your hotel breakfast is crap, or worse, you don’t have breakfast included, and you have to eat out, don’t be surprise if you see a lot of lisboners sharing the table with you.

This long introduction is only to justify why I am a breakfast hunter spot. I just love to find out nice and good places to have my breakfast. And “Botica do Café” is my “top of the pops” place for breakfast right now.

From outside, it looks like your grandmother’s house. That’s what caught my attention the first time I saw it. Then I entered and I saw a hundred delicious pastries. This bakery is very cozy. The interior is wood decorated, and with lots of plastic flowers and porcelain stuff around. Reading my last sentence makes the place looks creepy, but actually, it’s lovely.

Once I enter there, I always have a hard time choosing something to eat, considering all the delicious possibilities. I always order their “mini-quiches”, and their mini poultry pie is also tempting. You have to order and then take your tray (mine is always full) with you to your table. They also serve lunch, but I confess I have never tried. There is a nice small esplanade outside, but for no special reason I always prefer inside. Go there and then enjoy your breakfast happily ever after!

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Botica do Café | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Breakfast € 5.00
Rua Sampaio Bruno, 26 | Estrela | +351213853868
07:00 – 20:30 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 2AM.

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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

This place must be hiding beneath a cloak of invisibility since it’s been open a whole year and has still barely registered a beep on the city’s radar of sleek go-to spots. Then again, if city buzz is what you’re after, then you won’t find it here.

Housed in the recently renovated São Roque Museum, home to all things Arte Sacra (Sacred Art), Cafetaria is cool, calm and collected. Having left bustling Chiado and Bairro Alto at its doorstep, the space is a fresh blend of old meets new, in an introspective setting that faces a beautiful courtyard with bamboo trees and a gurgling fountain, to be enjoyed from inside and out. And not a honking car to be heard.

Cafetaria is owned by one of Lisbon’s most elegant restaurants, Casa da Comida, so the food – mainly light lunches, appetizers and snacks – gets its stamp of approval. Brunches are also served on weekends.

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Cafetaria Museu São Roque | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Intern.) | Sandwich € 3.00
Largo Trindade Coelho | Chiado & Baixa | +351213235446
Tue – Wed & Fri – Sun 10:00 – 18:00, Thu 14:00 – 21:00 (Closed holidays)

It may seem ironic that a Portuguese (that would be Paulo) travelled to Japan to learn to make a cake that the Japanese had learned from the Portuguese in the first place, but that’s exactly what happened.

To backtrack a bit: the Portuguese arrived in Japan in 1543, bringing with them many culinary customs that have since blended into Japan’s gastronomy. Such is the case with tempura (from tempero, or “seasoning”), bread (pan in Japanese, “pão” here), and pão-de-ló, a popular, semi-sweet sponge cake. In Japan, this cake soon adopted the name castella.

Whilst similar to the local dessert, castella is slightly denser and slightly sweeter, which suits my sweet tooth just fine. Plus it’s served in dainty rectangular slices, unlike pão-de-ló that’s large with a hole in the middle. Oh and did I mention it’s just delicious? The original recipe tastes like vanilla, but Paulo also makes green tea and chocolate flavoured varieties (I prefer the green tea one for its slight tartness). Between 17.00 and 19.00 is “happy hour” when you can get a slice of each and a cup of green tea for €2.00.

That cake is of course the principal selling point at Castella do Paulo, along with a long list of teas, but its other cakes and sweets are well worth a try also, from the brioches and multicoloured macaroons to the wide range of traditional Portuguese pastries. And if that weren’t enough, there are also a good range of inexpensive lunches which bridge both cultures, including stews, stir-fries, tempura and stuffed peppers. I’ve had a filling bowl rice and sashimi for only €7.00.

Yum-mee!

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Castella do Paulo | Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (Japanese/Portuguese)
Rua da Alfandega 120 | Castelo | +351218880019
Mon – Fri 07:30 – 19:30, Sat 12:00 – 19:30

After a good day of visiting museums, there’s nothing better than this hidden gem. It’s not a very big Patisserie, but the décor and the people are lovely, and invite you to a very well spent afternoon.

