Liberdade Lisbon – All our local tips

Since I am not Portuguese, I usually would not care about visiting a foreign country association in Lisbon, other than my own (Brazilian). But out of the blue my friends invited me to have lunch in this Cape Verdean restaurant and I accepted,  and thank God I did, because only now I found out this treasure in the heart of Lisbon!

The place is located on the top of a commercial building, so if you don’t know exactly where it is, you cannot even notice. Once you get there, by elevator, you enter in a wide room, with really nice views over the city.

The place is rather simple, but, believe me, quite packed. So it’s better to make a reservation beforehand. The food is gorgeous and very tasty. The staff is very kind and efficient. Try the famous “Cachupa” (low cooked stew of corn, beans, and meat), or a tempting chicken creole or, like I did, a wonderful onion tuna steak, along with rice and beans.

If you dare, go there on a Thursday, and you will witness good live Cape Verdean music, the famous “Morna“, and a lot of people dancing happily while you have your delicious lunch. I know, sounds very strange, but it’s a perfect unique experience!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Cape Verdean Association | Art & culture, Restaurants (Cape-verdean) | Meal,wine & coffee € 10
Rua Duque de Palmela N º 2 – 8º | Liberdade | +351213531932
Mon – Fri 12:00 – 14:30

Problem: Most visitors think that a “cervejaria” is a place to drink beer (derived from “cerveja”, the Portuguese word for beer). In reality, however, “cervejaria” are actually restaurants specialized in either meat (”bifes”) or sea-food (also called “marisqueiras”).

Cervejaria Ramiro is THE place to eat sea-food. There are better (and much more expensive!) places for sure, but few are as authentic as this one. The seafood is fantastic and always fresh.

Just observing the frantic pace of the waiters as they try to serve the waiting crowd is a spectacle on its own. Great place for a Sunday lunch. Don’t be afraid by the queue, the quick service results in a high rotation.

The only downside of this place is its location: very downtown but not the best neighborhood.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Cervejaria Ramiro | Restaurants (Seafood) | Snack & beer € 15.00
Avenida Almirante Reis 1 | Liberdade | +351218851024
Wed – Mon 12:00 – 00:00

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.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Crew Hassan | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Shopping
Rua das Portas de Santo Antão, 159 | Liberdade
until 02:00 daily

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

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Hot Clube | Bars, Music
Praça da Alegria 39 | Liberdade | +351213467369
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The centre of Lisbon is full of beautiful squares and esplanades but most of the tourists, and most of the locals too, seem to overlook what in my eyes is the most interesting and beautiful square – Praça Martim Moniz.

Located between Praça da Figueira and the foot of the castle hill this area is as close to a Chinatown (or indeed an Indiatown) as Lisbon has. The area surrounding the square is largely immigrant in nature, with an African, Indian and Chinese mixture that really isn’t seen anywhere else in the city centre. This can lead to rather interesting cultural crossovers such as the (semi) regular world music concerts that are held in the square and the surrounding area, or even the strange sight, that confronted me the other week, of children playing cricket in the street.

The square features two of the most impressive water-features in the city, my favourite being the one which represents the siege of Lisbon which helped create the myth of Martim Moniz – the brave soldier who apparently threw his body in the way of the closing castle door, sacrificing himself to liberate Lisbon from the Moors.

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Praça Martim Moniz | Relaxing, Festivals & events
Praça Martim Moniz | Liberdade
24 hours daily

With its laid-back atmosphere, semi-Asian decor and tasty Indian-inspired eats, PSI (pronounced Psee) is little bit of nirvana in the midst of the urban grind.

This veggie restaurant rests in the corner of a luxuriant garden and pond – inaugurated by the Dalai Lama himself, I kid you not – nearly obscured by, what else, green! The glassed-in tent is a popular dining spot, with the main restaurant – a ground level and mezzanine – nestled in the recess behind it. Best of all, weather permitting, is grabbing a table outdoors beneath the canopy of trees, with the frogs-in-residence clearly within earshot. Bliss!

The food is fuss-free and delicious. I always go for the mini samosas before moving on to heartier fare – curry, seitan dishes with fruit or veg, variously filled rotis (flatbread)… And if you’re sweet-toothed, make sure to leave space for dessert (I have a hard time deciding between the chocolate salami with figs and the psimisú). The house tea is my nectar, hot or cold, but there are numerous others to choose from including fresh-squeezed juices and lassis (nope, no booze).

Ommm…

Details about this spot (Show on map)
PSI | Restaurants (Vegetarian) | A 3-course meal from € 15.00
Alameda St António dos Capuchos | Liberdade | +351213590573
Kitchen Mon – Sat 12:00 – 22:30

Lisbon is chock full of excellent traditional Portuguese restaurants which are favourites of tourists and locals alike. Portuguese food to the typical Portugeezer is a point of extreme national pride. Somehow managing to peacefully coexist with the culinary nationalism is a fine selection of Indian restaurants many of which are owned by a large population of Goan immigrants, a remnant of the Portuguese empire.

Of the Indian restaurants I have tried my personal favourite is Palácio Indiana, located just off the top end of Praça Martim Moniz (check the Praça Martim Moniz article). It is easily recognizable as the restaurant with a replica of one of Lisbon’s famous trams serving as a bar inside.

The dishes served should be familiar to anyone with a basic knowledge of Indian food but it would take a braver palate than mine to try the Bacalhau (codfish) curry -perhaps a fusion food too far.

The restaurant offers excellent value thalis (plates consisting of a number of small dishes) for lunch and their naan bread is excellent.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Restaurante Índia Palace | Restaurants (Indian) | Per person from € 15.00
Rua da Palma 208A | Liberdade
12:00 – 15:15 & 19:00 – 23:30 daily

This is Chefe Olivier da Costa’s 3rd restaurant (the other 2 are Olivier (closed in 2009) and Olivier Café, both located in downtown Lisbon). The restaurant is located inside the Tivoli Jardim Hotel, just 50 meters off Avenida da Liberdade.

The interior is very stylish and modern. It feels more like New York or Paris then Lisbon to be honest. Visited by the local high-society, it’s a place to see and to be see.

I had dinner here once and the food was excellent. Kobé Beef picanha-style, gratinated scallops, octopus carpaccio, the list goes on and on. All very yummie indeed. The menu has some interesting mixtures that you might not expect from such an upscale place, such as American mini-hamburgers. The wine list is excellent, as one can expect from a place like this.

If you want to have a great culinary evening in an impressive setting and if you don’t mind spending some dosh, please do visit. The place is already considered one of Lisbon’s best, in spite of its short history.

And in order to avoid getting to snobbish, visit Maxim located almost next door. The perfect mix!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Restaurante Olivier Avenida | Restaurants (Upscale) | Meal + wine € 60.00
Rua Júlio César Machado 7 | Liberdade | +351213174105
Mon – Sat 13:00 – 15:30 & 20:00 – 01:00