If you fancy a coffee and slice of chocolate cake in the sun, Linha D`Água should be your destination. The self-service snack bar, consisting mainly of outdoor seating, is situated in a grassy hollow in Jardim da Amália Rodrigues at the top off Parque Eduardo VII, right behind El Corte Ingles department store.

The wooden esplanada is on the edge of a pretty, shallow ornamental pond, complete with funky fountain in the middle of it and is a perfect sun trap. There is the usual array of sweet and savory Portuguese snacks to be sampled (I recommend the chocolate cake) as well as light main dishes (the quiche is pretty good too!). Linha D`Água has a license to sell alcohol, so is also a place to go if you would like to go for some quiet sundown drinks before heading to the cinema at ECI or off down the hill into town.

People flock to this snack bar at the weekend to have late lunches or simply to catch up with friends over a beer and the whole area is a hive of activity with people walking their dogs in the park and sitting enjoying the sunshine.  Summer is on its way and this cafe is becoming busier as people celebrate the end of the cold days!

On a bright, sunny day (of which there are many in Lisbon) I love to retreat to this little cafe to relax next to the water whilst Lisbon traffic continues to rush on around me.

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Linha D`Água | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Light meal & drink € 10
Rua Marquês de Fronteira, Jardim da Amália Rodrigues | Avenidas | +351213814327
10:00 – 20:00 daily

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 is one of Lisbon’s oldest providers of bread, cakes and biscuits and all things yummy. Established in 1902 in Saldanha, this pastry shop has one of the widest selections of sweet treats that I have seen in Lisbon.

The huge glass-fronted display cases act as windows into a world of such a variety of traditional Portuguese pasteis de nata, cream cakes, apple tarts and petit fours that you can spend some time deliberating what to have with your coffee (which you will drink standing up at one of the tables around the room).

My favourite cake of all time in Lisbon is the pastel de nata, and the bakers at Sequeira have not let me down – these little pastries are always fresh and the pastry flakes perfectly. This pastelaria is very popular with the locals of the Saldanha area.

Sequeira also bakes these delights in perfect miniature form so you can buy a whole selection to take away with you and sample at your leisure (we often have a selection of these around the office!).

There is a restaurant attached to the bakery where you can have lunch, usually consisting of soup and a buffet selection of traditional Portuguese dishes such as duck rice, fish dishes (bacalhau) or stews. Sequeira is closed on Sundays.

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Pastelaria Sequeira | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Coffee & cake € 5
Avenida da República 11A | Avenidas | +351213140749
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 20:00, Sat 07:00 – 19:00

The most unexpected place to find a coffee and cake bar – in the middle of a Portuguese style homeware store in Chiado. What is even more unexpected is that the little chairs and tables of the cafe are set up as if they are part of the showroom, placed carefully next to sideboards full of pretty, rustic blue and white crockery that is for sale. Go into the store and head up the stairs on the left.  

Whilst wandering towards the goods situated near the windows, you find yourself next to a coffee bar. You can buy simple beverages like coffee and various teas and there are always a couple of scrumptious looking cakes for sampling too, so this is a perfect (and quiet) place to rest your feet whilst you are doing some shopping. There are only a few chairs and tables, but it is a very calming atmosphere.

This fabulous store contains mainly Portuguese-made goods – textiles for the home (both for indoors and outdoors), cosmetics and restored furniture. It also has a variety of beautifully-packaged homemade gourmet goodies like jams and pickles for sale and these are all displayed invitingly on a table at the top of the stairs – you cannot miss it.

I recommend you pop in and browse (and drink coffee and eat cake too!).

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VOA Chiado | Coffee & tea, Shopping | Coffee & cake € 3
Rua Nova do Almada, 96 | Chiado & Baixa | +351213427097
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 17:00

Another outdoor space in which to consume food and drink – this time in Parque Eduardo VII. Once you have admired the view from the top of the Parque, down Avenida Liberdade to the river, take a break at the Botequim do Rei cafe which is attached to a restaurant of the same name and consists of an esplanade next to a pond that is home to a variety of water birds and a shoal of koi carp. In the other direction, the tables look down onto an unusual, ornately decorated, disused gym hall that somehow manages to blend into the park.

