Lisbon has such a fun bar scene with all types of different bars for whatever your mood. Whether it's a cool natural wine bar in Praça das Flores (the best square in Lisbon!), a craft cocktail bar in Mouraria, a ruin bar in Alcantara, or a tiny corner bar where everyone stands on the sidewalk, we've got you covered with all our favorites. We moved to Lisbon in 2022, and since then, we've found some amazing bars that we're excited to share with all of you!
The Best Wine Bars in Lisbon
Príncipe Real - Praça das Flores | Our # 1 Wine Bar
Black Sheep is, without question, our favorite wine bar in Lisbon, and our favorite wine bar in the entire world! It's a unique place that holds a special place in our hearts—so much so, that we literally drew a 4 block radius around it when looking for a place to live! You'll find us here most weekends, enjoying a glass of wine in their tiny inside space, or when the weather is nice, taking the glass into the square across the street to hang with friends and people watch.
They operate primarily by the glass and there's no menu—you just tell them what you're feeling and they will bring out a few bottles for you to try before picking one by the glass. It's the perfect place to come before or after dinner, with friends or alone, on a sunny day or a rainy day!
Sao Bento | Date Spot | Cheese Boards
Uva Livre is a beautiful new wine bar in Sao Bento with a huge selection on natural and low intervention wines (both Portuguese and International) and some incredible boards to pair with (cheese, charcuterie, fish, vegetarian). The staff here are super friendly and knowledgeable with giving recommendations. There's tons of different seating options inside and a huge window that opens up to the street to make for perfect people watching on a nice day, and on Sundays they have live music in the afternoon! It's a great spot to come for a few hours and just relax.
We'd consider this one of the more romantic wine bars on the list, so perfect for a date night!
Santos | Neighborhoody | Outdoor Seating
Insaciável is a fun neighborhood natural wine bar in Santos with lots of outdoor seating, making it perfect for a warm afternoon or evening. We especially love their lounge chairs on the sidewalk. They have a nice selection of small plates—nothing too crazy, but great for pairing with a glass of wine. You're guaranteed to feel like a local here.
Boa Vista | Upbeat | Good Music
Ressaca Tropical is a fun and upbeat natural wine bar that gets very busy later at night. The inside is cozy with a great music selection, but you'll likely see most people enjoying their glass of wine outside standing on the sidewalk. We recommend this wine bar if you're in more of the lively mood (there's also a cocktail/dance bar next door so that may be why Ressaca Tropical gives off more of the party vibes).
Boa Vista | Casual | Daytime Spot
Comida Independente is a combination wine bar and specialty shop with a great selection of natural wines and an amazing cheese/charcuterie/sandwich selection. It's the most chill wine bar on our list, making it a good spot to come during the day for a relaxing break (it opens at 4pm on weekdays and 12pm on weekends). They have seating dispersed throughout the shop as well as several tables outside.
The Best Cocktail Bars in Lisbon
Príncipe Real | Prohibition-Style | Classic Cocktails
Royal Vessel Bar is an old school prohibition style cocktail bar with the most beautiful interior design—it’s a place you want to stay for hours. They have very good classic cocktails and good wine menu too. Order a bowl of olives!
Boa Vista | Brazilian Speakeasy | Rum & Cachaca Cocktails
Copa is a very cool Brazilian speakeasy that focuses primarily on rum and cachaca based cocktails. All of their ingredients are homemade and they have lots of interesting infusions that we've never found at any other bar. We've tried every cocktail on the menu—all are fantastic but our favorite is the Pacifico! They also have some really good small plates (order pão de queijo, cassava fries, and pork cheek croquettes). Only downside is they close a midnight, so get there early.
Santos | Best Espresso Martini | Sidewalk Seating
Cascavel is a newcomer to the Santos neighborhood with fantastic cocktails and cool minimalist vibes. In our opinion, they have the best espresso martini we've had not only in Lisbon, but any cocktail bar in the world! They add tamarind to the espresso martini which gives it a super unique tangy flavor that's balanced with the smooth espresso. We also loved their Transa cocktail—its a bit spicy and nutty, a really cool combo! If you come in the early evening, be sure to grab a stool outside on the sidewalk!
Mouraria | Basque & Italian Cocktails | Vermouth
Don't be fooled by the touristy location—Quattro Teste has some incredibly good craft cocktails! The couple who own this bar are from Basque country and Italy, and they've done and incredible job bringing each of their cultures into their cocktail menu. All their ingredients are made in-house and the cocktails are super well balanced.
