Several new eateries were simultaneously inaugurated this weekend in Lisbon. They’re concentrated in two of the city’s biggest squares downtown and offer a variety of foods and drinks. The major ones are cafés and restaurants in Comercio Square, on the east wing previously closed to the public and now with terraces where everyone can sit and relax looking out to the river.
The first one is “Museu da Cerveja” (literally translated to “Beer Museum”), a steak house that’s really mostly dedicated to beer. It serves it on the terrace and on the lower level of the interior, while upstairs is a museum showing the history and production of the drink.
Next door is “Populi,” open throughout the day from breakfast to midnight snack. It also has tables outside and offers an international menu accompanied by a huge list of Portuguese wines.
Then there’s “Can the Can,” perhaps the most interesting of all, focusing on Lisbon’s famous canned fish. Tin cans decorate most of the interior (they also make up most of a chandelier hanging from the ceiling), and you can try a variety of them at the table in a meal of “petiscos” (tapas).
In the same square is a kiosk serving another local tradition, ginginha. That’s a cherry liqueur served in hole-in-the-wall bars in old Lisbon, and now offered here at a more tourist-friendly spot.
Not far from Comercio Square is the square of Martim Moniz, the heart of the city’s small “Chinatown” or “Little India.” Reflecting the neighborhood’s multi-ethnic community, it is filled with kiosks serving food from around the world, with one dedicated to the flavors of Bangladesh, another to Africa, another to China, etc. There is also one with vegetarian and macrobiotic foods. Overlooking this square which is a terminal of tram 28 is the city’s crowning castle.

The current business trend in Lisbon seems to be bakeries. Not ordinary bakeries but French-inspired or traditionally-Portuguese-inspired bakeries. Here are the five newest ones, especially perfect if you’re staying at an apartment and want to have bread for breakfast when you wake up:

LA BOULANGERIE

TARTINE
Perfectly located around the corner from the famous Brasileira café, this is a bakery by the entrance and a café upstairs. You can grab the bread to go or stay at a table enjoying a light meal (we recommend the pancakes) at any time of the day.

LA BOULANGERIE
The most attractive bakery-café downtown (Rua da Madalena, 57) opened recently and is already known for the quality of its French-style bread. The consensus is that the service could be a little friendlier and more welcoming, and that has also been our experience, but hopefully the attractive space and the quality of the products will make up for it in the long run.

A PADARIA PORTUGUESA
Not far from La Boulangerie downtown (on Rua do Ouro, 175) is this new branch of Portuguese bakeries adapted to modern times. It has an attractive contemporary interior but serves the bread and pastries the Portuguese have been traditionally making for decades.

ERIC KAYSER
Found across the street from the Amoreiras shopping mall, this is Lisbon’s branch of the now-international French bakery. It has a rather spacious interior but also a few tables outside for you to enjoy a baguette in the sun.

POISON D’AMOUR
This is not a bakery but a pastry shop. And we warn you that if you’re counting calories, this is not a place for you. Incredibly mouth-watering pastries will tempt you into getting more sugar than you should, but once in a while it’s actually a healthy stress-reliever to give in to temptation. So after a visit to the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint, continue up the hill to this French patisserie and relax with a tea and something sweet. And you may take some croissants with you as well.

They’re not officially on UNESCO’s list, but these sites of extraordinary cultural significance could very well end up there one day, joining the 14 others in Portugal (like Sintra and Lisbon’s Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower).

MAFRA PALACE
It’s one of the world’s biggest palaces and it has some singular features such as a total of six organs that are unique in the world and the world’s largest collection of church bells in addition to one of Europe’s finest libraries. One of Nobel Prize author José Saramago’s most translated novels is about the building’s unbelievable construction (published in English as “Baltasar and Blimunda”).

DOWNTOWN LISBON
The only reason Lisbon’s downtown isn’t yet a World Heritage Site is because many of its buildings have reached an advanced state of decay and have been stripped of many of their original features. Before it can present its candidacy to UNESCO it will have to restore everything back to its original state, but even without the official recognition Lisbon’s downtown is already a remarkable place. You couldn’t tell by simply looking at it, but this is Europe’s first urban planning project, using large-scale pre-fabricated earthquake-proof techniques that included modern sanitation. This type of grid of broad streets was later replicated in other European cities such as Paris and Barcelona.

SAGRES
Prince Henry the Navigator’s inspirational coastline is just as mystical and mysterious today. It’s Europe’s southwesternmost tip and was therefore believed to be the end of the world in ancient times. Prince Henry however, wondered what laid beyond the horizon and started a project of “discoveries” that paved the way for Vasco da Gama, Magellan, Christopher Columbus and all the other famous explorers. An enormous compass believed to have been used to study navigation is still seen on the ground in Sagres today.

VILA VIÇOSA
This town is made almost exclusively of marble. Like most others in the serene Alentejo province, it’s a rather sleepy place today but it was once a royal town with a palace belonging to the royal family of the Bragança dynasty. The palace is naturally also made of marble, as are benches and pavements, as this region is rich in this “white gold.”