This space is well sheltered from the wind and serves as an efficient sun-trap where you can enjoy the peace and quiet of the park. I love to go there with a book on sunny days and read, or just relax watching the birds float around unperturbed on the pond. It is possible to order food from the snack menu at any time, but there are also outdoor tables that are set up under an awning and from here you can take advantage of the full restaurant menu whilst enjoying the fresh air.

The waiters speak excellent English and while I suspect this cafe may be a bit touristy, the location, for me, makes up for this. The menu is the same as you would expect in any snack bar of this nature in Portugal.

This restaurant and esplanade is closed on Mondays.

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Botequim do Rei – Esplanada | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Restaurants (Portuguese) | Meal € 13.00
Parque Eduardo VII | Avenidas | +351213160891
Tue – Sun 10:00 – 22:00

For one of the freshest, warmest, most delicious pastel de nata in down town Lisbon, go to Café Martinho da Arcarda. This very old (established in 1782), very famous cafe is situated in the top right corner of Praça do Comércio (as you stand with your back to the river) and has an esplanade under the arches of one of the buildings that line the edge of the Praça.

The decor has not changed since Fernando Pessoa used to frequent the cafe in the early 1900s and there is a typically Portuguese tiled scene behind the bar counter showing the kitchen and the baking of the above mentioned pastéis de nata. There are signs up in the cafe proudly stating that the pastéis de nata are cooked on the premises on a daily basis. There are only a few tables inside the cafe with the majority of them being situated outside on the esplanade.

This café, in my opinion, is actually nicer than the far busier, more touristed one that is in Rossio on Praça Dom Pedro IV. Whilst sitting outside this cafe you have a view directly across the newly-refurbished Praça do Comércio to the river.

There is a restaurant attached to the café and although I have not eaten there, a glance at the menu suggested that it is rather a pricey and perhaps touristy restaurant. Nonetheless, I would highly recommend a traditional pastel de nata and a coffee at the café.

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Café Martinho da Arcada | Coffee & tea | Coffee & cake € 5
Praça do Comércio, 3 | Chiado & Baixa | +351218879259
11:00 – 23:00 daily

Tucked away in a tiny little street in the suburb of Penha Franca is the entrance up to Miradouro do Monte Agudo. I think that this miradouro is one of the prettiest in Lisbon that offers yet another spectacular view over the red rooftops that characterize this city. The 180° view of Lisbon is stunning, from the river right up to Saldanha and the north.

This miradouro is off the beaten track and if you approach it from Graça (rather than Anjos) the route to it is nice and flat! Go through a gate in a rust-colored wall (with a rather misleading red No Entry sign on it – this is for cars rather than pedestrians) and there is a windy cobbled road that leads up to the view, which took my breath away the first time I saw it.

There is a little kiosk that serves ‘tosta mista’ sandwiches, coffee and beer up here, and you can sit and watch the sun set over the river whilst sipping on a nice cold imperial (beer). This miradouro has recently been renovated – the tiled benches have been well-restored and the pillared pergolas have been repainted giving the area a pleasant ambiance. If you like to relax, with a gorgeous view in front of you then this is the place for you and as summer is moving winter out of the way, the cafe has become quite busy again and there is a nice atmosphere as friends meet to enjoy the sun.

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Miradouro do Monte Agudo | Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Coffee & cake € 5.00
Rua Heliodoro Salgado | Alfama & Graça
Apr – Sep 10:00 – 22:30 daily, Oct – Mar 10:00 – 18:00 daily

Well, that was a nice surprise when I walked in Poison D´Amour for the first time. Just looking at the delicious pastry on display is worth the visit. Everything looks and tastes perfect: from mouth-watering tartelettes to almost-perfect macarons!

The owner spent 30 years in Paris and it shows. Everything reminds you of France. The interior is a mixture of classical and modern. The place has an almost hidden outside garden. A great place to escape from the busy streets and sit among the trees.

Poison d´Amour is located a hundred meters from the park of Principe Real. A great place for coffee or tea. Or just to drop by and take-away some great pastry for later.

Prizes are rather high for Lisbon standards, but still nowhere near the level of Pierre Hermé!

Worth a visit.

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Poison D’Amour | Coffee & tea | 6 macarons € 7.00
Rua da Escola Politécnica | Príncipe Real | +351213476032
Mon – Sun 08:00 – 20:00

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

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