So, Lisbon.
It seemed like in the two to three years prior to me going just about everyone I follow on social media had been, and whether this was just that social media now allows people to shout about it more, or if it was just a genuine Lisbon resurgence is by the by, it instantly became a place I’m determined to go back to again, and soon. It lives up to the hype.
Long weekend scenario in a group of six all with a similar if slightly dangerous love of all things food, wine and coffee, especially in beautiful European cities, what could go wrong?!
Well thankfully nothing.
You can start by knowing it was clear blue hot twenty seven to thirty degree skies the whole time; always a good start. If you’re in need of a hotel recommendation too then hit up H10 Duque de Loulé as it was absolutely perfect. While we didn’t eat even so much as a breakfast there, we did have pre-outing drinks in the lobby bar as well as the rooftop terrace (ugh them views), but aside from that the rooms were really spacious and charming, and the service was some of the best and friendliest I’ve experienced. Not to mention those green pineapple-y sweets on the reception counter. I didn’t get what they were exactly in terms of brand etc. but my word they were like crack.
Anyway.
Lisbon is a place you can get completely and wonderfully lost in. Think abundant mix of cute cobbled streets, centuries of decorative tiles, pastel-coloured buildings, quaint squares but also far stretching grand high streets and ginormous praças.
Hills too. Don’t forget the hills. If you’re on foot all day it’s a good bit of exercise, but if that’s not your bag there are of course the funiculars to cart you up and down some of the steeper hills and connect you a little easier. Too be honest though they’re not all that comfortable and are far nicer to look at from the outside, so if you’re able just pull your finger out your arse and take the hike instead. You’ll need it to work off all the grub.
From the central Praça Do Comércio with it’s bustling mix of locals and tourists weaving in and out of grand arches set on the Tagus, with the ever popular and dramatically stunning (if annoyingly overcrowded with tourists) Elevador de Santa Justa close by to give you some pretty stunning views over Baixa, to the charming but hella trendy Príncipe Real with its slightly more relaxed neighbourhood feel, though still teeming with charm and plenty to do; bars and eateries aplenty to the Embaixada, there are so many varied districts to Lisbon it’s an easy place to take in bit by bit.
The Embaixada itself being a rather wonderful shopping gallery set in a 19th century new-Arabian palace. It’s focussed around a majestic sweeping staircase, with an even lovelier atrium that of course hosts the most perfectly placed cafe on the ground floor with some pretty great views of the central building. There’s a real mix of shops in there; fashion, homewares, cosmetics etc, but when you’re a first time visitor as we were it’s quite easy to forget that you’re looking round shops, and feels more like wandering through some abstractly modern yet 19th century museum.
In terms of shopping too, a must is Ceramicas Na Linha based just south east of the Bairro Alto district. It’s a ceramics shop (if you’re into that sort of thing) that for the most part sells its wares based on weight. Yes there are specifically priced items, but the majority of the shop is split into sections based on material, size and finish, and you can pick up some really great stuff for really not a lot. It’s situated about a ten minute slow wander from the Elevador de Santa Justa too so pretty central.
A must-do excursion too would be to head over to LX Factory over in Alcântara which definitely is walkable especially on a nice day. The historical industrial complex is now an uber cool network of design studios, shops, cafes and restaurants, weekly flea markets and music events. Plus it’s another shining example of how to effectively restore and repurpose ex-industrial spaces and bring them into the modern age while keeping their historical beauty. There’s a Mexican restaurant in there too that we had some banging’ tacos in just FYI.
Of course there are several lush green spaces, both in terms of local parks boasting an incredible and adorable amount of turtles (Jardim Da Estrela being a favourite) and botanical gardens such as Jardim Botânico de Lisboa which is vast and quite breathtaking. Perfect for blowing away the cobwebs of the Vinho Verde fuelled night before…
Which lets face it is the crux of this isn’t it. The food and drink.
I mean of course the first thing to talk about is the pastéis de nata. You just can nata have enough. Anything in England just does nata come close… etc. etc. So yeah whether you’re headed to a nata specific bakery, or if you’re grabbing a casual one with your morning coffee, the Portuguese staple just doesn’t get any better than in Lisbon. I think we averaged about four a day and even the worst of the bunch would still outshine any nata I’ve had in London. They’re a spectacle too which the Portuguese are incredibly proud of; most bakeries are fully glass fronted where you can see the military operation that is nata baking in full flow, with hundreds being made in a single batch.