Everything they offer is made there, so it has this grandmother’s food vibe. If you just came from Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, stop here to have some lunch. Try their perfect fried meatballs – it’s impossible to stop at the first.

Shall it be tea time, the best thing ever are the scones: they come with butter and jam and they are still hot, so just mix everything and see how brilliant it is. They also carry a great assortment of teas.

In case you have a sweet tooth, then this is also the perfect place: They have the best desserts ever, from the éclairs, to the chocolate cake without missing out the cheesecake or the blattertart.

I’ve been coming to this place since I was in middle school. It never gets old, it never gets boring. Like a fine wine, it just gets better with time.

Rita’s favorites: The chocolate éclairs. Delish!!

Vee’s favorites: without a doubt the scones.

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Chá da Lapa | Coffee & tea | Meat fried Ball € 2.30
Rua do Olival 8 | Santos & Alcântara | +351213900888
09:00 – 19:30 daily

Cinema Londres is one of the city’s oldest theatres that still remains open. Don’t go there expecting state-of-the-art screens or uber-dolby surround sound because this is not what “Londres” is about! Instead, you enter into a somewhat dark and obscure movie theatre which still features the 60’s typical architecture and décor.

One of the major surprises here are the chairs – you get to sit in a real couch! I think these are the comfiest chairs ever as they surprisingly move and adjust when you sit! (plus, it is really hilarious to watch people’s faces when they go there for the first time!)

The other surprise in this spot is the Magnolia Caffe located inside -this is a cute little gourmet café, where you get to choose from a variety of muffins, natural fruit juices, quiches, pies, and other delicious pastries. It is definitely a great variation from the regular popcorn and coke combo!

It also has a relaxed reading corner, with a series of books and magazines, and where you can take a book home if you leave one in its place! If you go there in the afternoon, you can also try the 5′oclock tea- the scones are just delicious!

Vee’s Favorites – Chocolate cake and smoothies

Rita’s Favorites – Surprise-moving chairs, 5 o’clock t

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Cinema Londres | Cinemas, Coffee & tea | Movie ticket € 5.00
Av. Roma 7-a | Avenidas | +351218401313
Open daily

Unlike really any other space in Lisbon Crew Hassan exudes a sense of laid back familiarity along with a gung-ho ‘do-it-yourself’ spirit.

Crew Hassan comprises two enterprises: on the ground floor, open to the street is the shop where you can buy ‘alternative’ handmade crafts, such as bags and badges, as well as secondhand records or else you can have a coffee and cake and have your hair done.

If you venture outside the shop and follow the covered walkway down the back to the stairs, and then climb those stairs, you will find a hidden gem of Lisbon. At night the bar and venue upstairs comes alive with DJs, live music and art spread out through the tiny rooms. You will find the most laid back of Lisbon youth sprawled across the mismatched and broken furniture and you will have a unique Lisbon experience.

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Crew Hassan | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Shopping
Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, 159 | Liberdade
until 02:00 daily

This is the place I have always hoped it would open in Lisbon, and it did last year, by the end of November. The only Tintin store I have visited till now has always been in Brussels, and although the Lisbon store is not as big as the Brussels one, you can find in here almost everything the trademark Tintin sells, such as postales, pins, agendas, notebooks and PVC figures. They also sell clothing for all seasons, books, watches and miniatures of the famous car from Hergé stories… There is even a room filled with Tintin’s book covers, which belong to the owner and Tintin fan, Paulo Ferreira de Almeida.

At the same place, you have a very nice and cozy Cafe-Lounge with also recalls Hergé Character’s heroism, as it has some very nice original lithographs of Tintin books as wall decoration. What attracted me most, besides being a cafe with Tintin’s allusion, is the way the tables are organized, making each space of the cafe very different and private. The menu holds no surprises, except for the Belgian beers, of course. I suggest their muffin – unbelievably good!

The only problem the cafe still faces is a lack of organization. Sometimes the delay in the service is just unacceptable, but I like the place so much that I really never cared about that.

