Music venues & clubs – All our local tips

I am a man of relatively simple tastes, give me good conversation, a cold beer and good music and I will be happy. Now Bairro Alto is chock full of excellent bars which undoubtedly offer the first two but I have always felt that with a few exceptions (usually venues for live music) people don’t really go there to listen to music but I like my indie music, I just can’t help myself.

Indie music and Bairro Alto is a very simple equation – Café Suave. Located at the beginnings of Bairro Alto, avoiding the need to circumvent the crowds, this place offers a decent area inside to grab a seat and possibly even move your body along to the music, if that is your kind of thing.

DJs to look out for there are Fernando and Sophia who play a great mixture of indie music, from new hits to the classics, and they also seem to be having the most fun there so there are no sulky DJs in Suave!

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Café Suave | Bars, Music
R. Diário de Noticias 2 | Bairro Alto
22:00 – 02:00 daily

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.

Maybe that is why, when everybody has left Bairro Alto for the clubs at around 03h00, Capela is just getting fuller and fuller! Late dinner at Império dos Sentidos or Pap’Açorda (both are located next door) and then off to Capela. My ideal Friday night!

NEWSFLASH: Lisbon’s evil mayor has decided to move closing hours from 04h00 to 02h00! In the weekends (Sat & Fri) closing hour is at 3h00. I am still getting used to it and so is Capela’s owner, Pedro. Although he already started serving tapas early in the evening in order to attract more people and the beer got cheaper!!

Well, we will probably have to start our pilgrimage a bit earlier

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

The overbearingly grand headquarters of one of the country’s largest banks might not be most people’s idea of the best situation for one of Lisbon’s most exciting and inventive cultural institutions.

Yet here is Culturgest, consisting of two auditori which house concerts, theatre (Portuguese and touring foreign productions) and other cultural events, and also a gallery with regularly changing exhibitions from exciting artists.

Recent productions that have caught the eye have included an interpretation of William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury and uncatogrisable Once and for all we’re gonna tell you who we are so shut up and listen, a magical performance of theatre by a troupe of Dutch teenagers.

Culturgest is also the home of the annual DocLisboa festival where it plays host to screenings, workshops and interviews with the filmmakers.

Helpfully the website is regularly updated and is in Portuguese and English and there is a sister institution in Porto.

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Culturgest | Art & culture, Music, Festivals & events
Edifício Sede da Caixa Geral de Depósitos | Avenidas
Mon & Wed – Fri 11:00 – 19:00, Sat – Sun 14:00 – 20:00

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!

A huge construction project is planned on the current site, so the “factory” will not be standing here much longer. One more reason to visit it now.

During the month of December their will some special fairs, displaying artesanals, design, art and lots more! Check it out: Friday the 12th and 19th from 20:00 until 02:00.

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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

I came across Heidi quite by accident on the chilliest of Lisbon nights, when a hot glass of glühwein really hit the spot. With only a Swiss flag hanging outside to betray its provenance, a visit to Heidi is disconcerting to say the least. One moment you’re standing on a gritty Bairro Alto street and the next you’re nestled in a cozy, Alpine cottage!

Fashioned in a manner that I can best describe as Chalet-ho!, this little bar comes complete with wood paneling, a grassy wall lining sprouting teeny flowers (edelweiss?), a tree trunk table and a myriad of quirky objets which Heidi herself may have used to entice Peter away from his goats. And, lest the concept still remains dubious, the DJ spins from a balcony of carved pine balusters identical to that of a typical Swiss cottage, and a large-scale mountain landscape spans one of the walls. If all this doesn’t provoke the urge slap on some lederhosen and yodel, I don’t know what will.

Owners Marc and Sindi are warm and welcoming. Old hands at the nightlife business in Switzerland and France, they fell in love with Lisbon and decided to bring a bit of Alpine cheer to this fair city. With a third, female element in tow – a Heidi of sorts – the bar opened in October 2009, and stays open every night of the week.