For those who are incredibly serious about their natas, a trip to Pastéis de Belém is a must. Depending on where you’re staying the Belém area may be a bit of a schlep to get to, but again, on a nice day it’s worth the walk along the Tagus, and you’ve other sites like the Jerónimos Monastery close by too fill up your morning. But Pastéis itself is a lovely pit stop. Smothered head to toe in classic blue and white painted tiles both inside and out, it’s a tourist destination for sure usually with a queue out the door, but it’s a lovely stop, and the natas speak for themselves.
You won’t be lost for good coffee to pair up with your natas too. There is a small but good selection of roasters out there. Simpli, Fabrica, and Copenhagen Coffee Lab are probably your top three in terms of speciality, plus Copenhagen and Fabrica have more than one outlet across the city too, so if you have a problem with caffeine withdrawals like I do then these guys are your saviours.
I’m only just realising that I have barely touched on food and haven’t even mentioned wine yet. Shit. Well you’re not going to be stuck for any of it in Lisbon. We of course had a wander down to the Time Out Lisboa market and spent a solid evening there sampling beers, a bajillion different flavours of croquettes, I had an octopus hot dog which, though maybe a little chewy toward the end, was tasty AF, albeit slightly funny looking. The sheer number of vendors is ridiculous, you’re completely surrounded by food. It does get busy though, we were lucky to get a spot at a table and there are a lot of families in there but it’s a great social atmosphere, perfect if you’re headed over in a group.
Our first evening we feasted at By The Wine, which as you can tell is all about the wine. On walking into the bar the first thing that grabs your attention is the arched ceiling that is completely adorned in green glass bottles. We quite ravenously made our way through some cheese and Bellota sausage as well as a couple of slabs of incredibly mouthwatering Chuleton. Coupled with throwing back a couple bottles of crisp Vinho Verde (I mean it was warm out there…) it was a perfect example of simplicity done well to kick us off.
Another simple but excellent visit was Graça Do Vinho, which is a picture perfect casual wine spot atop a steep cobbled hill with stunning sunset views from the top of the hill, serving meats and cheeses and a rather delightful Vinho Blanco from Cabriz. Think we lost count of how many bottles we had so there you go. Cozy, welcoming, simple, perfect.
The highlight of the weekend was a long, very casual, very boozy lunch at the beautiful Bairro Do Avillez. We’re talking three and a half hours, and we didn’t want it to end. It’s up there in my top five dining experiences of my life as it was one of those where every aspect was just great. I mean of course the company being great goes without saying (thanks chaps you know who you are) but the rest of it was impecible.
The interiors are stunning. Avillez is essentially made up up several different concepts, all the brain child of chef José Avillex, so you walk firstly into a gourmet deli that’s not just stocked to the eyeballs with goodness, but the design is super cool too. Walk down through the corridors either side that reveal the beautiful lush green central courtyard the building is built around, into what was our main event: Páteo. A generous square restaurant space with double height pitched ceiling complete with skylight, mezanine, exposed bricks, you name it, it had the industrial but cozy feel down to a t. And though at that point we were a group of eight (with child) the restaurant was spacious enough that we didn’t feel like we were being loud and intrusive.
Páteo is seafood galore. And it was all incredible from what I remember. Now please bare in mind I’m writing this a year on from our visit (also in Covid-19 lockdown hence why I’m feeling travel sick and nostalgic) so I can’t remember exactly what all the dishes were, but a quick glance at my photos and oh, there’s a rather great looking tuna carpaccio, octopus with squid ink rice, some damn good home made olive bread with smoked butter, garlic chilli prawns, sriracha octopus, oh yeah and a pretty beautiful raspberry pavlova alongside mille feuille to end.
Food incredible, surroundings incredible, as was the wine, but the service also shone as much as anything else. Very accommodating to a group of eight (with child) tourists, and while we weren’t at all loud, they looked after us with the utmost care and nothing but smiles. To the point where, despite closing at 1500, we noticed we’d lingered and drank maybe a wee bit longer than that (they were about to open for evening service again) but were very gracious and didn’t bat an eye lid.
Lisbon was bloody great, and I’d go back to Avillez to have the exact same experience in a heartbeat. It’ll stand up there as one of my favourite dining experiences for a long time yet.
So there you go, that’s just the highlights of my three days in Lisbon. There’s all the variety you could need in a city break, but saying that I’d be happy going back and doing all of the above all over again.
In fact, I may be getting a Lisboner just thinking about it.
#harrisonthehand