They also serve lunch, as a “meal of the day” basis and salads and are opened till really late, and best of all, on Mondays.

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Espaço Tintin | Bars, Coffee & tea, Shopping, Snacks
Av. de Roma, 39 A | Avenidas | +351217935582
Mon – Thu 08:30 – 23:00, Fri – Sat 08:30 – 01:00, Mon 14:00 – 19:00

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.

They are currently renovating the whole Jardim do Principe Real. So best keep away for some week/months/years (depending on Portuguese efficiency).

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Esplanada do Principe Real | Bars, Coffee & tea | Meia de Leite € 1.40
Jardim do Príncipe Real | Príncipe Real | +351962524513
08:30 – 13:00 daily

This particular store has a very unique slogan: “In nature nothing repeats itself, there aren’t two identical trees, two birds alike, two rain drops alike, two kisses alike. In this Fabrico Infinito also everything is unique and doesn’t repeat itself. It doesn’t come back. Enjoy. And be happy.” (by José Trabucho).

In Fabrico Infinito different types of original and peculiar things come together. You have an area of designer products from books, cd’s, jewelery, great chandeliers and also a wide selection of Brazilian artsy products such as bags, bathing suits or even plastic shoes that smell like strawberries.

In the back of the store you have a sort of delicatessen with divine cakes, which is a perfect place to just chill and enjoy the view. If you are in a working mood, just bring your laptop because here you have wireless internet.

Most of the products are biological (and really tasty!), and even the tea is served in a beautiful golden china set – this place is all about the details, you definitely shouldn’t miss it!

Vee’s favourites: Melissa Shoes.

Rita’s favourites: Great music selection.

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Fabrico Infinito | Coffee & tea, Shopping | Merenda € 1.00
Rua D. Pedro V 74 | Príncipe Real | +351212467629
Tue – Sat 11:00 – 19:00

After a hard day’s shopping in Chiado or after coming down from Bairro Alto there is now the most perfect place to relax, have a drink and a bite to eat.

Fábulos Café is tucked away from the main streets, approachable either from the direction of Chiado, through an excellent esplanade tucked away from the hustle and bustle, or else from the direction of the School of Fine Arts.

The menu is simple but inventive, comprising delicious sandwiches, salads and wraps but there are also more substantial burritos, crepes and omelets for those more hungry.

The food is delicious, my favourite being the goats cheese, caper and spinach sandwich, and the atmosphere relaxed and cosy, especially if you manage to bag one of the many old sofas spread throughout the place.

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Fábulas Cafe | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Sandwiches) | From € 5.00
Calçada Nova de São Francisco, 14 | Chiado & Baixa
Mon – Wed 10:00 – 00:00, Thur – Sat 10:00 – 01:00, closed Sun

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!

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Kaffeehaus | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (European/Austrian) | Main € 8.00
Rua Anchieta 3 | Chiado & Baixa | +351210956828
Tue – Thu 11:00 – 0:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 02:00, Sun 11:00 – 20:00

Perched on a hillside in the Graça neighborhood, Senhora do Monte (Our Lady of the Hill) is Lisbon’s highest lookout point and hands down the spot offering the best view of the city. With a field of vision spanning nearly 250 degrees, not even a fish-eye lens can take it all in.

I love it here. It’s peaceful and romantic and an awesome place from which to watch the sunset. Being slightly out of the way, it’s one of the city’s least used viewpoints, meaning it never gets too crowded and you can almost always find a seat on one of the benches.

There is no café but the bar at neighboring hotel Albergaria Senhora do Monte (which also serves light snacks) is open to the public. 4 floors up, the view is pretty spectacular from there, too.

A small statue of the Virgin stands on the grounds, as does a chapel dedicated to Saint Gens, an ancient bishop and martyr. Curiously, this chapel attracts some rather “fertile” visitors. As the story goes, S. Gens’ mother died in childbirth, giving rise to a tradition that relies on a reversal of that (mis)fortune, whereby pregnant women who sit on his chair (inside the chapel) are ensured a safe delivery. How’s that for taking life’s lemons and making lemonade?

