Image by Erik Lassche

This is one of Chefe Olivier da Costa’s restaurants and probably the fanciest. The others are Olivier Café located at Rua de Alecrim, anoriental outfit called Yakuza and the new gourmet-pizza joint called Guilty.

This 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!

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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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by Erik Lassche

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.

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Cervejaria Ramiro | Restaurants (Seafood) | Snack & beer € 15.00
Avenida Almirante Reis 1 | Liberdade | +351218851024
Wed – Mon 12:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by Nuno Lopes de Paula

Created in 1948, the Portuguese Cinematheque is working since than as an institution dedicated to preservation and promotion of Cinema. Inside the building there’s a small cinema, an archive, a bookstore, a library, a cosy restaurant and the Film Museum. The place is located in a 19th century well preserved building in Art Nouveau style with an impressive Neo-Mudejár atrium, right next to Liberdade Avenue in central Lisbon. It’s a great place to go for a good “night at the movies” and also a pleasant place for a coffee or a snack – don’t miss the open-air terrace if you go there on a sunny afternoon!

The museum is divided into 3 rooms: The Cupid Room, the Oak Room and the 6×2 Room. Here you’ll find relics that tell the story of Cinema from magic lanterns to Lumiére projectors or other cinematographic objects like film reels, books and photographs.

If you love a good old story, check your favorite director’s tribute at these cosy small cinema. Sessions start in the afternoon – the so called Matinés - at 15:30h screening movies from great directors: Ford, Bergman, Polansky, De Sicca, Vidor and Ridley Scott. There are also retrospectives of the most acclaimed film directors and actors.

Here, there’s only a short list of Hollywood movies. European, Experimental and Author Cinema can be hard to follow sometimes, but forget blockbusters for a day and give these guys some credit… You won’t be sorry. And… cut!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Cinemateca | Art & culture, Cinemas, Snacks | Cinema Ticket € 3.00
Rua Barata Salgueiro, 39 | Liberdade | +351213596200
Mon – Sat 14:00 – 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by Claudio Carneiro

If I have some favorite spots that keep moving, those would be the funiculars, trams and lifts of Lisbon. I have already talked about the Santa Justa Lift (see the Santa Justa Lift article). This time I am going to talk about my other favourite, the Lavra funicular. I usually get this one when I want to visit Torel Garden (see Torel Garden article) or go to “Campo Martires da Patria”, two nice gardens up on its hill. Not only, since the area at the top end of Lavra really provides a nice walk.

The Lavra funicular may be not so fun to ride, but it is the most charming, and certainly it is the most quiet (often private!) public transport in Lisbon. It’s very large inside, with long wooden seats and metal wheels that transport me way back in history. This is the oldest transport in Lisbon, with more than 120 years and also considered a national monument.

This is one of the four Lisbon Lifts that takes you over Lisbon’s hills, the others being Gloria, Santa Justa and Bica. I have talked about my favourites, but actually I love them all.

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Lavra Funicular | Art & culture, Relaxing | 2 rides € 3.00
Rua das Portas de Santo Antão 150 | Liberdade
Mon – Sat 07:00 – 21:00, Sun 09:00 – 21:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Image by Claudio Carneiro

This is probably the most secret garden in Lisbon. Everyone in Lisbon knows it exists, has an idea where it is located, but most have never actually been there, including me until recently.

The first time I entered it I felt like entering a sacred garden, as beauty arises as you pass by the main entrance. The fountain, the Egyptian statue, the green walls, everything is perfect. The garden is located on a hill, gorgeously planted with trees and with the nicest seats a garden can possibly have. The seats are almost chaise longs, perfect for a morning load of vitamin E through sunbathing. I said morning because in afternoons the sun won’t be that helpful.

The view from the garden is fantastic, as most of views over Lisbon. And that’s not all. The garden is divided in more lowered levels, one with a nice recent opened cafe, a children playground and another fountain. Although the garden is quite old, the 2000s restoration works gave it a new fresh air.

Another great sight you get from the garden is of the surrounding XVIII and XIX charming mansions of the neighbourhood.

There are two possible ways to get to the garden. One is getting the Lavra Lift (check the Lavra Lift article, which will get you almost to the garden’s main entrance. The other entrance is at “trua do telhal”, opposite to number 49. Also a very discreet entrance, so pay a lot of attention.

This is not the best garden, but surely the most lovely!

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Torel Garden | Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Free
Rua Júlio de Andrade | Liberdade
07:00 – 19:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Lisbon