Estrela Lisbon – 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

It’s been a long time that I wanted to write about one of my favorite Lisbon bars. Procopio is the perfect bar to go if all you want to have is a drink and chat with your friends. The mood of the bar is different, maybe for the lack of natural light, or it’s Art Nouveau decoration, the bossa nova music style playing on the background, the super gracious service and the tons of imagery information you collect while having a nice glass of Port Wine or a beer, all along with some hot popcorn. The customers age range is what most surprises me there. You can meet people from twenties to sixties, all having fun.

The bar is located very close to the Amoreira’s Garden (check the Amoreira’s Garden article), and it’s kind of hidden in a very charming and old alley. As you find the bar, you have to ring to be let in, but don’t worry, the bar door will be opened and you will be received in the best of ways!

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Bar Procópio | Bars | Glass of Port’s Wine € 3
Rua João Penha 21 A | Estrela | +351213852851
Mon – Fri 18:00 – 03:00, Sat 21:00 – 03:00

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

It was inaugurated on August, 25th, with the specific goal of making bio-products reachable for anyone. Everyone knows that there is only one and huge problem with biological products: they are insanely expensive! But Brio supermarket arrived to change the rules, making good bio-products available for much fair prices.

It feels good to know you are buying a reliable product and helping to increase this kind of market, which I know it’s the best thing for the environment. It takes from nature without damaging it. I love their huge offer of cereals, where you can fill your bag with the quantity you need. I confess it’s even hard for me to describe everything they sell there, since they always surprise me with the variety of bio-products that exists up to date.

What I can tell you is that Brio, apart from providing bio-products, it is nothing different from an ordinary supermarket. I buy anything I need there, even good imported products. All bio, off course!

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Brio Biological Supermarket | Shopping, Snacks
Rua Azedo Gneco, 30-A | Estrela | +351213866406
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 20:00

Hokkaido is a smart and quiet Japanese restaurant, located in the neighbourhood of Campo de Ourique.

The menu is composed mainly by sushi. But you also have a selection of raw ingredients you can mix and bring to the chef who will cook it in a huge grilling plate in front of you and then bring it to the table.

The décor is simple and slightly oriental, and the staff is attentive and polite. The restaurant is mainly frequented by a young crowd in their 20’s-30’s.

One of the best things about this spot, for young sushi lovers like us, is that it’s a good quality all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant.

So if you enjoy Japanese food but don’t like to have a massive bill to pay in the end of the meal, Hokkaido is a great option.

PS: Derishasu Miru is Japanese for delicious meal!

Vee’s favourites – Pick and mix your own Teppanyaki

Rita’s favourites – Tuna and Salmon Sashimi, Gyosas, house Green Tea

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Hokkaido | Restaurants (Japanese) | Lunch menu € 10.00
Rua Saraiva de Carvalho 184/a | Estrela | +351213968127
12:00 – 15:00 & 19:00 – 23:00 daily

This place is in front of Amoreiras’ Garden, or Amoreiras’ Garden is in front of it. It doesn’t matter. What is worth knowing is that, yet small, this reservoir, called “Mãe D’Água”, translated “Mother of the Water”, is a jewel unknown to tourists. It’s the old city reservoir, not in use anymore. Nowadays it’s open for visitors and for special occasions, such as private parties or an art exhibitions.

The interior is composed of a huge marble squared room, with for central columns and a also huge pool with clear and transparent water. On hot days I almost feel like jumping in the water. I just wished they would let me!

There is also a beautiful ancient fountain from where the aqueduct water arrives. You can go up the fountain and have a gorgeous view to the reservoir. And continuing on the stairs you can reach the roof, where the view is as gorgeous as inside. You can have a wonderful view around the city and witness the aqueduct from a different angle.

It’s a Water Temple, for meditation, for dazzle and for fun!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Mãe D’Água Amoreiras Reservoir | Art & culture, Relaxing | Entrance € 2.50
Praça das Amoreiras, 10 | Estrela | +351213251644
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 18:00

Outro Tempo Bar is that type of restaurant that you walk by and do not really notice. It’s a classic type of restaurant where kids don’t normally go, and it has the advantage of being close to a very popular garden – Jardim da Estrela (see this article).

Its main specialty are the hamburgers. They are big, made of real beef, with homemade French fries as well as cream spinach. Outro Tempo offers a variety of things to mix with the hamburger – from caramelized onions to mushrooms or even a very typical Portuguese cheese – Queijo da Serra. Either way they are always perfect.

