Best Nightlife in Lisbon – USA TODAY 10Best

Anglers used to frequent this place when it sold fishing tackle and equipment. So how did a fishermen’s hardware store turn itself into one of Lisbon’s hippest bar-cafés? Owner Henrique Vaz Pato saw an opportunity to refurbish a long-abandoned commercial premises into a trendy nightspot, one that was right in the heart of Cais do Sodré’s clubbing district, and opened Sol e Pesca (Sun and Fish). Proud of the port area’s seafaring tradition, he kept the shop’s décor much as it was, and the fishing rods, lines, hooks and weights are still on display. Sol e Pesca offers a tasty snack lunch menu of tuna, sardine and other assorted seafood (great with wine or an ice-cold beer). At night this place lures a young, vibrant crowd and on Saturday nights it really is filled to the gills.

World-class dance and music shows and a diverse range of table-based gaming options, anything from American Roulette and Blackjack to Caribbean Stud Poker and Baccarat, feature at this modern and stylish entertainment complex located in Parque das Nacoes. Players can also try their luck at over 1000 slot machines. The Oceans Auditorium hosts a programme of national and international productions, and previous shows include Stomp and Tango Forever. The Arena Lounge surrounds a rotating stage with multiple platforms where guests can enjoy a complimentary show over cocktails. The casino offers two dining options: the Hua Ta Li Chinese restaurant and the BelTejo. Private parties are held in the Suite. Dress code is smart casual for tables and shows.

An authentic Gaelic toe-tapping atmosphere pervades this popular and lively bar, and no wonder. This is the only genuinely owned Irish pub in the city – the proprietor, Conor O’Gílín, is a proud Dubliner. Opened in 1995, the Emerald Isle ambiance is further enhanced by a dark wood interior furnished with antique books, oil lamps, sepia photographs of old Dublin breweries and the Irish tricolour hung over the top of the bar. Regular live music nights see talented Irish and Portuguese musicians entertain patrons with traditional ditties and old fashioned drinking songs. Conor himself occasionally takes to the stage to sing and play the spoons! Cold Guinness and Kilkenny do a roaring trade, but a range of Portuguese and European beers are also served, along with wine and selected spirits. Food is available, at lunchtimes and during the evenings. Big-screen sporting events beamed live also pull in the punters.

The arched ceiling of this inviting wine bar is decorated with over 3000 empty wine bottles, a creative nod to the fact that this nightspot is operated by one of Portugal’s leading producers Jose Maria da Fonseca. Customers have an enviable choice of over 50 different JMF wines from around Portugal, sold by the bottle or glass. An accompanying menu of carefully selected food, delicacies like Azeitão cheeses, Algarve bread, Iberico hams and even oysters harvested from the Sado estuary, lend By the Wine a homely and traditional flavour. The interior design mirrors JMF’s own cellars, where a rear salon is embellished with floor-to-ceiling wine racks, a collection of French oak barrels and an original wine press.

Perched on a terrace underneath the Miradoura de Santa Catarine esplanade, Noobai Café works as an ad-hoc bar and restaurant and is popular with a younger crowd. The food is surprisingly good considering how small this venue is, nourishing and well presented, with dishes such as tuna steak with leek and cod and sweet potato gracing the menu. They also have vegetarian options. The main ingredient, though, is the outstanding view, which takes in the city’s dock front, the broad river and the landmark suspension bridge. Dusk often provides beautiful sunsets and after dark the entire vicinity shimmers under a mantel of twinkling spotlight. Indeed, this is a place to hangout with friends over drinks while enjoying al fresco nightlife away from the more usual tourist haunts.

The vibe at this shoe box-sized venue on live music nights positively buzzes. Indeed, Lounge is an institution, a bar that eagerly promotes the indie scene and kicks mainstream out of the window. It gets crowded in the Lounge: there’s nothing intimate about a night out here! But the stuffy, smoke-filled living room with its bohemian atmosphere only accentuates the sense of occasion. Most of the bands hail from Portugal but groups from as far away as Australia have gigged here such is the reputation of this unpretentious back street den. Clubbers, too, fave the rave at this long-established venue. Complementing the line-ups are some seriously clever DJs who get their own nights to stamp their mark on Lisbon’s vibrant music scene.

Sited on the waterfront near Cais do Sodré railway station, Titanic is an obvious choice for anybody who appreciates live music in all its genres. One night you could breeze in to be regaled by syncopated jazz rhythms, on another night, frantic and seductive Samba. And you could find yourself prodding the air in reply to urgent Hip Hop, the message hitting you loud and clear at two in the morning. And this is what this funky venue is all about, great sounds made by largely local outfits in a super laid back atmosphere. The music rotates nightly, with weekends seeing numbers swell to overflowing. Drinks are reasonably priced and door policy is relaxed and informal.

The outstanding architectural feature of this unusual pub is the tunnel it’s housed in. The premises have been fashioned from a passageway dating from 1740 and dug as a subterranean bridleway for the royal horses that were stabled at Palácio das Necessidades, which sits on a hill not far from where the bar is located. The other great draw is the enormous selection of homebrewed ale and craft beer on offer, an interesting mix of national labels and guest brews available in bottles or from the tap. Throw into the mix a menu of New York deli-style sandwiches and toe-tapping live music performed on selected nights throughout the week and you’ve got several very good reasons to trek out west from the city centre and discover one of Lisbon’s most original and appealing nightlife venues.

Fancy spending an evening in a palace? The elegant Palacio Chiado dates back to 1781. Originally built as a mansion for a nobleman, the premises was greatly expanded in the early 19th century over the ruins of the royal property, which had been destroyed in a fire. Known as Palacio Quintela, it was in this building that General Junot established his headquarters after French troops occupied Lisbon in 1807. Over the next century the palace served as home to several Portuguese members of high society, and later a number of cultural entities. In 2016 it became Palacio Chiado. Today, it serves as a restaurant and bar complex fashioned within authentic 1800s architecture. One of the most outstanding cosmopolitan art and gastronomic venues in the city, Palacio Chiado offers a fine dining experience while the SALLA Bar provides a modern and funky counterpoint to the historic ambiance and period detail.

You’d never guess this was one of Lisbon’s hippest nightclubs. Firstly, the place resembles a rambling private residence with lots of furnished rooms all individually decorated; secondly, it exudes a homely down-to-earth ambiance that lends it an understated local feel. And actually during the week the “independent house” is a wonderfully cool and relaxed hangout where visitors can enjoy drinks and snacks in a laid-back atmosphere. But on Friday and Saturday, Casa Independente turns down the lights and pumps up the volume as it welcomes a funky but informal crowd to the Tiger salon where local DJs take the evening into the night. Live music is also performed here, and the music is wonderfully eclectic in sound and presentation, anything from jazzy guitar duos to funky voice and piano sets.