By day, Bairro Alto is an previous, inventive soul — drowsing within the solar, its peeling palácio home windows shuttered, and solely the occasional footstep echoing alongside its steep, cobblestone streets. Maybe it’s sleeping off a hangover, as a result of as nightfall falls, the ‘higher district’ stirs and those self same laneways fill with laughter, music and mischief.
Depart the headline vacationer websites to different neighbourhoods — Bairro Alto’s about bohemian hangouts, indie boutiques and tiled backdrops which have graced many a social-media feed. And whereas its appears to be like might now appear romantically ramshackle, its grid structure was seen as trailblazing again within the sixteenth century, when it was the primary quarter to be constructed outdoors Lisbon’s mediaeval metropolis partitions. Since then it’s been via numerous incarnations: dockworkers’ digs changed by nobles’ palácios, then a stomping floor for painters and poets, whose garrets perched above the printing presses hammered out Portugal’s first newspapers.
With its enduring fame for creativity and hijinks, Bairro Alto at all times leaves a mark — normally in your coronary heart, sometimes in your head the following morning. We provide you with this neighbourhood information for the very best locations to eat, drink and be merry there throughout your subsequent weekend break in Lisbon…
WHERE TO GET BREAKFAST
The Portuguese don’t historically go in for giant breakfasts, particularly not lie-in loving Bairro Alto, however baked items from native padarias are on-point. Attempt Marie Blachère for recent loaves and flaky pastries, or pastel de nata emporium Manteigaria, which bakes the custard-filled delicacies earlier than your eyes. For a extra worldwide (particularly, Antipodean) brunch affair, The Mill has all of your avo-toast, ricotta-pancake and matcha-latte wants coated in an ethereal, Scandi-chic setting.
SHOPPING GUIDE
The quarter has many quirky idea shops to hunt out. Living proof: Oficina Marques, a studio/gallery/store hybrid in a former newspaper printworks. Its wares are curated (and largely made) by native artist duo, Gezo Marqués and José Aparício, and its handpainted pottery, upcycled wood sculptures or framed prints are a reduce above your traditional souvenirs.
Resembling a tiny chapel, Caza das Vellas Loreto is likely one of the oldest candle retailers on the planet (established 1789, in line with its personal gilded signal). Nearly too beautiful to soften, its handmade beeswax beauties are sculpted into bizarre kinds, together with hyper-realistic fruits, whereas conventional tapers are available in each conceivable hue.
Or how about taking house your individual little fragment of these good-looking Bairro Alto buildings? Tile atelier Photo voltaic Antiques affords handpainted azulejos, a few of which date again to the fifteenth century, plus worldwide transport, ought to your style for mediaeval ceramics exceed your suitcase allowance.
WHAT TO DO
First get your bearings on the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, considered one of Lisbon’s most beloved public viewpoints. From this palm-lined terrace, the terracotta rooftops unfurl in direction of São Jorge Fort on the other hill. Take within the panorama with uma cerveja (beer) from the handily positioned kiosk.
A brief trot down the identical highway, some critical Baroque bling lurks behind the Church of São Roque’s unassuming exterior. Savour the cool, quiet interiors whereas marvelling at gilded altars, intricate marble inlays and an 18th-century aspect chapel shipped all the best way from Rome, piece by valuable piece.
The well-known, marigold-hued Tram 28 skirts its north-east edges, whisking guests up Rua de São Pedro to the miradouro of the identical title, for one of many metropolis’s most interesting panoramas. Different novel methods to achieve this lofty locale are the Glória or Bica funiculars, graffiti-tagged relics that grumblingly haul their rapt passengers uphill. The remainder is greatest explored on foot (in flats, thoughts), letting the refrain of clinking glasses and whine of soulful Fado guitar lead you to yet one more alleyway tasca or speakeasy.
WHERE TO EAT
When town swelters, there’s no smugger place to be than on the terrace of Bahr, having fun with a languorous lunch with sweeping river views. Dishes similar to suckling pig with toasted corn, codfish ‘à brás’ fashion or smoked barnacles might sound harking back to dishes served at rustic Portuguese tascas, however right here they’re taken to subtle new heights, partly because of scrupulously sourced native produce. Make sure to conclude with the pineapple-miso pudding.
