The best bars and cafés Cape Verde

The feet are right on the golden sand of Laginha, or almost, at Caravela you can enjoy a very pleasant terrace facing the superb bay of Mindelo, at the very end of the beach. Everyone agrees that it is the ideal place to have a drink while admiring the sunset, which explains why it is so popular in the early evening. It is one of the few places where you can eat until late at night, and it turns into a trendy disco where weekends are very lively: concerts, theme nights... summer atmosphere guaranteed.

With superb views over Quebra Canela beach, it's an ideal place for a snack or a drink. The clientele? A mix of locals and tourists who frequent the place to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and fast-food menu (shawarma, quesadilla and pizza). Many evenings are organized with live music. Check the venue's page for the latest news. The natural fruit juices and exotic caipirinha cocktails are delicious, all at very affordable prices.

Right next to the large cross erected during the Pope's visit, this establishment enjoys a superb location as from its height it overlooks Quebra Canela beach and offers a beautiful panorama. One comes to curl up in the sofas installed on the terrace and to benefit from the sight on the sea while sipping a cocktail accompanied by tapas. The decor is modern, but not ostentatious, and the dishes are subtly prepared. The menu honours local products with a very good mention for the grilled lobster. Live music on weekends.

This is Santa Maria's newest unusual and somewhat hidden address. As its name suggests, the Neshisha has an oriental air, with El Badia hookahs on every table, but you don't have to succumb to tobacco if you're not a fan. You can just as easily go there to sip a delicious caipirinha from the cocktail menu, or to listen to good music with friends, in all simplicity, in this very friendly place with exotic fragrances. And why not try a new experience?

This address, which has reopened its doors with a new concept, is dedicated to music and morna in particular. It's a warm place, where the atmosphere is in full swing at weekends and sometimes during the week. The cuisine, meanwhile, is crafted from carefully selected products, such as grilled fish or golden-brown baked cod, a nod to Portugal. If you're lucky, you might even bump into Tito Paris, the former owner of the restaurant, who maintains a strong relationship with the establishment... For a gastronomic and musical experience.

In one of the most contemporary spaces of Tarrafal, when the sun is in its most beautiful colors, we climb without waiting on the terrace of Por do Sol to not miss anything of the show. Magical cocktails will be offered to add even more flavor to the experience. They will be enjoyed with appetizers, salgados mix or onion fritters deliciously fried to dip in a pink sauce. Moments of vacation and sweet torpor to share with family and friends.

A beautiful contemporary art gallery on the first floor and a curious wine bar upstairs. It's a very pleasant and unexpected place just a step away from the People's Palace. You can have a drink with tapas in a beautiful room with oriental decoration, where the cosy atmosphere and good music add to the experience. As far as events are concerned, we can mention various rather heterogeneous proposals: environmental cinema with the projection of author's films, discussions around a theme, in short, a lot of culture!

It's THE place to be for tourists and locals alike, a very popular bar where live music is played almost every night. One of the best atmospheres in town and the ideal spot to sway to the rhythm of funana or kizomba. Large choice of beers, colorful cocktails and elaborate wine list, the opportunity to taste the famous wine of Fogo. The decoration is cleverly studied and the cards made with Cape Verdean license plates. A cheerful and involved team will seduce you for a memorable evening.

Local atmosphere. Attended by many people. Possibility of nibble small pieces of meat with his drink.

To take a drink. This is a meeting point.

One of the internet in the city. 

Take a little break in this tiny, very local bar, where an old Cape will show you old photos and tell you his youth. Open as it pleases!

Terrace of the eponymous bookstore where you can drink a drink or eat a snack. Good service and good Cape Verdean music. 

The beach bar of the Oasis Atlantico hotel is open to the public and is the trendiest bar on Laginha beach. Here, you can enjoy lunch, a cool drink or an alcoholic beverage, or spend the whole day here, as you can rent deckchairs right on the sand - the only establishment of its kind, by the way. On the menu are hearty local dishes (cachupa) and international dishes, as well as a menu of snacks for the hungry (pizza, nuggets and hamburgers). Avoid if you're looking for authenticity, as the clientele is predominantly foreign.

In Maio, it's impossible to come across anyone who hasn't heard of Tibau. Owner of an estaminet where music is king, he is known throughout the country, and even beyond its borders, for his talent as a composer. He has written for numerous Cape Verdean singers. An approachable, humble and discreet character, he loves to share his musical passion with visitors. Like the local artists, don't hesitate to push open the door of his bar to witness some of the finest improvised sessions - in other words, the most authentic music.

Run by two artists, producer Miriam Simas and her husband, dancer António Tavares, this alternative venue claims to be "an idea provocateur", and that's all we ask. The bar's design is unique, and the eye is drawn everywhere at once. As for the events, they stand out from those held anywhere else in Mindelo. From movie nights to conversations, hi hop evenings, poetry or open-air or street theater, you have to come here for an experience that's both original and authentically Cape Verdean.

A tiny restaurant with a handful of tables, where Cristina, the friendly cook and manager of the place, works behind her stove and welcomes you with open arms all day long. Enjoy a typical breakfast or a meal of grilled octopus at noon, while chatting with the regulars while it simmers. All this at very democratic prices. Not to mention the more festive bar atmosphere in the evening with concerts sometimes improvised in the blink of an eye. The kind of place where you really feel like you're somewhere else.

A panoramic terrace overlooking the main street of Santa Maria, with a bar that plays mainly reggae music. Fans of this Jamaican musical expression will not be disappointed. Bands play regularly, and African music is in full swing at One Love, with the sound of drums and other percussion. However, if the enthusiasm is not there, it is better to pass, because the place is a little too roots, nothing abnormal considering the type of atmosphere. Let's get together and feel all right !

"The place to be, if you want to see and be seen. As a kind of busy beach hut, there's bound to be a pleasant spot to enjoy the day, with a table, hammock, deckchair, bar counter or simply on the sand in front. In terms of musical ambience and entertainment, there's something for everyone: music straight from Senegal, reggae, fire-eaters, sunset parties and, on Sundays, brunches with bare feet in the sand.

On Mindelo's busiest main street, this tiny bar is run by the cheerful Alberto, an ex-professional soccer player who was a member of the Portuguese national team in his youth as a stalwart of Benfica in Lisbon. Today he runs this small bar that attracts Mindelo's trendy clientele, painters, singers... It's the kind of place that Cesaria Evoria liked to frequent. Don't miss the chance to have a drink, the spirit is friendly and there is a good chance to meet musicians.