The best bars in Lisbon, from rooftop drinks to lively street corners

Lisbon’s nightlife scene exudes the lively energy you’d expect from any major sunny European city, offering alfresco drinking and street festivities until the small hours. It’s the air of informality, however, which really sets the city apart. Laidback rooftop bars have panoramic views and no dress code, while cocktails are served on cobblestone corners and live music is never far away. An ice-cold beer from a kiosk at one of the city’s many miradouros (viewpoints) will cost you no more than two euros, and you can linger in a low-lit, cosy wine bar nursing a glass of vinho verde (green wine), without anybody rushing you. Once you’re done, bed down in one of the city’s beautiful boutique hotels, or continue your night by exploring Lisbon’s live music scene.

Navigating Lisbon’s bar scene

Bairro Alto is Lisbon’s notorious party district, which spills into Chiado’s cobbled streets. Graça is noted for its trendy wine bars and restaurants, while Santos mixes 16th-century palaces with basement club nights. A local writer handpicks the best bars in Lisbon, whether you are looking for inventive cocktails, natural wine or a packed-out dancefloor at 2am.

Bairro Alto

A Capela

Best for: A sweaty dance-off in the dark, Bairro Alto’s best bar
Address: R. da Atalaia 45, 1200-043 Lisbon
Price: Drinks from 5 EUR or less

Bairro Alto, known as Lisbon’s party district, is full of bars – many of them underwhelming, serving watered-down cocktails and table fries from photo-heavy menus. Side-step these in favour of A Capela, a hidden gem and tiny sweat-box of a bar with a clubby feel and DJs spinning vinyl. Expect funk, house, disco and some fun remixes to impress your music-nerd friends and keep even the biggest introverts swaying on their feet.

Machimbombo

Best for: A quick drink and a boogie before heading into town
Address: Calçada do Combro 87, 1200-111 Lisbon
Price: Wine from 4 EUR per glass; cocktails from 9 EUR

Machimbombo is known as the ‘pink bar’ thanks to its glowing magenta interiors. Positioned in the bustling Bairro Alto district, it is a popular brunch spot during the day and a lively bar at night. Serving cocktails, craft beer and local wine, it attracts a young and diverse crowd. Live DJs play amapiano, house and R&B music, and a small dance floor often spills out onto the street.

Pavilhão Chinês

Best for: A madcap, immersive cocktail bar, fado music
Address: R. Dom Pedro V 89, 1250-093 Lisbon
Price: Cocktails from 10 EUR; beer and wine from 5 EUR 

Ring a bell to enter Pavilhão Chinês, an antique time warp in Barrio Alto. Housed in a former grocery store, the bar is spread across five rooms and packed to the rafters with vintage bric-a-brac. Enjoy a craft beer, wine or cocktail beneath crystal chandeliers and model aeroplanes, and among the shelves and glass cabinets of toys, porcelain busts and paintings, accompanied by occasional fado music. Just don’t break anything.

Cais do Sodre

Pensão Amo

Best for: A bordello-turned-bar on Lisbon’s famed Pink Street
Address: R. do Alecrim 19, 1200-292 Lisbon
Price: Cocktails from 10 EUR

Eye-catching, unapologetic and eclectic, Pensão Amo is a former brothel-turned bar on Lisbon’s much-photographed Pink Street, the main artery of Lisbon’s nightlife in the Cais do Sodre neighbourhood (once the city’s Red Light District). References to its storied past glimmer in the decor, while its name translates as ‘pension of love’. Pensão Amo’s bohemian vibe is also reflected in its events with sex positive workshops and cabaret performances galore. The cocktails are great here – try the Bing Qing, which stirs Beefeater 24 gin, ginger, and lychee.

Chiado

Toca Da Raposa

Best for: A stylish sexy date spot, inventive cocktails
Address: R. da Condessa 45, 1200-302 Lisbon
Price: Cocktails from 13 EUR

This low-lit contemporary cocktail bar is known for its inventive drinks made using foraged and locally sourced ingredients. Founder Constança Cordeiro hosts guided foraging expeditions outside of Lisbon and drinks often feature 10 to 15 different ingredients. Don’t expect any of the classics here – the menu has a playful, cartoon-style design and each cocktail is named after a different animal. Try the spicy scarab, stirred with clementine leaf, gin and turmeric, or the glowing panda, with wild fennel gin, strawberry and vermouth. Reservations, like many bars on this list, aren’t an option, but rock up before 7pm (in low season) and you should be able to find a table easily. Cordeiro also opened Uni in 2022, a pocket-sized cocktail bar in Bairro Alto with a futuristic aesthetic.

Sky Bar at Tivoli Avenida da Liberdade Lisboa Hotel

Best for: Special occasions, panoramic rooftop views
Address: Avenida da Liberdade 185, 9º floor 1260-050 Lisbon
Price: Cocktails from 16 EUR

This rooftop bar is on the 9th floor of the Tivoli Avenida da Liberdade hotel and is an extension of Restaurant Seen Lisboa by Olivier. Perched high above the city’s rooftops, the main draw here is the skyline view, with the Tagus river in the distance. Signature cocktails and bar bites are met by live DJs, spinning low-key house music until late.