Cheese and cold meat “tapas” are also available for nibbles.

Allez hop!

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Heidi Bar | Bars, Music | Glühwein € 3.50
Rua da Barroca 129 | Bairro Alto
Mon – Thu 18:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sat 18:00 – 02:45, Sun 21:00 – 02:45

Small in size but grand in spirit, Portugal’s first jazz bar opened its doors over 60 years ago (amidst a dictatorship, no less) and quickly secured its spot as the cult favourite for good live jazz in Lisbon.

Sadly, the building where Hot Clube resided experienced a major fire on Dec. 22, 2009. Although the club was located in the basement of that building and wasn’t actually affected by the fire that began on an upper floor, it was flooded by the water firemen used to put it out, and has been irreparably damaged.

The building is set to be demolished and rebuilt (maintaining the façade) and will eventually emerge as a grander House of Jazz, but there’s no telling how long this will take.

In the meantime, the management is working on securing another location, very close to the original and still in Praça da Alegria (Happiness Square!) from where Hot Clube will reopen “temporarily” until it returns to #39.

Stay tuned!

One thing I like about jazz, kid, is that I don’t know what’s going to happen next. Do you?
-Bix Beiderbecke

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Hot Clube | Bars, Music
Praça da Alegria 39 | Liberdade | +351213467369
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I secretly want to be a rock star. I wish I were Debbie Harry. But alas, in the roulette of life I wasn’t prized with a singing voice or particularly keen musical ability, and the only thing I share with Debs is the colour of my hair. Still, music is in my blood, and I do enjoy sweating out the frustrations of my shattered dream to good beats on a dance floor. This is one such place.

First and foremost, the music kicks ass. As Lisbon’s first real alternative bar and dance club, it opened its doors in the late 80s to wide praise. Since then, an ever-growing nighttime landscape has given rise to a crop of bars of a similar mindset, although Incógnito is not only still around but remains a Mecca for excellent alt-rock and retro pop beats to stroke those indie sensibilities.

The place is split into 3 levels – the ground floor has some seating (including a groovy, red eco-leather sofa) and curiously odd art-house movie clips are projected on one wall; a narrow mezzanine houses the main bar, and both overlook the dance floor on the basement level.

It gets packed in there, especially after bars shut in Bairro Alto at 02:00, and a line usually forms at the entrance. Official closing time is 04:00, though it’s closer to 05:00 on weekends. And be warned, smoking is allowed and the air does get thick in there by the middle of the night.

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Incógnito | Bars, Music
Rua dos Poiais de São Bento 37 | Bairro Alto | +351213908755
Wed – Sat 23:00 – 04:00

Clube Lusitano is an old-fashioned, neighborhood social club that’s most accustomed to seeing gritty local elders shoot the breeze and play a round of pool over a beer. But for a couple of hours on Tuesday nights, this club attracts a different, eclectic crowd, from intellectual to hipster to trendy, not to mention the handful of passers-by who are lured by the music flooding onto the street. This weekly gig started sometime in 2008, and has garnered quite a cult following.

Choro (or Chorinho, as it’s commonly known) means “cry” but this music, a popular Brazilian concoction sometimes referred to as the urban samba, mixes tango, polka and a good dose of African rhythm and is anything but melancholy. A live band, decked out in black-and-white head to toe, plays a heady mix of guitars, mandolin, accordion and pandeiro (type of tambourine) that gets under your skin and makes you want to move. Think you can’t dance? Relax. A caipirinha will cure that.

The main room’s high ceilings, dimly-lit wall sconces and oversized baroque mirror give off a slightly decadent feel…though I still don’t know what to make of the mirror ball dangling incongruously overhead. And as you can imagine, a room packed to capacity with human beings in fervent motion = heat. Wide open windows and ceiling fans are of little help, so be prepared to sweat in there (or slip away onto the street for a breath of fresh air).