As opposed to a lot of restaurants in Lisbon, this one stays open until 2 am. If you are in a large group, this restaurant is not a good option but if you are a couple this is just perfect. And if you’re not in the mood for a hamburguer try the Tornedó or Prego do lombo no prato. Both just great.

When talking about desserts don’t hesitate to ask for the “Bávaro de Nóz” (nut Bavaroise)!

Rita’s Favourites: Croquettes (appetizers – small fried meat balls) and Hamburger with caramel-onions.

Vee’s Favourites: Hamburguer with mushrooms and cream sauce.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Outro Tempo Bar | Restaurants (Confort food) | Dinner € 16.00
Rua João Anastácio Rosa 2 | Estrela | +351213978219
Mon – Sat 18:00 – 02:00

You won’t find any tourists here! The reason: it is (almost) impossible to find. The restaurant is located between Largo do Rato and Jardim de Estrela. A little bit out of the normal tourist route, but still close enough to get there easily.

Spainata is Italian for terrace and that seems a proper way to describe the place: the restaurant has a huge terrace with a nice view on the city. A great place to dine on a hot summer-night. The owner and manager is one of the co-founders of one of Lisbon’s Italian classics: Mezzaluna.

It seems that not only the owner has moved to Spianata, the food is also of the same high level. You can find here great Italian dishes, ranging from pastas to pizza. Somehow the Sangria is the first things that comes to my mind when recollecting my last dinner-experience at Spianata .

The place is quite new (just a few months old) but it is already pretty crowded, so it might be wise to book. The crowd is a bit more upscale and senior. Another novelty for downtown Lisbon: the place has a huge parking lot!

They recently covered part of the huge terrace with a tent, so know you can sit “outside” even in the Portuguese winter!

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Restaurante Spianata | Restaurants (Italian) | Meal & wine € 25.00
Travessa de Santa Quitéria 38 | Estrela | +351213881892
Mon – Fri 12:30 – 15:30 & 19:30 – 23:30, Sat – Sun 19:30 – 23:30

This is the first restaurant I would suggest for someone who wants to try original Portuguese food. It’s a regional restaurant; most of the food they serve is typical from the biggest Portugal region, Alentejo (which can be translated as “Beyond the Tagus”).

I have travelled around Alentejo a lot, and their food is really great. But every time I tried something I have eaten previously in Trempe, I get both disappointed and glad. Disappointed because the original Alentejo local food is not as good as Trempe’s. And glad because Trempe is in Lisbon, so it’s much closer and better!

Everything in the restaurant is nice, from the rustic decoration, passing by the tasty food and the great selection of wine. But the most important quality of Trempe is the kind and humorous staff, which are all from the same adorable family.

When I go there, my personal and favorite meals are “sopa alentejana” (soup from Alentejo), Dog fish soup, Black Pork fillets, Fried pork with clams and potatoes and for dessert the “Sericaia cake” or the “rice pudim”. I never get tired of any of those.

During summer, day or night, I will probably sit at one of the two tables they have outside, where you can have a nice meal facing “Casa Fernando Pessoa“. But whether inside or outside, it’s granted that I always have a great and fun time there.

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Trempe | Restaurants (Portuguese) | Average € 20.00
Rua Coelho da Rocha 11/13 | Estrela | +351213909118
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 15:00 & 19:00 – 01:00

As soon as you go in, you feel very welcomed. It’s very cosy and rustic. It’s the type of restaurant where low key is the perfect set. A good restaurant doesn’t need a very fancy décor to prove how great it is. This applies perfectly to XL.

Once you’ve been seated and get a feel of what XL has to offer, then you’ll need some time to think about what you want to order. The appetizer part has a very wide selection, from their great potato skins with a delightful yogurt sauce to their perfect foie, just take your pick. When you finally get to the part of the entrees, they have as well a good choice of amazing dishes.

Never forget that the concept behind XL is that it’s comfort food done within an international style. If you are not a meat person, then just pick one of their delicious souflées or in case you do like a good steak just pick one with a good sauce to go with.

XL is also known for the amazing wine selection, being considered of the best wine cellars in the country. If you are considering going there, it is better to make a reservation as it is always busy.

Vee’s Favourites:Ham and Cheese Souffle

Rita’s Favourites: Potato skins

Details about this spot (Show on map)
XL | Restaurants (International) | Regular meal price € 40.00
Calçada da Estrela 57 | Estrela | +351213956118
Mon – Wed 20:00 – 00:00, Thu – Sat 20:00 – 02:00