MARVÃO
This near-Heaven village is a fortified medieval place described by the New York Times as “a fairytale mirage.” It’s one of the world’s highest settlements, standing close to 3,000 feet up high on a mountain, all inside a wall and protected by a castle. It’s almost unbelievable how anyone chose to settle here, but you’d have to have a 13th-century mentality to understand it.

COIMBRA UNIVERSITY
It’s one of the world’s oldest universities and it’s quite a special one, with unique traditions associated with it over time. It includes one of the world’s most remarkable baroque libraries and is the most likely candidate to end up on UNESCO’s list in the near future.

BUÇACO FOREST
It was one of the first forests in Europe to reunite plants from all over the world. It’s also the site of one of the continent’s first palace hotels, surrounded by a magical atmosphere.

ARRÁBIDA NATURAL PARK
This isn’t just another beautiful natural park. It’s one of the best places for geologists to learn about three key phases of the earth’s evolution and its tectonic plates, as well as a curious landscape of Mediterranean flora that’s actually on the Atlantic, developed around 180 million years ago when it was under water. The diversity and singularity of the park in terms of vegetation distribution gives it a natural heritage unmatched anywhere in the world.

There’s a new rooftop bar in town. This time it’s found on the top floor (the 9th) of the Mundial Hotel, offering panoramic views of the city. You can see the river and the castle which is beautifully floodlit at night, and you may also enjoy the late-afternoon sun. It opens everyday at 6:30PM (weather permitting) and welcomes hotel guests and non-guests until midnight. It serves cocktails and occasionally also presents live jazz performances.

Based on official reports and semi-official numbers, these are Lisbon’s 10-most visited attractions. Some are understandably so, others less worthy of a visit than a few sites missing from the list.

1. JERONIMOS MONASTERY
This World Heritage Site is Lisbon’s most important monument and naturally receives the most visitors. The church is free and is extraordinarily ornate, but the real attraction are the cloisters.

2. OCEANARIUM
Attracting over one million visitors every year, this is one of the world’s largest aquariums and it just got bigger with a new extension this year, guaranteeing even more people through its doors for temporary exhibitions.

3. CASTLE OF ST. GEORGE
Locals and tourists (close to a million of them) flock to this ancient hilltop monument every year. It’s seen from almost anywhere in the city, so it constantly invites you to its ramparts.

4. BERARDO MUSEUM
Apparently everyone thinks “It’s free, so why not go inside?” The reward is one of Europe’s most important modern art collections and it’s now visited more than other famous European museums such as Bilbao’s Guggenheim.

5. TOWER OF BELEM
Leaving Lisbon without seeing Belém Tower is like going to Paris and not seeing Eiffel’s. The city icon is on the riverfront almost by the Atlantic, but it’s a pilgrimage everyone must make.

6. DISCOVERIES MONUMENT
This one is almost inevitable: It’s found halfway between the Tower of Belém and the monastery and is featured on almost every postcard and guidebook of the city. The colossal images of Portugal’s famous explorers also make it a must-stop for photos.

7. SANTA JUSTA ELEVATOR
The ride only lasts a few seconds, but the real attraction are the views at the top of this towering elevator with an Eiffel Tower-like structure.

8. CARRIAGES MUSEUM
This is Portugal’s most-visited national museum and the reason is that everyone is told that it has the world’s largest and best collection of royal carriages. It’s like entering a Cinderella world that attracts visitors of all ages, making it a perfect family attraction.

9. ANCIENT ART MUSEUM
The number of visitors has risen every year and that is due to a few important temporary exhibitions that have led many to discover its noteworthy permanent collection, in large part related to Portugal’s Age of Discovery.

10. CATHEDRAL
Everyone who visits Lisbon will at least pass by on their way to the castle on tram 28. Many end up going inside, and although it’s far from being one of Lisbon’s most beautiful churches, it is its oldest and it is the cathedral.

Restaurants that mostly target tourists (with their multilingual menus and waiters outside persuading you to step inside) usually offer unexceptional food and no ambience, but there are always exceptions. Those are usually places that are equally popular with locals, and the reason they also get crowded with tourists is because guidebooks have pointed them in the right direction.
In Lisbon, Rua das Portas de Santo Antão is a pedestrian street almost completely taken over by touristy restaurants, with the annoying waiters and tourist-trap menus. But it also has what is recognized as one of the city’s best seafood restaurants (Gambrinus), and one of the most popular restaurants in town, Bonjardim, which we tell you below why it is indeed a place worth checking out together with other crowd-pleasing spots:

BONJARDIM
Completely relaxed, traditional and unpretentious place that seems to leave everyone satisfied. It’s inexpensive and the spicy chicken apparently makes many people return time and time again.

CASA DO ALENTEJO
It’s not as reasonably-priced as it once was, but it’s still a landmark place, found in one of Lisbon’s most surprising interiors. Once past an attractive Moorish courtyard, up a flight of stairs, is a tiled dining room serving traditional Portuguese cuisine. The staff may sometimes seem to be indifferent to welcoming or attentive service, but they’re usually so busy that it can be understood and overlooked once your plate arrives at the table.