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Lusitano Clube / Roda de Choro | Bars, Music | Entrance fee € 4.00
Rua São João da Praça, 81 | Castelo | +351218869472
Tue 22:30 – 12:30

If there is a place where all types of people gather it’s Lux. It’s the most democratic place to go clubbing, since it has 3 floors, all playing different types of music.

The top floor is an open area with a Wine Bar which always varies in the décor. The perfect time to be here is when the sun rises above the river – breathtaking! The middle floor also known as the Bar is where people gather to have a drink and talk, or just chill on one of the many beds that are laying around.

This area also has a great balcony facing the river where people hang out if not too cold or rainy. The bottom floor named Disco is where the hard partying really happens. Here all Dj’s show their best tunes, playing all sorts of music (mostly electronic). Every time we go there it’s a completely different night! Lux has the ability to reinvent itself every week, so this is why it has been a success for so many years. Be sure to check with their website the weekly program.

It is located in the west downtown area, near the Central Station of Santa Apolónia, making it a really easy to reach spot (it is also served by the blue Metro line). If you wish to dinner nearby, you can try Casanova (check the Casanova article) for the most delicious pizzas in town.

Rita’s favourites: Any Saturday night is always fun!

Vee’s favourites: Any night when Dezperados play.

Tip: when clubbing on a Saturday be sure to enter before 2 am, otherwise you’ll risk some serious queueing!

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Lux Frágil | Bars, Music | Entrance (include two drinks) € 12.00
Av. Infante D. Henrique | Riverside | +351218820890
Tue – Sat 22:00 – 06:00

Located right at the top of Bairro Alto, your perserverence in tracking this shop down ill certainly be rewarded if you are a fan of the more avant garde forms of electronica and indie music.

Sharing its premises in Lisbon with a lovely boutique clothing shop (no suggestion here that it gives the girls something to do whilst the guys browse records!) Máteria Prima offers the very best of the slightly weird and wonderful of the music world – from classics (like Aphex Twin and Autechre) to latest releases (The xx and Atlas Sound).

As well as having a great selection of vinyl and cds, which the shopkeepers are only too happy to let you sample before you buy, the shop has a great catalogue of Portuguese and foreign music and art magazines.

If your wallet (or luggage) isn’t going to extend to a bit of music shopping Máteria Prima is also an excellent place to find out the latest in concerts, clubs and art and the shop is also stocked full of the latest flyers.

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Máteria Prima | Music, Shopping
Rua da Rosa 197 | Bairro Alto
Mon – Fri 14:00 – 20:00, Sat 14:00 – 21:00

I am perhaps a little biased when it comes to writing about O Século because it was here that I held my first club nights in Lisbon.

O Século is one of those rare places in Lisbon that is not quite a bar in the Bairro Alto style yet it still keeps that cosy feel. There are places to sit and eat and somewhere to dance as well as comfy seats to lounge afterwards. O Século is a space which allows people to display their talents in the fields of music, film or art.

During the day the space serves light snacks and drinks but after dark O Século is the perfect place for a party.

Turning up to O Século on the spur of the moment means that you could find yourself in the midst of live music, an art exhibition opening, a kizomba party or, if you’re lucky, my very own BurnTheJukebox night.

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O Século | Bars, Music
Rua do Século, 80 | Bairro Alto | +351213243759
Until 02:00 daily

Should you go to a fado restaurant when visiting Lisbon? And if so, which? Unfortunately there are a lot of so-called fado restaurants where the quality of the music is rather poor. (They normally compensate by intimacy however).

If you want a great night of quality fado in a beautiful setting, go to Marquês da Sé. This fado restaurant is located in a beautifully restored, 18th century building. Your host is Alexandra, one of Portugal’s most famous fado singers. (She played the role of “Amália” in the musical with the same name.)

Make reservations and get a cab, it’s not that easy to find.

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Restaurante Marquês da Sé | Music, Restaurants (Portugese) | Diner & Fado € 45.00
Largo Marquês do Lavradio 1 | Castelo | +351218880234
Mon – Sat 20:00 – 02:00