It’s a short walk from Largo da Graça – trams 28 & 34.

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Miradouro Senhora do Monte | Coffee & tea, Relaxing
Rua da Senhora do Monte à Graça | Alfama & Graça
24 hours daily

Sitting comfortably in a cozy corner just off the Santa Catarina/Adamastor lookout, Noo Bai is an understatedly cool place for brunching, lunching or a lazy afternoon bite, but popular on warm evenings too.

With a nice view over rooftops and the river beyond, tables on the terrace fill up fast. Indoors isn’t too shabby either, and with a colourful, 50s retro/thrift-shop/living-room look, it’s a homey and relaxed area to hole up in, especially on a rainy day.

The oversized menus display a great selection of light dishes, from salads, sandwiches and bruschettas to savoury nibbles, fruit plates and desserts. Wash those down with healthy fresh-squeezed juices, milkshakes, coffee or tea or, if you’re into something stronger, flip over the menu for a full page of options that include sangria, caipirinhas and mojitos among the lot (indeed, when it comes to drinks of the brewed, fermented and distilled variety, this place doesn’t mess around).

On Sundays in August and September, Noo Bai turns its cool up a notch with guest DJs spinning awesome urban beats (check the website for schedules).

Kids are not only welcome, they have their own toy-filled play corner to keep them entertained while mums and dads enjoy down time.

Wi-Fi 3€/hr, or a free hour for each 5€ consumed.

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Noo Bai Cafe | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (International) | Salads € 6.50
R. de Santa Catarina | Bairro Alto | +351213465014
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 21:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 00:00, Sun 12:00 – 20:00

Lisbon has quite a number of public libraries but I am fortunate enough that my own favourite is located not two minutes from my own front door.

The magificent (and very pink) Palàcio Galveias houses a geat collection of books and facilities for the local population.  For the casual visitor to Lisbon however the Palàcio offers an excellent opportunity to visit one of Lisbon’s smallest, and often most intereting, galleries.

The top floor of the library has seen in recent times exhibitions on Finnish childrens’ illustrators and Fernando Pessoa.

After a quick walk round the gallery the Palace also has a great esplanade in the garden at the rear where you can share your coffee with the many wandering peacocks.

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Palácio Galveias | Art & culture, Coffee & tea
Avenida Campo Pequeno | Avenidas
Tue – Fri 10:00 -19:00 Sat & Sun 14:00 – 19:00

Pão Doce stands for sweet bread, which is a very nice name indeed. Why exactly would I speak about a bakery? Well, because Portuguese have something to do with good bakeries around the world, and that’s not for any reason, Portuguese are really good bakers, and this bakery is the perfect example of this ability.

Actually the owner is Brazilian, of Portuguese descent. The bakery is always crowded, basically around the time the bread is still smoking, which is early morning and late afternoon. But even if there is a line, it is worth waiting, since there is nothing better than a just cooked bread. I cannot list all the types of breads they make, the variety is immense and I haven’t tried even half of them. There is the “tiger bread”, the grandma’s bread, the dark bread, the eight cereals bread, the Spanish, the German…it’s exhausting!

My favourites are the yummy scones, the perfect croissants and the pies they make are really delicious. I am always amazed by the huge bags full of breads people carry with them out of Pão Doce. No one can resist!

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Pão Doce Bakery | Coffee & tea, Snacks
Av. Duque Ávila 56 – D | Avenidas | +3513141068
Tue – Sun 08:00 – 20:00

Since it opened in 1986, Pavilhão Chinês has increased its popularity. Named after a grocery that existed in that same place, It is a very unique spot in Lisbon, with 5 different rooms and all over-decorated.

Here you can find all types of objects lying around from mugs, caricatures, flags, medals, little lead soldiers, Majolica pieces from the artist Bordalo Pinheiro, mixed with a very big sense of an almost organized chaos.

You can just relax, enjoy a little conversation and listen to music (if not overcrowded), or play some pool if the tables are available.

