5 Bars you must try when in Lisbon
Lisbon has a rich culture when it comes to its architecture, history and food. However, when the sun sets, the city has more to offer than just museums and coffees in the sun.
Lisbon’s nightlife is vibrant, and there is a wide selection of bars: from cheap artisanal beers to delicious cocktails, this is my list of bars you should try when spending an evening in Lisbon.
The Midnight Expresso
If you cross the “Midnight Express”, 1920s, pastries and cocktails you get the Midnight Espresso in Principe Real.
The bar is also a café during the day, serving Afternoon Tea with an assortment of desserts and pastries to go with. However, in the evening, the tea cups are swapped with espresso martinis and whiskeys sours.
The place is also small, but you can tell that the decor and style have a lot of thought behind and I recommend coming just for the vibe.
Musa da Bica
If instead of cocktails and mysterious decor you want no-nonsense craft beers and snacks Musa da Bica is a great option.
Situated next to Elevador da Bica, close to Cais do Sodré, this is a great central location perfect to meet-up with friends or co-workers in the city for a beer. They have a fantastic selection of artisanal beer which are their own. Craft beer can be hard to find in Lisbon, but this is a place that much more than just satisfies your indie needs. I might also add that Musa is actually the beer house, and this location is actually just one of many bars/stores where they sell their beers. If you want to read more on the brand check out Musa’s website linked here
Also, to go with the beers is Cachorro Quente (portuguese hot-dog”), burger and basket of fries, great to share!
Farés
Located just 50m away from the previous place is the Farés bar. Ok, while Farés might be mostly known for its delicious middle eastern food, their cocktails are also killers.
To accompany your fried halloumi or falafel you can sip on a Tamarind whiskey, Middle Eastern Mule or the house’s Fares Smash (gin, melon licor, basil, aquafaba).
Click here for Farés’ Instagram
An extra tip is if you like Farés but want a view is Java Rooftop: a great restaurant that also makes cocktails and is a great place to have a drink with a view over the Tejo river, click here to read more about Java Rooftop
Collect - Food. Radio. Records
If you want to have a beer, or even a cocktail, but you want to have music, then Collect Food Radio Records is your place: they have DJ:s playing regularly to spice up the evening. They also have decent cocktails if you want something more than a beer.
I have been there also on a regular weekday without a DJ just to enjoy a nice burger. Collect has a good selection of dishes to have lunch or dinner.
Pavilhão Chinês
Probably the most eccentric place on my list, but I had to share it. Many bars seem to just do Rinse & Repeat, and sometimes the atmosphere can be quite dull. However, Pavilhão Chinês has its own thing going on, and it does it to the fullest.
It is hard to describe what type of place this is, which is also what makes it fun. The Pavilhão Chinês is a bar, in an old grocery store, that also houses a huge collection of toys. But not any toys, old toys from the World Wars-period.
Moreover, should you find the decor boring (How?) there is also two pool tables. But the place is quite big and houses 5 rooms with memorabilia, so there is plenty to see and time to have a few cocktails.
Want to read more?
Lisbon has so many bars worth seeing and making a list with only 5 does not make Lisbon justice. However, I will write more on the different kind of bars in the future. In the meantime you can read about the best rooftop bars in Lisbon
