Laidback rooftop bars have panoramic views and no dress code, while cocktails are served on cobblestone corners and live music is never far away. A local writer handpicks the best bars in Lisbon, whether you are looking for inventive cocktails, natural wine or a packed-out dancefloor at 2am. Side-step these in favour of A Capela, a hidden gem and tiny sweat-box of a bar with a clubby feel and DJs spinning vinyl. Expect funk, house, disco and some fun remixes to impress your music-nerd friends and keep even the biggest introverts swaying on their feet.
Positioned in the bustling Bairro Alto district, it is a popular brunch spot during the day and a lively bar at night. Serving cocktails, craft beer and local wine, it attracts a young and diverse crowd. Best for: A madcap, immersive cocktail bar, fado music Address: R.
Housed in a former grocery store, the bar is spread across five rooms and packed to the rafters with vintage bric-a-brac. Enjoy a craft beer, wine or cocktail beneath crystal chandeliers and model aeroplanes, and among the shelves and glass cabinets of toys, porcelain busts and paintings, accompanied by occasional fado music. The cocktails are great here β try the Bing Qing, which stirs Beefeater 24 gin, ginger, and lychee.
Best for: A stylish sexy date spot, inventive cocktails Address: R. This low-lit contemporary cocktail bar is known for its inventive drinks made using foraged and locally sourced ingredients. Try the spicy scarab, stirred with clementine leaf, gin and turmeric, or the glowing panda, with wild fennel gin, strawberry and vermouth. Cordeiro also opened Uni in , a pocket-sized cocktail bar in Bairro Alto with a futuristic aesthetic. This rooftop bar is on the 9th floor of the Tivoli Avenida da Liberdade hotel and is an extension of Restaurant Seen Lisboa by Olivier.
Signature cocktails and bar bites are met by live DJs, spinning low-key house music until late. This speakeasy-style cellar bar has been serving Lisbon for more than 40 years and has achieved something of a legendary status in and outside of the city. With a roaring fireplace in the winter and a terrace to the back, Foxtrot pays homage to the art deco era with eclectic decor β think gigantic mirrors, large-scale figurative artwork and lacquered wooden tables.
