Faz Gostos occupies a former convent on Rua Nova da Trindade in Chiado, a few steps above the theatres of Bairro Alto in Lisbon. The dining rooms wear blue-and-white azulejo tiles carried over from the original convent, and a gin bar anchors the front of the house for drinkers who arrive before, or instead of, a table.
Who would love it: a drinker who wants a well-poured gin and tonic before a plate of southern Portuguese seafood. Who would not: anyone after a late, high-energy bar scene, because this is a restaurant first and winds down with the kitchen.
The room is the first argument for the place. Faz Gostos sits in a former Trindade convent, and the dining rooms keep the blue-and-white tiles that carry the building's history, per the golisbon city guide. The effect is calm and formal, closer to a private salon than a loud tasca.
The gin bar is the reason it lands on a bar list. Reviewers single out the gin selection as a real program rather than a token shelf, with Portuguese labels alongside the international names and a kitchen happy to build a gin and tonic to match a course. Marcus Webb's read: ask the bar to pour by botanical profile, a citrus-forward gin before the seafood, something more herbal and structured later in the meal.
The food sets the agenda. Chef Duval Pestana cooks with a clear Algarve accent, with dishes such as Ria Formosa razor clam rice, Algarve octopus salad and stewed octopus with sweet potato anchoring a menu that also runs to three tasting options. Order a gin to open, then let the southern seafood lead the rest of the table.
The crowd skews toward couples and small groups settling in for a long dinner rather than a quick drink. Service is attentive and measured, which suits the room but means the bar moves at a dining-room pace. Treat the gin as the overture to a meal, not a fast round before somewhere else.
The wine list deserves a mention alongside the gin. Faz Gostos leans on Portuguese producers, which makes a glass of Alentejo white or a crisp vinho verde an easy bridge from the gin and tonic into the seafood. For a spirits drinker the appeal is range without showmanship, a kitchen and bar that pour what suits the plate rather than chasing a trend. That restraint is the house style, and it is why the room reads as confident rather than fussy.
A note on timing: lunch runs Monday to Friday and dinner Monday to Saturday, so a midday gin and a plate of clams is a quieter way to read the kitchen than a busy Friday night. The bar fills as the dinner service builds, and a reservation is the safe move for a weekend table.
Best time to go: an early dinner reservation, a gin and tonic at the bar while the table is set, and the seafood off the Algarve section. Faz Gostos earns its place among Lisbon's drinking-and-dining rooms on the strength of its gin program and its setting. See where it sits among the best cocktail bars in Lisbon, and read our wider guide to the best bars in Lisbon for the full map.
Pair this bar with
For a creative cocktail follow-on a short walk away, head to Monkey Mash Lisbon. For a hidden speakeasy behind a hot-dog counter, find the door at Red Frog Lisbon. And for a candlelit cocktail nightcap near Bairro Alto, Cinco Lounge Lisbon makes the natural second stop.
Sources
golisbon: Faz Gostos · cityseeker: Faz Gostos · Tripadvisor: Faz Gostos LX · Yelp reviews (accessed 2026-06)
Reviewed by Marcus Webb, barsforKings. Published Jan 29, 2026.
