Mãe D’Água Amoreiras Reservoir 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!

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Mãe D’Água Amoreiras Reservoir | Art & culture, Relaxing | Entrance € 2.50
Praça das Amoreiras 10 | Estrela | +351213251644
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 18:00

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

This garden is one of the most romantic in Lisbon. 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. iI was inaugurated by order of Marques de Pombal in 1771, the same guy who helped to rebuild 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”.

As every decent garden does, 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-Vieira da Silva 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

Home made ice-cream have been the latest trend in Lisbon lately, Artisani is one of them, and a very good one. This shop is also the factory shop, where you can watch their delicious ice-creams being made. They only use milk “vigor”, the best Portuguese milk ever, and water “luso”, so its all Portuguese.

The flavours go from “caipirinha” to lemon with basil, cinnamon and honey to orange with cardamom and a lot more. They do sound strange, but also taste delicious! Every two weeks there is a special and different favour to try on. I love most of them, but my favourite is the light chocolate, because it really taste like chocolate! They also have lollipop and sandwich ice-creams. And for variety, they serve huge toasts and many types of cakes.

The shop is clean white, and the fun part is that some tables have swings as chairs. The bad side is that this is an invitation to children and noise… But Estrela’s Garden is meters away if I want to eat my ice-cream peacefully and surrounded by green.

When in doubt which flavour to choose, a symptom I have very often, ask to try as many as you wish, they are really cool about that.

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Artisane Home made Ice-cream | Coffee & tea, Snacks | 1 Scoop two flavours € 2.90
Av. Alvares Cabral, 65 B | Estrela | +351213976453
10:00 – 23:00 daily

Coelho da Rocha is another of my neighborhood’s favorite restaurants. It’s one of those places that tradition wins over changes, but in this case for a good cause: it keeps being the best hunt food restaurant in town.

It’s hard to say which is the best dish. Sometimes I go there only for their fish and shrimp mayonnaise salad, very refreshing during summer time. In winter I would rather go for their partridge pie. And sometimes it’s hard not to order their cooked cod, the best one I have ever tried, I swear. Plus, for entrance, they serve us with a buttered toast that is so well done I have to beg them to stop bringing it, otherwise there is never room for more.

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Coelho da Rocha | Restaurants (Traditional Portuguese) | Dinner, desser & wine € 25
Rua Coelho da Rocha 104 | Estrela | +351213900831
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 15:00 & 19:00 – 23:00 (closes every August)

We, Portuguese people, even those not originally Portuguese like me, love eating out. 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 you have to eat your breakfast out, don’t be surprised 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.

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, even on weekends. 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

I believe the best way of exploring a city is with a combination of walking and above-ground public transport. Walking can be a daunting prospect in a city like Lisbon with its many hills, but the hidden treasures and views encountered whilst on foot more than make up for the hill climbing.

I never really understood from a two dimensional map how Lisbon all ‘worked’ with its parks and churches, downtown and uptown suburbs and miradouros and river. What orientated it for me was the following route:

Start out at Miradouro São Pedro with a view to Castelo and then walk through Principe Real to Jardim da Estrela and stop for coffee. The Basilica across the road is worth a look inside – note the light streaming through the windows of the dome. The 28E Tram stops outside Basilica, take a tram to Martim Moniz or Graça. This is a delightful route that takes you via some precariously narrow streets and down frighteningly steep slopes through Chiado, into Baixa and up past the Sé Cathedral towards Castelo São Jorge.

Get off the tram in Baixa and meander through the streets (paying particular attention to Rua Augusta and the arch to the river). Then follow the tram tracks up past the Cathedral and follow signs to Castelo. The view from here absolutely makes up for the climb! When you are done at Castelo, walk down the hill to the right and take a right at the bottom for a well earned drink at Chapito.

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Getting to know Lisbon | Relaxing | Free
Miradouro de Sao Pedro de Alcantara | Estrela
24 hours daily

I love this garden in Lisbon. Unlike the other green haven (check the Jardim Calouste Gulbenkian article) this garden has been landscaped in a far more open way and also tends to be busier. The paths are wider and there is a feeling that not only are you surrounded by nature in the trees but that you also have the sky stretching way above you.

There is a newly refurbished café here that is on the edge of an artificial lake, and the park is usually a hive of activity with families enjoying the outdoor space and sun, people walking dogs and small groups of elderly Portuguese men playing cards at the tables.

The garden hosts the Out Jazz festival for one month between May and September. Look at the agenda (which can be found on the Out Jazz Facebook page) to see which days Jardim Estrela will be alive with music and people enjoying the Sunday evening jazz in the open air auditorium.  The first session took place on 6 May 2012 and will continue at Estrela every Sunday in May.

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Jardim da Estrela | Relaxing, Festivals & events | Free
R. da Estrela | Estrela
07:30 – 00:00 daily

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 02:00. If you are with 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 hamburger 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: Hamburger with mushrooms and cream sauce.

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Outro Tempo Bar | Restaurants (Intern.) | Dinner & wine € 25.00
Rua João Anastácio Rosa 2 | Estrela | +351213978219
Mon – Sat 18:00 – 02:00

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

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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