Lisbon

(Updated October 2025.)

🍳 Brunch

• Quest | They have the creamiest scrambled eggs, hidden under a sea of cheese. Plus a superior option of cakes and desserts.
• Hygge Kaffe | Nordic vibes, everything is yummy. Plus for normal portion sizes - one main dish + sharing the mini pancakes is the ideal brunch for me.
• Liberty | Unique twists on classic brunch food and everything I've tried has been delicious, including the coffee. Small portions though.
• Do Beco Santos - Padaria Artesanal & Brunch | Bakery with interesting brunch options and fun coffee flavors.
• Fauna & Flora | Often crowded, but you rarely have to wait long. My go-to for years, prices are good, quality consistent, and a varied menu.
• Tomorrow at 9 Cafe | The entrance is almost hard to spot, but inside hides a cute patio and a brunch menu that is more interesting than your normal cafe.

🍽 Restaurants

• Magnolia Bistrot & Winebar | Favorite wine bar with small dishes to share.
• Kefi Greek Bistro | Fresh Greek food, gorgeous space, go here.
• Cosmo | Everything smoked, everything delicious. Cocktails and vibe is also 👌.
• Maluca | Another wine bar with small dishes. Lovely food, lovely wine.
• Loco | My first Michelin star place and it was truly incredible.
• The Happy Salad | Finally found a make-your-own-salad spot which has kale! Not gonna lie, I order from here once per week.
• Honest Greens | Another place I order from when I'm too lazy to cook but want something healthy.
• Lupita | Favorite pizza place, addicted to their white pizza with ricotta cheese.
• Arkhe | Fine dining, all vegetarian.
• Tapa Bucho Gastrobar | Me and Tapa Bucho go way back. Good for big groups.
• Dallas Burger | Solid burger spot.

🍸 Bars

• Comida Independente | Great wine bar with good snack options.
• Black Sheep | A Lisbon institution I only recently finally made it to. Fun wines!
• Graça do Vinho | Another natural wine bar, I once had a pet nat there I still dream about.
• A Tabacaria | A Tabacaria and I go way back. My first visit many years ago they didn't offer a menu and did every drink tailor-made, it was perfection. Last time I was there they sadly stopped doing custom cocktails, BUT, their creations are still delicious.
• Matiz Pombalina Cocktail Bar | A recent discovery and it immediately became my favorite cocktail bar. I felt like I was stepping into my eccentric great-grandmothers apartment, had she lived in Portugal, and the bartenders knows what they are doing.
• LX Rooftop Cocktail bar | Don't know why this place has such poor reviews, they have good drinks and are a friendly bunch. We live 10 min away, so, another go-to spot.

🍦 Sweets

• Parioca | Delicious coffee and makes the best cookies in Lisbon.
• Gelato Therapy | Tasty ice cream in the center.
• Crush Doughnuts | For when you want the type of sugar rush making you high for hours and hours.
• Pastéis de Belém | Heard of Pastel de Nata? Well, this is the OG place making them into perfection.

👩🏻‍💻 Work from

• Kompis | We opened a coworking space and it’s obviously the spot to work from these days. Located in Lapa.
• Copenhagen Cafe | All Copenhagen cafes have a number of tables dedicated to laptops, but the get taken quickly. Good spot for working with good coffee, but I usually rely on my own wifi.
• Simpli Coffee | Chill café with good coffee and snacks, and surprisingly stable wifi.
  
• Heden Rossio | Good place to get work done (available on Croissant).
• Libraries | Lisbon has a lot of libraries with good places to work for free. Some of them with gardens and cafés too! Belem is where I go.

🤸🏻‍♀️ Workouts

• Jaya Aerial Lab | The aerial studio of my dreams. Pole, lyra, silks, handstand, conditioning; you name it, they got it.
• Jazzy Dance Studios | Huge dance studio, great teachers. Something for everyone.
• Jivamukti Yoga Lisbon | My favorite type of yoga practice which usually includes chanting, breath work, mediation and inversion practice.
• Baraza Yoga | Fun yoga studio, lots of fun guest teachers too. And if you get the chance to join their weekend retreats, I highly recommend putting everything else aside and join!
• The Kynd Space | Lovely yoga studio with fun classes on the menu, like "Holy HIIT" and other random combos.
• Amplify Santos | I go for barre once a week (great complementary class for stability, everyone should do it tbh). Also has very hyped cycle classes and bootcamps.
• A Pompadourette | For my fellow pole lovers, this is a cute studio with good sensual pole classes. Note that the classes are very short, only 50 min.
• Academia Life Club | Large gym, got everything you need, including saunas.

🪩 Other spots & things to do

• LxFactory | Artsy but very touristy area, go here to check out cute shops and have drinks in the afternoon. They also do a fun market on Sundays.
• Mirdouros | There are viewpoints all over Lisbon worth a visit, just search for miradouro on maps. Usually with a kiosk that serves wine, beer, and sometimes a few cocktails too.
• Black Cat Outdoor Cinema | During summer, Black Cate Cinema organizes outdoor cinema experiences in various cool locations. Mix of classics and more recent movies, definitely worth checking out.
• Storytelling Lisboa | I recommend arriving at 7pm, grab a good seat, and chill with your friends before it starts.

🏖 Get out of Lisbon

• Sintra | Sintra has some nice walks (easy hikes) and a lot of castles.
• Costa da Caparica | Take an Uber across the river and go these beaches instead of what is along the route to Cascais. Our go-to is this beach, the bar is more chill and make a badass sangria. Plus, this is where the nude beach is located.
• Salvaterra Country House & Spa | If you want a romantic getaway, this is the spot. One hour drive from Lisbon and has a Bali design vibe to it.
• Friday Happiness Algarve | Also known as "the pizza party", which combines pizzas and raves in a hippie commune setting. Go by car, pack a tent and toilet paper, prepare to party till 6am.