Príncipe Real

Foxtrot

Best for: A legendary art deco stalwart, outdoor terrace
Address: Travessa de Santa Teresa 28 Príncipe Real 1200-405 Lisbon
Price: Cocktails from 12 EUR; craft beers from 3 EUR 

This speakeasy-style cellar bar has been serving Lisbon for more than 40 years and has achieved something of a legendary status in and outside of the city. With a roaring fireplace in the winter and a terrace to the back, Foxtrot pays homage to the art deco era with eclectic decor – think gigantic mirrors, large-scale figurative artwork and lacquered wooden tables. A wide range of craft beers are available, but the cocktails reign supreme here, with the barmen serving up all the regular classics (negronis, white Russians and pisco sours), as well as bespoke pours.

Red Frog

Best for: A speakeasy vibe for starting or ending your trip in style
Address: Praça da Alegria 66b, 1250-004 Lisbon
Price: Cocktails from 12 EUR

A sultry basement speakeasy just off Avenida Liberdade, Red Frog frequently tops world’s best bar lists. To enter (advance reservations are best), ring a doorbell and you’ll be led to a candlelit table, with a glistening chandelier overhead. Sink into a tuft chair and listen to a jazz and funk soundtrack while sipping on an expertly shaken cocktail. Created by bartenders Paulo Gomes and Emanuel Minez, select from signature drinks and special blends made with local ingredients.

Imprensa

Best for: Oysters, cocktails, natural wine, outdoor seating
Address: R. da Imprensa Nacional 46, 1250-127 Lisboa
Price: Cocktails from 8 EUR

This cosy, low-lit bar in the trendy Príncipe Real neighbourhood serves cocktails, natural wine and craft beers. Imprensa translates from Portuguese to ‘printing press’, and each cocktail is so-called after a typeface, meaning design geeks can enjoy sipping on Futura and Gill Sans concoctions. Service is excellent, and the owners are often on hand to explain the menu and conjure up drinks from scratch. There is a seafood-rich snack menu of shrimp brioche, ceviche and oysters, freshly delivered daily from the Setúbal region of Portugal. Imprensa is open daily from 6pm to 2am and there is also outdoor seating for balmy evenings.

Santos

Vago

Best for: House music in a basement bar, late nights
Address: 11A Rua Gaivotas, 1200-163 Lisbon
Price: Cocktails from 9 EUR; craft beers from 2 EUR

This trendy basement bar in Santos is considered one of the best spots for live music in Lisbon. Vago is inspired by a Japanese listening bar and is fitted out with high-spec audio equipment. The owners are both DJs, and house, techno and contemporary dance music plays every weekend until 2am. Sip on excellent cocktails, alongside craft beer and wine.

Centro Comercial

TOPO Martim Moniz

Best for: Decent drinks and a spectacular view
Address: Praça Martim Moniz Piso 6, 1100-341 Lisbon
Price: Cocktails from 9 EUR; beers from 2.50 EUR

A low-key bar and restaurant with high-class views, TOPO is a city staple for locals and visitors alike. From the open-air bar at the top of this old shopping mall, you’ll be able to see São Jorge Castle and the Mouraria neighbourhood, all the way to the famed viewpoints of Graça and Senhora do Monte. Like many rooftop bars in Lisbon, it’s lacking in pretension and casual clothes are fine. Special cocktails are named after singers like Usher and Dua Lipa, with all the usual classics on-hand too, plus an excellent variety of gin. The restaurant, on the same floor, is known for its good selection of seafood. Walk-ins welcome.

Graça

Vino Vero

Best for: Natural wine, outdoor seating
Address: Tv. do Monte 30, 1170-265 Lisbon
Price: Wine from 4 EUR per glass

Vino Vero, which also has an outpost in Venice, is a casual wine bar on a cobblestone street in the hip Graça neighbourhood. This laidback, buzzy spot is a short walk from the area’s notable viewpoints, and  is known for its selection of natural and biodynamic wine, alongside charcuterie boards and small plates. Reservations are recommended on weekends.

Casa Independente

Best for: Edgy vibes, cultural events, outdoor space
Address: Largo do Intendente Pina Manique 45, 1100-285 Lisbon
Price: Wines from 5 EUR per glass; beers from 2 EUR

This shabby-chic three-storey apartment with balconies and terraces draws a young and hip crowd for both drinks and cultural events. Flit from floor-to-floor with a 2 EUR beer in-hand to watch a live band or DJ set, or chill-out in the garden. Catch it while you can though – unfortunately the venue will not be renewed after 2025.

Kiosk in Monte Agudo

Best for: Drinking in panoramic views of Lisbon
Address: Rua Heliodoro Salgado Arroios, Lisbon
Price: Beers from 2 EUR

This family-run miradouro and kiosk is hidden between Graça and Anjos and opens at around 1pm each day. There’s limited seating at this casual spot, which fills up fast during sunny weekends and evenings, but perch on the wall or a small bench nearby and you’ll get the same experience. Affordable beers and wines are available, or you can try the Port Tonic, a popular sparkling concoction made with white port and tonic, best sipped while watching the sunset melt into the horizon.

Arroios

A Viagem das Horas

Best for: Natural wine and a banging playlist, midweek only
Address: R. José Ricardo 1, 1900-285 Lisbon
Price: Wine from 4 EUR per glass

Tapas, natural wines and vinyl – name a better combo. A Viagem das Horas is a cosy dog-friendly bar with a welcoming vibe in Arroios. Open from Monday to Friday only, enjoy midweek pizzas and small plates for both veggies and meat-lovers, paired with an excellently curated playlist. The Portuguese-Angolan owner Ricardo Maneria and his staff are the best part about this bar: wine aficionados who are more than capable of whittling off a few facts about where your grapes come from while sticking on some great tunes.