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6.2.36 Aguarela Bar and Kitchen

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Rua Angelina Vidal 23 Location HERE . Open from 1800 to 2330 hours; closed Monday and Tuesday. Opened on the 24th October 2025, and yes, there is a link between this outlet and Outro Lado in the Old Downtown. At the top of Rua Angelina Vidal, so it qualifies as being in Graça, although that area is more usually known as Sapadores, the part of Graça where full-sized buses pass through, not just minibuses and trams. When the weather is warm and dry enough, the terrace comes into its own, with views down Rua Angelina Vidal. You can watch the trams, often carrying a crush load, while enjoying eats and drinks. The terrace will be a very important aspect of this outlet, especially as the indoor space - not unlike the Oitava Colina Taproom nearby - is small. Beers on tap mainly from Aguarela. And a noticeable push to sell more wine and cocktails. A small food menu, plus the occasional “Pop-Up Chef” bringing their own style, expertise and choices. Prices not bargain basement, but not so expens...
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6.1.12 Padaria Patriacal

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Rua da Rosa 266 Location HERE . Open weekdays until 1830 hours. On the corner of Rua Dom Pedro V and Rua da Rosa, at the top end of the Bairro Alto, a coffee shop with a faded but magnificent Art Nouveau interior. Also close to Principe Real. Most customers are locals and regular visitors, but tourists are picking up on the uniqueness of the interior, as well as the low prices compared to other outlets in the area. The coffee is good … no, make that somewhere between very good and excellent. A range of pastries is offered, as well as savoury snacks. Not many tables inside; there are some outside tables, but no shade when sunny, which means no cover when it rains. So don’t rock up with a large group of people and expect to be seated together, if at all. There is a no-filming policy. Respect this. And remember that it extends to taking photos. Buses 758, 773, 19B and 22B, Tram 24. [ HOME ]
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5.3.6 As Bifanas do Afonso (Baixa)

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Rua da Assunção 80 Location HERE . THIS OUTLET IS CASH ONLY Open from 0930 to 1800 hours; closed Sunday. Look, no queue! Same product as the outlet on Rua Madalena, but in the middle of the Baixa. So what’s not to like? Right now, before all the guidebooks get updated and tourists begin to gravitate to this location, not much. Like the Rua Madalena original, there’s little more than a hole in the wall dispensing €3-a-go bifanas which are just as good as those you buy after standing in line across the road from the Elevador Castelo. HOWEVER there is no inside space, and nor is there any seating that belongs to this business. All the seats and tables nearby belong to other food outlets. So you either eat your bifana standing up, or find a place to sit down. Which may involve some walking. Metro Baixa-Chiado (Baixa exit); Tram 12, 15, 25 and 28; Buses - any service that passes through the Baixa. [ HOME ]
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5.1.17 Taberna Londrina (Campo Grande)

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Campo Grande 35B Location HERE . Open every day from noon to midnight. A similar menu to that offered by the Bairro Alto outlet for this brand: the inevitable burgers, and variations on the Francesinha theme. With the latter, you can have the extra spicy sauce on the side, or delivered with your choice of “ little French girl ”. Those choices include a vegetarian option, and a chicken one, the latter being useful for those who find original-style Francesinhas a little too chewy. Another feature familiar to those who have visited the Bairro Alto outlet is the good choice of bottled beers to go with your meal choice. Fries are available for the really hungry, with a rustic fries option too. But one feature of this outlet is that there is plenty of room to house all those punters, with very few “ reservado ” markers on tables. Reserving your table seems to be necessary at the Bairro Alto outlet; not so much here. Yes, it’s a bit out of the way, but buses, trains and Metro are not so far f...
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7.2.14 November 2025

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REMINDER Don’t slog up those hills just because the funiculars have been suspended. Minibus 51E gives an alternative to the Santa Justa lift, and an alternative to the Glória funicular; Bairrobus 19B gives an alternative to the Lavra funicular; Bairrobus 22B gives an alternative to the Bica funicular. A tram descending the Calçada da Estrela TRAM NEWS Tram 28 - bad news, folks: there is work in the Calçada da Estrela, which will take at least eight weeks. So from 3rd November, the 28 tram turns back at Camões. A minibus service will run between Camões and Prazeres. On weekdays, you can still get from The Old Downtown to Estrela and Prazeres on the 25 tram. BELÉM NEWS The Padrão dos Descobrimentos is becoming busier - maybe because tourists arriving at Torre de Belém and finding it closed have then decided to find another attraction to visit. Expect longer queues and more waiting. Alpha no more ... Albino no more CRAFT BEER NEWS And very sad news, too: Duque Brewpub closed its doors ...
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4.4.19 Parque Verde de Carnide

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North end of Carnide Location HERE . Those politics junkies who want to know why a Mayor representing a right-leaning party got re-elected recently might usefully start here. Carlos Moedas wasn’t so environmentally minded before he got elected the first time, but that was then, and all that. Now, we’ve had the new cycle bridge up near the Airport and its implicit endorsement of “ soft travel ”, and in 2025 came a new park at Carnide, on the north-west side of the Metro depot. Not such a promising location, maybe, but a real oasis away from crowded and noisy suburbs. It’s on the edge of Zone L, so your day ticket covers the getting there part. Take a Linha Azul Metro, but to Pontinha, not Carnide. This station has up escalators that mostly work - exit the station at its northern side, look over to your right, and there is the park entrance. There is the obligatory water feature by the entrance, but the best part is the network of tracks for walking, jogging or cycling, along with the pl...
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6.1.11 Patisserie Versailles

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6.1.11 Patisserie Versailles Avenida da República 15A Location HERE . What were coffee shops like in days gone by? Maybe like Versailles, where you can stand at the counter, and many punters stopping by for a swift Bica and maybe a cake do just that, or take a table and enjoy the cachet of being waited upon by one of the polite (though often busy) staff. Many tourists put this on their bucket list, and it’s not difficult to see why, but most of the lunchtime clientele are locals, and mainly office workers. Not so many companies have offices in the Old Downtown nowadays - the area from around Marquês de Pombal up to Saldanha and on towards Entrecampos is more likely to feature, as is the corridor west from Entrecampos to Sete Rios. As with any good Pastelaria, Versailles does a comprehensive breakfast and lunch menu, but don’t expect the breakfast offerings to align with what you would expect in more northern European settings. The Duchesse pastry is a speciality, as in the winter sea...
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