They have over 100 cocktails and all done perfectly. Also do not hesitate to try their sandwiches and tapas. If you’re in the mood for a tea, they have a wide selection to choose from.

This spot has a completely different atmosphere from the overcrowded streets of Bairro alto and the commotion it brings.

Don’t miss out on anything here. Even the menu is a work of art, designed by the owner.

If you are in the mood for a tea, go early and enjoy the company of other tourists, it can get sometimes a bit crowded with some tour-buses (not always though – mostly during the week), however if you want a real local feel, the later the better! Fridays and Saturdays are the best, from 11pm until they close you can’t go wrong!

Vee’s Favourites: Hot dog with Dijon mustard.

Rita’s Favourites: The crazy décor is just so rad!

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Pavilhão Chinês | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Cocktails € 7.50
R. D. Pedro V 89 | Príncipe Real | +351213424729
Mon – Sat 18:00 – 02:00, Sun 21:00 – 02:00

Call me old-fashioned, but “Pó dos Livros (books’ dust)” bookstore is the authentic bookstore.

First, you can go in there and touch the books, read the books, change the books on the shelves (probably this would be too much), and nobody is going to ask you what do you want. In a bookstore this is the best thing that can happen, because I always want to try to find “the book” by myself before asking for help.

And second and last, and this is the most important characteristic of this bookstore, is that if you need help and ask for help, the owners of the bookstore will bring down the world to satisfy you. Sometimes I don’t remember the author, or the title, or I just remember the book is about something very particular. No problem, here they come with the exact book I am looking for. And they understand all about it, they tell you what are the following releases of our favourite writers, they tip the writers we don’t know but certainly we would enjoy reading and always makes me come back, because, you know, one book leads to another.

The owner, Jaime Bulhosa, also runs a blog for the bookstore, where he and his team suggest and write about new and old releases and publicize and the bookstore events. And of course, you can ask them anything and order any book through their blog.

Also at the bookstore there is a tiny lovely cafe, where we can have all the time in the world to drink a tea or a coffee while we browse some pages in a total solitude.

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Pó dos Livros Bookstore | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Shopping
Avenida Marquês de Tomar n.º89 | Avenidas | +351217959339
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 20:00 , Sat 10:00 – 19:00

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?

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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

Say you find yourself amidst the frenzy that is Chiado or Bairro Alto and you want something a bit slower-paced where you can grab a bite to eat, well, nip down the hill to Quinoa, a fresh new bakery, café and gourmet food store.

With rolls, bagels, scones and loafs of all sorts, bread is undoubtedly the staple food here, but it’s hard to overlook the cakes and mini-pies (I couldn’t, and the almond tart melted in my mouth). All baked goods are made on the premises and are 100% organic. That’s healthy, right? Another slice, please…

Housed in a newly renovated building, the place is clean cut and modern while retaining the original stone arches and a beautiful wooden staircase. Seating extends to the mezzanine for a more intimate setting (and out of the window on one side you can glimpse one of Lisbon’s many hidden courtyards).

Brunches (€9 – €15) are served on weekends and holidays between 11.00 and 15.00.

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Quinoa | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Bagel salmon & cream cheese € 4.30
Rua do Alecrim 52-54 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213479326
Mon – Wed 08:00 – 20:00, Thu – Fri 08:00 – 22:00, Sat 10:00 – 22:00, Sun 10:00 – 17:00

Hidden away next to the picturesque Largo do Carmo, Vertigo is one of the more trendy places in Chiado. It’s a perfect spot to have lunch or a cup of coffee in the afternoon. Or have a drink here before going for dinner in Bairro Alto!

The menu is rather healthy and features lots of salads, sandwiches, fresh juices and more exotic offers. (Not that easy to find in Lisbon, trust me!). The interior is very cozy yet stylish.

Go here on Sunday afternoon, when it is impossible to find anything decent open in Chiado. Cool place.

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Vertigo | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Sandwich & juice € 8.00
Travessa do Carmo 4 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213433112
10:00 – 00:00 daily