There’s the texture of a clandestine home get together at Gandaia Membership, the place a red-velvet-swagged entranceway results in a rambling sequence of candlelit, vintage-furnishing-decked rooms and a convivial courtyard. Dwell-fire cooking provides to the theatre, whereas high-low ingredient mixtures (steak sandwiches, cataplana seafood stew, fried rooster) present this place is about flavour and enjoyable, not pretension. A part of a much-loved Barrio Alto constructing that’s been via many incarnations, it was previously The Decadente Restaurant, and fittingly homes a cocktail bar, too (extra on that under).
Rosamar is presumably Lisbon’s sexiest seafood spot, with a splash of Latin aptitude. Work your approach via the oyster and ceviche menus, paired with the Simply Sea cocktails (a kind of spicy Margarita with added botanicals and clam essence), earlier than tucking into sharing plates of octopus tostadas and scallop skewers. The whitewashed partitions, patterned terrazzo and luxurious crops will make you’re feeling such as you’re in an Iberian seashore membership.
For a blow-out meal, 100 Maneiras is a moodily lit, Michelin-starred refuge the place chef Ljubomir Stanisic channels his Balkan-Portuguese punk spirit right into a tasting menu comprising 13 ‘moments’. The entire expertise looks like entering into somebody’s surrealist dream — one through which foie gras could be served in a cigar field.
WHERE TO DRINK
Reaching The Hidden Rooftop is an expertise in itself, the place you’ll ascend (slowly) in Lisbon’s oldest working carry. You then end up in a buzzy eyrie that appears down on even Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara. With Ginjinha Sours (a twist on Lisbon’s traditional cherry liqueur) on faucet and a calming home soundtrack, this terrace may simply be Lisbon’s greatest new sunset-watching spot (shh, don’t inform).
Again on terra firma, refined ingesting spot Bico will persuade you that Portuguese winemakers can rival any of their European neighbours (sure, even France). Pattern hard-to-source bottles, similar to rosé from the Azores’ volcanic vineyards or orange wine from the Trás-os-Montes highlands. Did Lisbon want one other fashionable pure wine bar? The reply’s sure, when it’s executed this nicely.
WHERE TO STAY
Staying true to the constructing’s previous life as a typography workshop, aparthotel Uncooked Tradition Bairro Alto places artwork centre stage. There’s a ground-floor gallery, units from native musicians and comedians within the laidback bar, and classic motorbikes propped round. Upstairs, 13 industrial-chic lofts show items from the proprietor’s personal assortment, and design aficionados will clock mid-century furnishings by the likes of Verner Panton. Very a lot embodying the neighbourhood’s gritty-yet-graceful spirit, this bolthole hides in plain sight alongside a restaurant-lined lane.
The Lumiares additionally affords spacious residences inside a restored heritage constructing — on this case an 18th-century aristo’s townhouse, full with sweeping double staircase. Whereas the Artwork Deco-style foyer and spa — all monochrome marble and gold leaf — might look straight out of Manhattan, Portuguese artisans get a robust displaying throughout its 47 rooms, from the Burel Manufacturing facility’s woven bed-throws to pictures by Algarvian photographer Vaseo Célio. And with Smeg home equipment and a provide of free wine in your glossy kitchenette, self-catering immediately turns into a extra interesting prospect.
On the border between Bairro Alto and stylish, residential Príncipe Actual, Patio do Tijolo embraces a slower rhythm, its palm-shaded patio backyard and rattan chairs beckoning visitors to spend sluggish mornings with a ebook, or maybe a spot of distant working. Most of the fashionable, minimalist bedrooms have spectacular river views via their floor-to-ceiling home windows, and environmentally minded travellers may even love the truth that this biophilic bolthole is solar-powered.
See extra of town with our weekend information to Lisbon, or swap allegiances to Porto