CERVEJARIA TRINDADE
Beautifully tiled rooms are the main attractions that have always drawn locals and tourists here. But the reason there are always long lines at the door is that the food is also worth waiting for. There are no fancy Michelin-star-looking dishes here, but the food is tasty and portions are satisfying.

O CHURRASCO
If you can’t get a table at the famous Bonjardim mentioned above, this is a great alternative just a few feet away at number 83 of Rua das Portas de Santo Antão. Some say the specialty barbecue chicken is even better here, but there are plenty of other options on the menu, from traditional grilled meat dishes, to plenty of fish and seafood.

PINÓQUIO
With tables outside facing one of the city’s main central squares (Restauradores) by so many hotels, it’s only natural that this restaurant attracts so many tourists. But you’ll also see that there are just as many locals enjoying the traditional Portuguese cuisine, with the most famous dishes being the clams and the steaks.

It recently added half a dozen kiosk-cafés which together with the always-increasing number of sophisticated shops makes it one of Lisbon’s most attractive addresses. Now it’s introducing a number of activities and special events throughout the year, and especially during the summer. That’s Avenida da Liberdade, the grand central boulevard of the city, also home to many top hotels.
This is the result of a private organization made up of the local business owners, planning fashion shows, antique fairs, flower shows, and expanded opening times of the shops, especially on weekends.
Once a busy avenue where most of Lisbon went for a stroll, Avenida da Liberdade has been in decline in the past two decades, as everyone began to prefer the shopping malls. Now there is an evident rebirth of the area and these activities will help bring it back to its centuries-old place as the main meeting point of the city.
It all begins this Thursday with live music, then this weekend will bring an antiques and crafts fair which is to be repeated every second weekend of the month.
The following Thursday will be a night of Fado and the shops will remain open until 10PM, with some of them displaying precious pieces of art belonging to the collection of the Medeiros e Almeida Museum found nearby.
Also planned for the near future are classical music concerts, contemporary dance shows, photo exhibitions in the shops, and movie screenings in the open air on Mondays this August.
When the colder temperatures and the rain comes this winter the activities won’t end, meaning there is always a good reason to go down the avenue.

Apparently having beaches just a few minutes away from downtown is not enough for the people of Lisbon. Soon they’ll also have a beach right in the center of the city, by its largest square. By the end of this summer, work will begin to create a real urban beach by the river next to Comercio Square.
This area was in fact a beach in the 16th and 17th centuries, and it was where many of the ships used during Portugal’s Age of Discovery were built and docked. The name comes from that time — “Ribeira das Naus” (the “Ships’ Riverfront”).
This new urban space will cost close to 15 million euros, and will include plenty of shade from a 10-acre park.
Everything is supposed to be ready in just over a year from now, so if it all goes as planned, you can sunbathe by the Tagus at the end of next summer or early autumn.
Next year the Lisbon waterfront will also be in the spotlight during one of the stages of the worldwide 2012 Volvo Ocean Race, happening on the eastern waterfront of the city, where the river becomes the Atlantic.

This weekend is the grand opening of five (to be six later in the year) kiosk cafés down Lisbon’s main central avenue, Avenida da Liberdade. Each kiosk will serve its own specialty, from light meals to smoothies, and are found scattered down the boulevard.
You’ll find them just by walking down the Avenida, but to locate them on a map, look for the cross streets. One of them is Rua Alexandre Herculano, at which intersection are “Banana Café” and “Hot Dog Lovers.” The first one offers lights meals such as wraps, salads and smoothies, while the second one obviously specializes in hot dogs but also serves tapas and Portuguese wine.
Down by Rua das Pretas are the third and fourth kiosks, one serving rectangular slices of pizza, calzone, panini and bruschettas, while the other belongs to “the best chocolate cake in the world,” the famous cake that was born in Lisbon and that has now been exported internationally. In addition to the slices of chocolate there will also be other pastries, as well as sandwiches, ice cream and juices.
Towards the end of the avenue, by Restauradores Square, will be a second “Banana Café” which will be identical to the first one above.
These kiosks will open every day at 9AM and will close at 11PM (2AM on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays), so you may find the refreshment of your choice and sit in the open air on the pavement cafés at almost any time of the day.

For the health-conscious, açaí has become a much-sought-after fruit for its antioxidant properties. Native to central South America (or more precisely, Brazil), it is now found in juices and shakes all over the world’s health food stores, and at a couple of places in Lisbon, brought from the former Portuguese colony.
Since last week you can also enjoy it as a juice or in a bowl at “Feel Rio,” a new fast food restaurant downtown.
Brazilian-owned, the inspiration are the flavors of Rio de Janeiro, and in addition to the fruit juices there are salads, sandwiches, paninis, and muffins.
Unfortunately there aren’t many seats inside, but you can always take something to go, and perhaps enjoy it in Rossio Square not very far (it’s a great money- and time-saving option).
“Feel Rio” is found on number 108 of Rua do Crucifixo, almost directly across the street from one of the exits of the Baixa-Chiado metro station and is open every day.