‘Clara Clara’ kiosk cafe in the heart of fleamarket Feira da Ladra, Lisbon

This wonderful small and quiet garden is a nice place to sit down and relax after browsing the legendary flea market Feira da Ladra (a must see when you visit Lisbon) or after visiting the National Pantheon (on the background), in which important Portuguese personalities are buried, like for example Amalia Rodrigues, the famous fado singer.

Clara Clara terrace & view on the Tagus river, Lisbon

This garden was built in 1862. It provides a panoramic view of the Tagus River. Clara Clara Cafe presents complementary activities such as music or entertainment for kids – and also offers Wi-Fi. A little further down, there is a playground. 

Playground and game tables for children – kiosk cafe Clara Clara Lisbon

As for the menu, the cafe offers coffee, (bica), tea (chá) and Portuguese wines such as Vinho Verde (green wine), beer (imperial) and lemonade, fresh fruit shakes or a sandwich.

Clara Clara terrace in summertime

An inviting terrace in summertime: you can cool off under the trees of the garden. The kiosk cafe offers food and drinks – fresh seasonal products – with a careful selection of cheeses and wines, at tables under the trees in sumertime.

Clara Clara cafe in June, the kiosk is decorated with garlands (Feast Days of the Popular Saints)

This beautiful garden was named after Pedro Amaral Boto Machado, a Portuguese Republican politician and governor (from May 1913 till May 1915) of the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, discovered and claimed by Portugal in the 1470s. Independence was granted on July 1975.

Clara Clara Cafe is open daily from 10:00 AM to midnight. Easy to reach by old tram 28.

Clara Clara Cafe in wintertime (december)

In winter season the cafe offers heaters and blankets. Nothing better than a tea, hot chocolate or a Vinho Quente (hot red mulled wine) on a cold afternoon. The scones and hot croissants already have enough fans, as well as the chocolate muffins.

In Lisbon you can still find a lot of nostalgic Moorish kiosks cafes

The garden is surrounded by the flea market

Fleamarket Feira da Ladra, Lisbon (every Tuesday and Saturday from dusk till dawn)

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The lounge area of Portas do Sol, September 2010

Amazing views overlooking the Alfama rooftops and the river Tagus! After visiting the nearby  São Jorge Castle (the Castle of St. Jorge),  this is a place where you can sit down, chill out and enjoy the beauty of Lisbon.

Entrance Porta do Sol cafe, bar/cafe and restaurant, 1000 m2 terrace

This cafe/bar and restaurant is located just near the famous Portas do Sol Miradouro (viewpoint). above a public car park. It has direct access on the tram 28 which is the more touristic of the Lisbon trams.

Enjoy a drink and the spectacular views.

It’s a lovely spot to sit down and relax with sofas and soft lounge-music, a place during the day where you can hang out and have coffee and snacks. They serve wines, cocktails, champagne and menu’s. Live music with a DJ on Fridays and Saturdays. Beautiful bar with crystal chandlers and chairs in art deco and romantic style (250m2).

Open daily from 10am to 12pm. Fridays, Saturdays and nights before a public holiday until 2am.

Website Portas do Sol. Cultural agenda? email to: mailto:ola@portasdosol.biz . Address: Largo das Portas do Sol, Beco de Santa Helena, Tel: 218 851 299

Portas do Sol ‘s  terrace/lounge area

Seen from the nearby famous viewpoint with the same name, a very popular place for locals and a famous tourist attraction. One of the most beautiful places in Lisbon!

Viewpoint (Miradouro) Portas do Sol Alfama Lisbon, by night

The Belvedere Portas do Sol is a balcony space that all people of Lisbon are proud to have at their disposal. Magnificent view of Lisbon and the typical Alfama district that spans several narrow, winding streets to the river Tagus.

View from the nearby small terrace

Located in between several highlights of Lisbon (like the viewpoint of Santa Luzia) , the Portas do Sol miradouro is the terrace that every person living in Lisabon would like to have at home…..

Statue of São (Saint) Vincent, Portas do Sol

There is also a statue of Saint Vincent holding a boat with two ravens, the symbols of Lisbon. Saint Vincent of Saragossa, better known locally as Saint Vincent of Fora, is the patron saint of Lisbon.

Largo das Porta do Sol, and the former city palace, Museum of Decorative Arts

In this wonderful 17th C. former city palace of the Count of Azurara, currently houses the Museum of Decorative Arts. Anyone interested in decorative arts in general and the Portuguese Empire in particular will find this collection fascinating. Beautiful azulejos (tiles)!

