The best bars and cafés Portugal

Without doubt one of the most beautiful esplanades in Lisbon! A cosmopolitan place, a clientele mixing travellers and Lisboetes as well as many tables offering a breathtaking view of the Tagus and the rooftops of Alfama. You can enjoy petiscos (tapas), sandwiches, and salads at any time of the day, you can also simply come and have a drink and laze in the middle of the excitement. The prices are higher than elsewhere, the view has a cost, the service is, unfortunately, rather uneven, but it doesn't matter. To be tested at the end of the day over a beer.

Very little signage for this bar with a 500 ^m2 terrace and a 180° view. To get there, you really have to go into the parking lot and take the elevator to the top. When you get to the bar, it's really quite a surprise! Its hard part, its decoration and its vegetation evoke a little the Tropics. Planted shrubs and light woodwork give the space a suspended garden feel. A little Mediterranean cuisine and some snacks (homemade gourmet hamburgers) to satisfy your appetite and cocktails on the esplanade to enjoy.

Each level of this place dedicated to rock has its own bar with guitars, gold and platinum records, jackets, dresses and all sorts of accessories that belonged to the biggest rock stars in the world. On large flat screens, videos of songs and concerts are shown continuously, at a sound level that allows for conversation. It is both intimate and public. A small stage allows you to attend live concerts, held 2-3 times a week. A generous list of colorful cocktails, with or without alcohol, completes the offer.

This former "brothel", once frequented by local prostitutes and visiting foreign sailors, retains something of its sultry cabaret atmosphere. On the program: cultural events, improbable DJ nights in its dance hall, or just chatting. Chapel-Sixtine-style ceilings, pedestal tables and antique armchairs give the "Pension Amour " plenty of charm and sensuality. You can then go and sleep just upstairs in their Madam's Lodge hotel, and stay in an oriental ambiance.

An establishment under the São Luís theatre and above the São Carlos theatre, which has a pretty vaulted room full of charm and a small terrace. You can take the time to daydream in good company or even to read thanks to a pile of international magazines at your disposal. A slate at the entrance offers a dish of the day that will always be cheaper than an à la carte dish. At certain times of the year, free quality concerts (jazz cycle: Monday and Friday) entertain a cosmopolitan and well-educated clientele.

Right in the heart of the historical area of Loulé, this small bar is considered one of the best spots to meet up in the evening with friends. We will opt for original tapas (stuffed mushrooms, octopus, trilogy of burgers), a house specialty, to be shared over a glass of wine or beer in the pretty red brick vaulted room. The house regularly organizes intimate ao vivo concerts and hosts jazz or electro-pop bands and musicians and stand-up comedy. Due to its small size, reservation is strongly recommended.

Here, the coffee is roasted on site. Since its creation in 2015, the Fabrica Coffee Roasters has not destuffed with its small terrace where you can have breakfast with a coffee and a croissant (a real good one as in France). For us, it is the best elongated coffee in the city (called here americano or abatanado). If you are a fan of good coffees and cappuccinos, we highly recommend this address. Be careful, here no wifi, deliberate bias of the owners who do not want to see their establishment filled with computers.

Ideal for a break after a walk to the mouth of the Douro! Casa Aberta offers a menu of tapas and more elaborate dishes. Meat lovers will appreciate the grilled meats, a specialty of the house. The wine list features a nice selection of local whites and reds. You can also enjoy cocktails or vintage ports. The staff is friendly and attentive. The atmosphere is warm. Soak up the gentle energy of Casa Aberta.

A crazy bar with four intergalactic animals for mascots. You can spot this bar with its bright yellow illuminated sign that sits above the bar on a deep blue wall. It serves local beers, wine, but also homemade cocktails made with seasonal ingredients. We go there mainly for that, especially since sometimes they are on promotion (it's announced on the Instagram account). On the program: sets, soul, funk and latino rhythms to keep you entertained all night long or almost all night long. The motto: dance, don't stand still!

The Three Monkeys is one of the references for nights in Lagos. It is open 365 nights a year and you are sure to make friends, even if you come alone. Customers are invited to drink a large quantity of beer with large helmets on their heads. The beer, poured by a waitress into a funnel, reaches the drinker's mouth via a long tube. It's a real show and you'll laugh! The bar also serves all kinds of alcoholic drinks and soft drinks. Remember that from 9pm to midnight, it's happy hour, with a cocktail offered for a bought.

An original bar that makes barber at the entrance and bar/pub in the background. A very British style with leather sofas and billiards. A real atmosphere apart with a little touch of lisboet madness in addition. It has the advantage of being outside the crowded streets of Bairro Alto, but still close enough to attract people. The atmosphere is guaranteed on weekends and the bar is packed! DJ sets are organized on weekends to warm up before going dancing in one of the city's clubs. They also offer some snacks in case you get hungry.

At the entrance to this bar, you won't see a name, just a red frog carved above a bell that reads "Press for cocktails". Ring the bell and the door opens, leading to a basement bar. This is indeed a hidden bar, in the tradition of speakeasy bars, the underground bars that existed during Prohibition in the USA. Down a few steps, you enter a small, dimly lit bar with a retro look, very American in the 1920s and 1930s. Red Frog was voted one of the 50 best bars in the world in 2022.

"The Good, the Bad and the Bad", a whole program! This establishment, named after the famous Sergio Leone western in Portuguese, is really one of the new good surprises in the Cais do Sodré district. In a kind of huge apartment with a design and cosy style, several rooms with bars, sofas, armchairs... The light is dimmed and the atmosphere is good-natured. Every evening, or almost every night, there is live music: DJ sets, afrobeat or jazz concerts. The perfect place to start the evening or finish it off with a cocktail.

In the heart of the historic center, in this yellow house, you can drink a good cocktail or enjoy a quality meal (typical dishes brought up to date that the jovial owner will advise you). Upstairs, good music and a relaxed atmosphere. Several rooms and some tables installed on the square offer different atmospheres with, on weekends, DJ and small concerts. A good place to discover the atmosphere of the nights ofGuimarães. All in a modern and elegant decoration. Quality service, available and attentive.