And for those of you who are vermouth lovers, Quattro Teste has the best selection in the city. They also have a few different types of gildas to pair alongside.
Príncipe Real | Speakeasy | Pool Table
Foxtrot is the most speakeasy of speakeasies we've been to. The exterior looks like nothing, you knock on a door and you're immediately transported back in time. The bartenders dress the part, there's multiple rooms to choose from, a pool table and hidden patio in the back, and free snacks! We'll be honest, we come here more for the vibes than the cocktails, although the cocktails are fine, they're just not incredible.
Príncipe Real | Lounge
Cinco is a vibe! As soon as you walk in, you feel like you're in the coolest, hippest cocktail lounge. Everything is dark—the mood lighting, the bar, the decor—and they serve up some great cocktails. Order the Jumping Jessica and thank us later.
Santa Catarina | Vintage Cocktails
We recently discovered Bar Na Colina and we're so glad we did! It's hidden away on a quiet side street in Santa Catarina and has a very warm, cozy, vintage aesthetic. It's the perfect bar for a night cap. They make really well balanced classic cocktails and also some with a twist. Order an Old Fashioned and ask what infused syrups they have on hand.
Graça | Creative Craft Cocktails
Onda is another very cool craft cocktail bar, this time on the other side of the city, close to Graça. It's owned by an Irish guy who has worked in bars all over the world and you can feel his passion as soon as you start talking to him. He makes some very creative and well-balanced cocktails. The bar itself is tiny, so try to make a reservation beforehand.
Príncipe Real | Upbeat
Imprensa is for sure the most lively and upbeat cocktail bar on our list. It's located on a tiny street at the top of Príncipe Real and most nights it gets so crowded that people spill into the street. The cocktails are well done, the vibes are fun, and it's a great place to go with a few friends or even alone. They also do oyster happy hour and have a few snacks on their menu.
The Best "Other" Bars in Lisbon
Not every bar is a cocktail bar or wine bar in Lisbon, so here are a few "other" bars that we love!
Alcantara | Open Air Ruin Bar | Live Music | Food Trucks
Mīrārī is one of our new favorite spots to hang out with friends on warm nights - it reminds us of the famous ruin bars in Budapest. It's one of the coolest concepts for a bar in Lisbon, and honestly it's so much more than just a bar. They've converted an abandoned building into a huge event space with food trucks, tons of seating areas, yard games, live music, and art installations. They host events several times a week both during the day and at night, so just check their website to see what's going on. Note, they close at 11pm.
Príncipe Real | Brazilian Sidewalk Bar
Jobim is a very relaxed sidewalk bar at the top of Príncipe Real that's always filled with groups of locals just hanging out and enjoying the vibes. They have huge windows that open onto the street and plenty of sidewalk seating to just chill for a few hours. Be sure to order a caipirinha and the stuffed pão de queijo.
Boa Vista | Sidewalk Bar
Tabacaria is located on one of our favorite "going out" streets—Rua da Boa Vista. This street is packed with people typically in their 30's (once you graduate from Bairro Alto, you come here) and there's tons of little bars and restaurants lining the street. It's always busy on weekend nights with most people just standing on the sidewalks enjoying a few drinks with friends. Tabacaria is no different—it's a tiny corner bar with cheap beers and surprisingly good cocktails (try their whiskey sour or moscow mule). And if you get hungry, you can pop across the street to Lupita for some pizza from their takeout window.
Bairro Alto | Pub | English Trivia
We typically wouldn't recommend any of our friends to go to the Bairro Alto bars, but this is an exception. Pub Portugûes is on the lower end of Bairro Alto and much more chill than the bars a few streets up the hill. The owner is super friendly, they have good basic drinks, and they have an incredibly good prego sandwich. We recommend coming here on Monday nights at 8pm for the weekly English pub trivia.
Mouraria | Sidewalk Bar | Live Music
Boutique Taberna is a super unique little hole-in-the-wall bar in the middle of a stairwell leading up to Mouraria. They have live music pretty much every afternoon around sunset and you'll find tons of people sitting of the stairs, drinks in hand, enjoying the music and vibes. You'll immediately feel like you're in Lisbon when you come here.
Best Places to Drink Outdoors in Lisbon
Since moving to Lisbon, we've fallen in love with the many parks and praças (squares) sprinkled throughout the city. Combine this with the kiosk ("quiosque" in Portuguese) culture—small food stands in public places that offer cheap snacks and drinks—and you have a perfect way to spend the afternoon outside with friends.
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