The popular tram 28 (video) stops near the Museum and the viewpoints

If you wanna get a good impression of the historical city of Lisbon, a very good idea is taking this typical little trolley, ‘eléctrico 28′. This legendary tram 28 is a tourist attraction in itself. It goes all around town. Of course you can hop on and hop off.

The nearby viewpoint Miradouro of Santa Luzia

Various small gardens along the edge of the walkway are filled with beautiful local flowers during the spring and summer months.

Viewpoint Miradouro de Santa Luzia by night

This is a very popular look-out point from the Alfama area of Lisbon, next to the Santa Luzia Church.

Viewpoint (miradouro) Santa Luzia

On the wall of the church are two beautiful tile panels (azulejos): one of Lisbon’s majestic Square Praça do Comércio before the earthquake in 1775, and another one showing the Christians attacking (the nearby) Castelo de São Jorge (Saint George’s Castle) in 1147.

Miradouro Santa Luzia

Azulejos (tiles) have become a typical aspect of Portuguese culture. This place is a wonderful tile treasure!

Restaurant ‘Miradouro Sta Luzia’ near the viewpoint, a very popular tourist place.

Authentic 3-bedroom apartment for rent in the historical part of Lisbon

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March 2010, a cloudy day..

The roof terrace, giving long views over the river and the city, is very popular. The hotel is on the arty side of town, located in the ancient quarter (Bairro Alto)  and Chiado, a nice traditional area and an elegant shopping district.

Strechted out on one of the chairs, you can watch night fall while savouring a glass of wine… A lunch is also available, but don’t expect a typical Portuguese lunch: ‘just light snacks’, according to the very friendly waiter.

Caesar salad (€12.50), sandwich (€9.50). Glass of white wine (€5.00). We liked the food but we were still a bit hungry   mixed cheese platter (€12.00)

The other side of the River Tagus and the famous Cristo Rei Statue… How to get there?

Chiado city view. Nearby the hotel: cafe ‘A Brasileira’ and the statue in bronze of Portugals famous poet Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935), once a regular customer, still mobbed by lots of tourists…

The 1845 building of hotel Bairro Alto started life as the Grand Hotel of Europe. It became a favourite haunt for writers and artists. Its 18th-century façade forms part of the historical Luis de Camões square, named after a very famous Portuguese poet.

Square Praça Luís de Camões . On the background Hotel Bairro Alto. The location is perfect for sightseeing and nightlife.  Bairro Alto by night

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They serve delicious Spanish dishes like gaspacho and tortilhas, Italian (lasagna, spaguetti, also vegetarian) and Portuguese dishes inspired by the French cuisine.

The charismatic owner David García González was born in Spain, lived in France and about 3 years ago he moved to Lisbon.

Besides: trendy 2 bedroom apartment for rent in this area . After going out on an evening, you won’t need to think about organising transport home. 

Our choice: salada salmão e chevre (salad with salmon and chevre, 11 euro) and tourte au canard (10.50). Glass of wine (2.00) , Caipirinha (6.00).

The cafe in the afternoon. You can relax in the deep leather armchairs, or bring your laptop (wi-fi internet connection). Try their Portuguese cakes: tarte de maçã com gelado de baunilha or bolo de dois chocolates.

Les Mauvais Garçons (the bad boys). Rua da Rosa 39, open from 12:00 to 24:00. Les Suites Du Bairro Alto

Rua da Rosa in the afternoon. Lisbon’s nightlife in Bairro Alto

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This place is a good idea for a break or a romantic moment, a chat with some friends or while you’re waiting for the train and want to check your e-mails. Even in wintertime when the sun is shining you can sit outside, the terraces are protected from the wind.

Restaurants and cafés has been created here, apart from all the noice and traffic. A coffee (bica, 0.95 euro).

On the background you see Calcada do Duque, the beginning of the more than 300 stairs leading to Bairro Alto

The new ice cream shop Gelateria Finzi Contini. From outside it does not look like an ice cream shop, but it is, and a good one.

Natural ingredients and recipes are an Italian/Argentinian fusion. 4.00 euro and delicious! Besides they serve home made pastry, sandwiches and crepes.

After all the renovations this place is this really beautiful.

Finzi Contini ice cream shop, Gislaine Nazario. Largo do Duque, de Cadaval Lisbon

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This is an old-fashioned Leitaria, specializing in milk products and pastries, whose blue-tiled walls display bucolic scenes. One of my favorite cafes: the atmosphere, the kind of people….mostly Purtuguese, drinking a bica (strong coffee) or a tea (chá) while reading a newspaper.

This house is for over 100 years in the same family: Ana Claudia Diogo (r) and her niece Filipa Indias.

