“It’s a coffee, please!” can be heard all the time in the capital’s cafes and pastry shops. A quick and almost always automatic order, as soon as a local passes the entrance and approaches the counter. A ritual so ingrained that it has centuries of tradition.
Shortly after, the steaming cup arrives, ready to shake off sleep and satisfy the pleasures of those who make this caffeine shot a real established component of their day-to-day routine. Greedily drinked at the counter or calmly enjoyed at a table on the terrace, the espresso – long known by the people of Lisbon as “bica” – has no set times and serves as a pretext for any occasion. But there are historic places, in this city of crossroads, that resist the passage of time and where the bica has another flavour. It tastes of stories of bygone eras, sweetened by the elegance of time gone by. Gently, we bring the hot cup to our lips and feel the flavour of tradition where memories of other eras awaken us with every sip. Installed in buildings with beautiful facades, these are cafes with soul, once the stages of intellectual gatherings that inspired poets and revolutions, where century after century, the bica is servede to the beat of a ritual imposed by the solemnity of gestures.
Welcome to Lisbon’s iconic cafes. Sit comfortably and enjoy a bica in a space that tells stories and breathes History.
Praça Dom Pedro IV 24, 1100-200 Lisboa, PortugalIn Rossio, the facade of Nicola, designed by Norte Júnior, does not go unnoticed by those who calmly stroll by it, denouncing right away that it is a place with a lot to tell. Hailed as the most literary cafe in Lisbon, it was opened to the public in the 18th century by an Italian who named it "Botequim do Nicola". From then on, it began to be frequented by well-known writers, artists and politicians who visited it with such assiduity that they made it their second home. This was the case of the poet Bocage, to whom a statue was raised inside p...
Confeitaria Nacional, Praça da Figueira, Lisboa, PortugalIn the square parallel to Rossio, located on one of the corners of Praça da Figueira, the Confeitaria Nacional, the oldest in downtown Lisbon, gracefully rises. Founded in 1829 by Balthazar Roiz Castanheiro, it was voted one of the best and oldest candy houses in Europe by CNN. Here, more than 180 years ago, the traditional and Christmas Bolo Rei was born, which keeps its recipe secret until our times.
It was the year 1875, when Balthazar Júnior, son of the founder and atp...
Martinho da Arcada, Praça do Comércio, Lisboa, Portugal
It was “House of Snow” but that name, few remember. Considered the oldest café in the city, it has been housed since 1782 in one of the arcades of Terreiro do Paço. The photographs that decorate the walls and contrast with beautiful tiles attest that Fernando Pessoa also lingered there during long afternoons between conversations, thoughts and poems. Traditional circle of personalities from the Portuguese intellectual circle, Martinho da Arcada promoted tributes to poets, writers and actors who were friends of the house, assigning them tables p...
Pastelaria Versailles, Avenida da República, Lisboa, PortugalIt is named after the exquisite French palace and its interior looks like a room straight out of it. Founded in 1992, Pastelaria Versailles is an iconic space in Avenidas Novas, displaying, inside, monumental mirrors on the walls and ceilings worked in detail. Art Nouveau sets the mood in the style of a true classic European café. At Versailles, the simple act of drinking coffee is rarely lonely. Close by you will always have one of the most refined and varied pastries in Lisbon smiling at you through the window.
Está gravado na memória de muitas famílias lisboetas o ritual domingueiro de ir aproveitar o sol para os jardins de Belém e lanchar um pastel; ou a variação fim de tarde, em que o pretexto podia ser ver a fonte de água colorida e comer um pastel. Havia ainda a hipótese de visitar o Mosteiro e comer um pastel e, mais recentemente, de ver uma exposição ou um espectáculo no CCB, e depois terminar a noite com um pastel. A verdade é que o pastel ia bem com praticamente tudo que se pudesse ir fazer a Belém, o que polvilhou para sempre as nossas melhores memórias com açúcar e cap...
