Lisbon's cocktail scene rebuilt itself in less than a decade. Red Frog opened in 2015 and reset what the city expected. The 10 below are the rooms that have followed — built on Portuguese ingredients (port, ginja, Madeira) and modern cocktail technique. Most are in Bairro Alto or Cais do Sodré.
Part of our 50 Best Cocktail Bars in the World listThis article is one chapter in our larger global guide. See the full pillar with every featured city.
Read the world list
The 10 best cocktail bars in Lisbon
01 · Lisbon
Avenida da Liberdade
$$
Speakeasy · Press the bell
Press the brass bell next to a nondescript door. The room that redefined Lisbon's bar scene since 2015.
Order: What the bartender's pouring most often
02 · Lisbon
Príncipe Real
$$$
Lounge · Late-night
Long-running cocktail lounge in Príncipe Real. The drinks are technical without being precious; the room has aged well.
Order: A signature port-led cocktail
03 · Lisbon
Príncipe Real
$$
Hidden · Portuguese ingredients
Hidden cocktail bar — through an unmarked door. Hyper-local Portuguese ingredients in classical cocktail forms.
Order: Whatever uses Portuguese liqueur
04 · Lisbon
Cais do Sodré
$$
Old brothel · Multiple rooms
Inside a former brothel. Library bar, café-bar, multiple drinking rooms with different character.
Order: A house spec from the burlesque-room bar
05 · Lisbon
Príncipe Real
$$
Wunderkammer · Antique
Walls floor-to-ceiling covered in antique objects, model soldiers, glassware. Drinking inside a Wunderkammer.
Order: Port and tonic
Weekly editorial
The bars worth going to, weekly.
One email per week. The bars our editors are recommending right now, across 60 cities worldwide.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
06 · Lisbon
Príncipe Real
$$
Pharmacy-themed
In a former pharmacy with a garden terrace. Cocktails served in apothecary glassware.
Order: A spec served in a chemist's bottle
07 · Lisbon
Príncipe Real
$$
1978 · Long-running
Operating since 1978. Long-running classic Lisbon cocktail bar. Wood-paneled, dim, the historical reference.
Order: A classic stirred cocktail in the historic room
08 · Lisbon
Bairro Alto
$$
18th-century house · Speakeasy
Inside an 18th-century townhouse. Multiple drinking rooms with antique furniture. Atmospheric beyond reason.
Order: A signature with their house-aged Madeira
09 · Lisbon
Bairro Alto
$$
Wine bar + cocktails
Bairro Alto wine-and-cocktail bar. The wine list is the depth; the cocktails are the simpler accompaniment. Casual atmosphere.
Order: A glass of port + a stirred cocktail
10 · Lisbon
Cais do Sodré
$$
Cinema-themed · Live music
Cinema-themed bar with live music programming. Casual cocktails, the most Cais do Sodré evening you can have.
Order: A signature cinema-themed cocktail
More Lisbon cocktail barsThe full Lisbon cocktail-bar index by neighbourhood.
See the full list
How Portuguese ingredients shape Lisbon cocktails
Port, Madeira and ginja (sour-cherry liqueur) are essential to understanding what Lisbon cocktails are doing differently. Red Frog and Toca da Raposa lead on this front. The 10 above represent both the historical (Pavilhão Chinês opened in the 1980s) and the modern (Toca da Raposa, recent). Most peak between 11 PM and 1 AM.
