15 Best Bars in Lisbon

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Nightlife in Lisbon, like the city's personality in general, is lively but relaxed. These 15 watering holes are some of the city's most alluring spots to tie one on, so keep our picks of Lisbon's best bars handy.

Park: Lisbon is especially beautiful from above, and Park, crowning an otherwise humdrum Bairro Alto parking garage, provides rapturous views.

Cinco Lounge: Low-lit and polished, Cinco is the epitome of a lounge: quiet enough to chat, comfortable enough to stretch out on a pillow-accentuated banquette, and sexy enough to linger over cocktails on a date.

The Wine Cellar: The Wine Cellar, a Cais do Sodré neighborhood joint, is a huge hit with locals who love wine paired with elevated twists on Portuguese cooking.

Cerveteca Lisboa: Cerveteca Lisboa is an airy craft beer bar and shop in Principe Real that's simply decorated: just wood, marble, and several cozy nooks.

Foxtrot: One of the reasons Foxtrot, a Lisbon institution for decades in Príncipe Real, continues to thrive is undoubtedly its décor.

Red Frog: Table service is de rigueur at Red Frog, a subterranean speakeasy just off Avenida Liberdade. To enter, ring a doorbell; then you'll be whisked away to one of the low-slung, candle-lit tables.

Pensão Amor: Set in a former brothel in the red light district, the lively Pensão Amor still bears the imprint of its bordello roots, what with the red wallpaper and ceiling graced with images of cavorting naked men.

Pavilhão Chinês: The five rooms of Pavilhão Chinês, in Bairro Alto, essentially compose a small gallery that flaunt a staggering collection of antiques. Here, there are plates on walls, statues propped up on tables, and rows and rows of glass cabinets showing off the likes of figurines, fans, and hats.

Café Tati: Located just behind the Time Out Market, Café Tati is a calming alternative to the bustling, tourist-packed food hall.

Rio Maravilha: One of the highlights at LX Factory, a mixed-use adaptive-reuse complex in an old textile factory, is Rio Maravilha, a cheerful, colorful bar whose upstairs terrace affords staggering views of the Tagus River.

By the Wine: By the Wine’s arched ceiling is undoubtedly its most striking design feature: row after row of green-glass wine bottles that reinforce the raison d'être of this bar in the trendy Chiado neighborhood, which belongs to the winemaking empire José Maria da Fonseca.

Matiz Pombalina: Pombaline, a style of architecture found in 18th-century Portugal, is the design inspiration behind Matiz Pombalina, a bar set in a former residential building in old Lisbon. Original stone walls meld with wooden flooring, velvet, and Louis XIV-style armchairs; a tiled terrace is a refuge for smokers.

Hot Clube de Portugal: First opened in 1948 by Luiz Villas-Boas as a radio program, Hot Clube de Portugal is one of Europe’s oldest jazz venues

Sky Bar at Tivoli Avenida Liberdade Lisboa: Since 1933, Tivoli Avenida Liberdade Lisboa has been one of the city’s ritziest hotels, and Sky Bar is an equally striking but contemporary contrast to this history.

Maria Caxuxa: Plenty of bars will vie for your attention in Bairro Alto, Lisbon’s nightlife hub, but don't overlook Maria Caxuxa.