Whether you're a rump shaker, a motormouth or a wannabe sommelier, you can't fail to find something to suit your tastes in Lisbon's rich and diverse nightlife. Supping on a cocktail by the River Tagus comes highly recommended, as does losing yourself on the dance floor at Lux, but they're just two unforgettable experiences you can expect to have among many others in the Portuguese capital.
PARK: On the roof of a multi-storey car park on Calçada do Combro, this was Lisbon’s first hanging garden. It's a bar that has ith food as well as DJ sets with rap, funk, soul, indie and rock.
CINCO LOUNGE: Opened almost a decade ago, when the only cocktail most locals had tasted was a Caipirinha. Overseen by talented Brit Dave Palethorpe, it's an ideal bar for a calmer night out, and to sample cocktails you may never have heard of before.
SOL E PESCA: A former fishing-tackle shop has here been turned into a great bar with fishy snacks. On offer are tins of tuna, sardines, mussels and more, served with slices of bread and washed down with beer or a range of other drinks. It is a great place for an early-evening or late-night drink in the bustling pink street.
RED FROG: The drinks list was drawn up by an expert and has lots of very creative, very good and wellmixed cocktails. It is impossible to recommend one, because the list is constantly changing. The best thing is to leave it to the barman’s imagination.
PAVILHÃO CHINÊS: Opened precisely 30 years ago, as an old-fashioned bar, with uniformed waiters, a smoking area and snooker tables. A great place to settle in for a few hours. Explore its various rooms, lined with some 4.000 collectors’ pieces: toy cars, lead soldiers, model trains, fans...
DUPLEX: Upstairs is restaurant, downstairs is a bar that serves good cocktails including a fab pisco sour to a fine soundtrack, with guest DJs on weekend nights.
49 DA ZDB: The bar attached to art space Galeria Zé dos Bois, up a flight of stairs. It is very LGBT friendly and has DJ sets plus other events.
PENSÃO AMOR: This place has now gone straight and has become one of Lisbon’s kitschest bars. It has retained its slightly seedy air, hosting cabaret shows as well as concerts and DJ sets, and is a veritable warren of spaces with an off-the-wall decor. Let’s hope it never loses the love.
CASA INDEPENDENTE: When the ‘Independent House’ opened in a palatial old building in 2012, it coincided with the transformation of the Largo do Intendente into a trendy nightlife destination that it has helped make one of the city’s most popular. It hosts concerts, DJ sets, workshops and all kind of cultural activity. The ambience is laidback, with the vintage furniture and a shabby-chic decor that has won many fans.
DAMAS: New bars open in Lisbon every month, but few make their mark as quickly as has DAMAS, which opened in April last year just off the Largo da Graça. During the day and in the early evening it is a restaurant, but at some point hour it turns into a bar and concert venue with dancefloor.