The 5 Most Iconic Lisbon Cafés

This iconic Lisbon patisserie has been around since 1922 and is known all over town for the best possible reasons. The famous café is located in the heart of Lisbon, in Avenida da República, in a splendid Art Nouveau building that is in itself a more than enough reason for visiting. 

Despite the name and its sumptuous interiors ranking among those of the most famous European tea and coffee houses, Versailles has by no means lost its Portuguese identity. Not only does it serve the best Portuguese pastries (much more than pastéis de nata), it also functions as a traditional restaurant, serving the finest quality Portuguese cuisine. 

In 2017, Versailles spread to the Belém district, where it opened a new and equally good branch close to the National Coach Museum, which is one of Lisbon's most famous museums. 

Brasileira is, perhaps, Lisbon's most famous and most photographed café. It opened in Rua Garrett, in the Chiado neighborhood, in 1905 and it has been popular since then. Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa was known to have his bica there and that's the reason why you can find him immortalized sitting outside. Together with Brasileira, Pessoa's statue is one of Lisbon's best-known attractions and it has already become a tradition to be photographed sitting in his lap. 

Brasileira sits right opposite Chiado's subway exit and is easily identifiable by the number of people sitting outside on the terrace. The café opened its doors in 1905 and it owes its name to the fact it imported its coffee beans from (you guessed it) Brazil. 

The building isn't any less impressive on the inside than it is on the outside. Having been built and subsequently renovated in the XX century, it displays beautiful Art Nouveau wooden panellings and ceilings. It is also possible to try some of the best Portuguese traditional delicacies there while enjoying a hot bica by the counter.

English newspaper The Telegraph has recently listed it as one of Europe's best historic cafés. 

Founded in 1829, Confeitaria Nacional is still one of the best cafés in Lisbon today. The family-run establishment is known for having introduced the now traditional Bolo-Rei (King's Cake) to Portugal. This cake is still made the way the 1850 recipe dictates and it is the centerpiece on every Christmas supper table in the country.

The cake is easily recognizable by the candied fruit on top and the large hole in the center but it hides a quite important secret. Among the ingredients, a bean is traditionally added to the batter and whoever finds it will have to buy the Bolo-Rei the following year.                

Despite having suffered some restorations, Confeitaria still maintains the original XIX century tracery and it is sure worth a visit for it. It goes without saying that all the delicacies are also worth a try, especially around Christmas time. 

Portuguese poet Manuel Barbosa du Bocage was known to have made this establishment his second home and for that reason, it is possible to find his statue on the inside. In the late 30s, the café suffered its first renovation and adopted a very modern-at-the-time Art Déco style of which the light fixtures are one of the most impressive features.