The Best Coffee Spots in Lisbon
Self-confessed coffee snobs have nothing to fear when visiting Portugal’s capital – Lisboetas enjoy one of the highest concentrations of cafés in Europe. Read on for the best places in Lisbon to enjoy coffee the Portuguese way.
It is said that the Portuguese took the first coffee plant to Brazil from French Guiana in 1727. Within a century, the crop was the former Portuguese colony’s biggest export. It’s fair to say, then, that the Portuguese are coffee aficionados – and so it helps in Lisbon if you know how to talk the talk. Uma bica is a small, very strong espresso. If you want it with a drop of milk, ask for um pingo (literally ‘a drop’) or for a milkier version, um garoto. You may prefer a chinesa (a large black coffee) or uma meia de leite (literally ‘a half of milk’), which is something like a flat white. For those who like it really milky, go for um galão, served in a tall glass.
1. Pastelaria Versailles
Bakery, Cafe, Restaurant, Tea Room, Pastelaria, Pastry Shop, Dessert, Portuguese
On the bustling Avenida da República, north of the centre, lies one of Lisbon’s loveliest and most traditional cafés, Pastelaria Versailles. Order your coffee from the long glass cabinet lined with sumptuous cakes and pastries, and then take a seat beneath the chandeliers where a waistcoated waiter will serve it to you.
2. Linha d’Água
Cafe, Coffee
Though a short walk from the Gulbenkian Museum, Linha d’Água lies in the upper reaches of Parque Eduardo VII and does not see many tourists. Order a coffee with an inexpensive meal from the broad glass-fronted building, and sit in a shady spot next to the shallow waters of a little lake.
4. Café A Brasileira
Cafe, Coffee Shop, Portuguese
5. Confeitaria Nacional
Cafe, Pastry Shop, Coffee
Another of Lisbon’s classic cafés, this cosy space with stucco ceilings serves a range of cakes and traditional pastries to go with your coffee. First opened in 1829, Confeitaria Nacional was frequented by the Portuguese royal family before the creation of the republic. There are a few seats outside or in a cute room upstairs.
6. Quiosque das Amoreiras
Cafe, Coffee
Many of Lisbon’s squares and open spaces have little kiosks serving cold drinks and snacks – and even in these, you’ll get yourself a decent brew. Quiosque das Amoreiras, on a square partly framed by the Águas Livres Aqueduct, is one of the most tranquil, with handy outdoor seating.
7. Ler Devagar
Cafe, Coffee Shop, Coffee
So keen are Lisboetas on their coffee that you’ll often find café sections in museums, hairdressers and even shops. Ler Devagar is a striking bookshop whose shelves are wedged behind the metalwork of a former printing press, but it also serves as a gallery, music shop, bar and café. It’s part of the LX Factory complex, a series of studios, restaurants and bars set up on the site of an abandoned factory.
8. Martinho da Arcada
Cafe, Coffee
Coffee always tastes better with a bit of history attached to it, and there are few older places in Lisbon than this café-restaurant. Since Martinho da Arcada opened its doors in 1782, it has served as a gambling den, a hang-out for political dissidents and another favourite drinking hole of writer Fernando Pessoa. The seats under the arcades make it the ideal spot to watch trams trundling into Lisbon’s main riverside square.
9. Le Chat
Cafe, Restaurant, Portuguese
10. Casa Pereira da Conceição
Cafe, Coffee
Having sampled Lisbon’s rich brews, you might well decide to take some ground coffee home with you. Right in the heart of the Baixa district, you’ll probably smell Casa Pereira da Conceição before you enter it, and the delicious aromas are matched by the delights of its interior, which has changed little since it opened in 1933. Along with chunky machines for grinding coffee beans, there are rows of glass cabinets stocked with coffees, teas, porcelain and Asian-style fans.
11. Pastéis de Belém
Cafe, Pastries
Hardly unknown to tourists, Belém’s most famous café is nevertheless unmissable if you want to sample some of the best pastéis de nata (custard tarts) the city has to offer. Made on site at this cavernous and highly picturesque tiled building, the tarts are best enjoyed sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a strong bica coffee.
This article is an updated version of a story created by Sophia Karner.
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.