Ana Diogo’s grand grand father, José Domingos Diogo, built this place (pictures of the family are hanging on the wall), from origin a milkshop, in Portuguese ‘Art Nouveau’ style and beautiful tiles (azulejos). The café was recently renovated, but with care….

Chá (tea) in a pot (in style) 1,20 euro. The coffee, cakes, and sandwiches are all good.

The cafe ” Leitaria A Camponeza” is open from 07:45 – 19:00, closed on Sundays

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Tea and lunchroom Versailles

After visiting the Gulbekian Museum, a must-do is to go to the nearby and wonderful old tea and lunchroom Versailles (1922) at Avenida da República, which has it’s own bakery. The homemade cakes and pastries are delicious, like the famous Portuguese Pasteis de natas. The decor is rich, with chandeliers, gilt mirrors, stained-glass windows, tall stucco ceilings, and black-and-white marble floors. It looks like it could be straight of Paris…Mostly elderly people and greats of the Lisbon cafe scene enjoy their bica (espresso) here.

When Pastelaria Versailles was inaugurated on November 25 1922, the objective was to turn into a symbol of the fashionable Avenidas Novas, an elegant and new neighborhood in Lisbon. Remaining a courageous resistant to the construction fury that replaced many of the beautiful small palaces and stylisch houses of the first halve of the 20th century by today’s unattractive buildings at Avenida da República, where ‘Versailles’ is….

The Pastelaria also knew how to resist to the fast-food wave that assaulted many of the most well-known cafes and pastry shops in Lisbon, transforming them into uncharacteristic places where people can only grab a fast meal. The wide variety of snacks includes codfish balls and toasted ham-and-cheese sandwiches. They are also famous for their confectioneries served in a glass case.

Pastelaria Versailles, long known as the ‘grande dame‘ of Lisbon’ coffeehouses, was quite recently declared a part of the national heritage. It still serves the famous Mozambique black tea that was introduced in 1662. Lunch, served in a back room, is a full meal of such Portuguese specialties as codfish with almonds. Most visitors come here for tea or coffee, served with sandwiches and snacks. Desserts, including duchesses (whipped-cream cakes) are justifiably famous.

As an old-fashioned and formal touch, immaculately attired waiters serve customers from silver-plated tea services. In addition to coffee and tea, the house specialty is hot chocolate. It’s open daily from 7:30am to 10:00pm. Metro: Saldanha.

 Window dressing Pastelaria Versailles, Avenida da Republica 15a
Lisbon   

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Rossio, December 2008, just around the corner of Pastelaria Suíça, a cafe/restaurant very popular with tourists.

The Rossio Square has been a meeting place for people of Lisbon for centuries. Some of the cafés and shops of the square date from the 18th century, like the Café Nicola, where Barbosa du Bocage , a Portuguese poet, used to meet friends.

Famous Café Nicola, Praça Dom Pedro IV 26 (founded in 1929). It was here that the first Portuguese women dared to break the male stranglehold on cafe-going. Rossio’s cafes are popular for sitting and watching the world go by.

Pastelaria Suíça, Praça Dom Pedro IV 101, a traditional Portuguese cafe/restaurant, famous for its huge variety of delicious cakes and pastries.

Most locals prefer to sit inside. During World War II this place (Suíça means Switzerland) was the meeting point where those in exile negotiated their tickets to freedom.

Pastelaria Suíça terrace, Praça D. Pedro IV 96/101. Locals appreciate this cafe/restaurant just as much as tourists. The waiters are not always very nice. Being a tourist, be aware of pickpockets: while enjoying a delicious cálice de vinho do Porto (a glass of Port Wine), somebody tried to steel my friend’s bag from under her chair. Happily a friendly waiter warned us just in time! Be aware when you visit touristical attractions and terraces. Nearby you can taste a Ginjinha, a liqueur made of a cherry-like berry, a typical Lisbon spirit.

From Pastelaria Suica ‘s terrace at the back a view of the square Praça da Figueira (English: Square of the Fig Tree) and the São Jorge Castle.

Street performances (‘living statue’), newspaper vendors, street traders (offering cheap watches or ‘jewellery’), lottery ticket sellers, ‘psssst drugs’ sellers and begging hands……….also some lovely shops, like the unique hatmakers shop Chapelaria Azevedo Rua (opened in 1886)

And, of course, in wintertime, the unmistakeable smell of roasted chestnuts (castanhas assadas)

Lisbon Rossio lottery ticket seller 

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Largo de São Domingos: ‘Lisbon, City of Tolerance’. What you’ll find here is a real Portuguese atmosphere: a variety of little shops, a typical Portuguese restaurant, a ginjinha café and a delicious Charcutaria (deli-shop).

Charcutaria Tábuas, Rua Barros Queiróz 45-51, selling Portuguese hams (presunto), sausages, smelly Portugese cheeses, fresh herbs, spices and bounties of tropical fruit and vegetables.

Presunto is the name given to dry-cured Portuguese ham similar to Spanish jamón. There are a wide variety of presuntos in Portugal; among the most famous are Presunto from Chaves, produced in the north of Portugal, and Presunto from Alentejo, in the south, made from local Alentejano pig.

Ginjinha cafe Rubi, Rua Barros Queiróz 27. Ginjinha is a liqueur made of a cherry-like berry called (not surprisingly) Ginja. The berries are fermented into a brandy that’s slightly bitter, slightly sweet and very sticky. You can order a ‘Ginja’ for little money and with or without a cherry in it. Small one: euro 0,45, big one: 0,75. The taste of a Ginjinha is one you won’t forget!

‘Cafe Rubi’ inside, beautiful tiles (azulejos)! The azulejo is a typical form of Portuguese painted, tin-glazed, ceramic tilework. They have become a typical aspect of Portuguese culture. Azulejo comes from the Arabic word az-zulayj, meaning polished stone.

Wherever you go in Portugal, azulejos are to be found inside and outside cafes, churches, palaces, ordinary houses and even ceilings, train- or subway stations. Many azulejos chronicle major historical and cultural aspects of Portuguese history.

Grande Big Bazar, Rua Barroz Queiróz # 13

What an amazing dress!

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Historical area in Mouraria, Lisbon. Small restaurant Rua do Terreirinh0: Jose Marie & his wife Laurinda, good & cheap traditional Portuguese food

3 bedroom holiday apartment with patio in this area

Breakfast: traditionally just coffee and bread, often enjoyed in a cafe (pastelaria). Recommended: toast (tosta mista) with ham & cheese (queijo e presunto), or delicious sweet pastries like pastéis de natas, real calorie bombs! Coffee: strong (bica) with milk (galão – garoto), tea (chá) with or without sugar (açúcar). The pastalerias are often a part of the social life in the neighbourhood.

Owner of Taverna do Poco, Largo do Terreirinho, Mouraria, Lisbon. 

In this restaurant you can have a 5 course meal (cheese, soup, main course, dessert, coffee and wine) for only about 10 euros. This restaurant is only open until around 18:00, not on Sundays.

If you don’t feel like experimenting, try a ‘bitoque’. It’s steak and fries, with a fried egg, garlic and rice.

How to recognize cheap and really Portuguese restaurants?
A little bit disorderly, but very clean; a big TV screen, people like watching TV while eating (a lot of football, futebol), TL-tubes on the ceiling and paper table-covers. Prices (in Lisbon) between 8 and 15 euro (three courses and wine).

There’s a lot of seafood restaurants, many with very beautiful displays of lobsters, shrimp, oysters, and crabs, but a big TV-screen, football (futebol!) is also really important….!!

Besides: be prepared in the more expensive and touristical restaurants  you have to pay for starters like bread, cheese and often olives or shrimps (camarao).

You won’t pay for them if you don’t eat them, and  the waiter will take them away (não, obrigado), ‘no thank you’. The waiter will probably bring you some unrequested starter dishes: as those are not free, feel free not to touch them and they will not be charged on your bill (but check it!).

Like in all mediterranean countries lunch (almoçar),  is a big affair for Portuguese, served between noon and 3 o’clock, often in a restaurant.

Usually three courses, including soup (sopa) like f.i. caldo verde (a soup of cabbage and potatoes.

Caldo Verde, a popular soup of Portuguese and Brazilian cuisine.

Fish, like codfish (bacalhau) or charcoal-grilled sardines (sardinhas assadas) or meat (rabbit and pork are very popular), Coelho a caçador (rabbitstew, in red wine), accompanied with a small bottle of red or white wine (uma garaffa de vinho branco ou tinto) or Vinho Verde (a young sparkling ‘green’ wine, low-alcohol).

Chicken (frango) piri-piri (the African devil..), is also a very popular disk

Desserts (sobremesas): crême brulée (pudim flan), chocolate mousse and a big variety of almond cakes (amêndoa). Toucinho do céu (bacon from heaven) or barriga de freiras, (nun’s bellies), recipes originally created by nuns in the 17th and 18th Century. Often cheese (queijo), from sheep or goat’s milk. Very popular is ‘queijo da Serra” from the region of Serra da Estrela.

In the smaller restaurants the bill is usually written on the paper table cloth…you can pay cash only. Our bill for 2 persons? 14 euro, incl. a glass of home made Aguardente bagaceira……(litt. firewater)

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