Lisbon is a thriving and exciting place to visit at any time of the year. My mate and I took a trip there for a few days in early January, though, and found it much quieter. Don’t get me wrong, there was still a pleasant atmosphere, and people were still around, just not as many as there are likely to be during peak times.
As we are beer enthusiasts, our trip focused on the different pubs and brewpubs in and around the city. There are plenty of great options to try local beers and lagers. Although challenging to whittle down, I have compiled a guide to the ten best bars to visit in Lisbon to give you a good idea of where to go.
1. Duque Brewpub
First in our guide to the best bars to visit in Lisbon is the rather delightful Duque Brewpub, the first brewpub to open in Lisbon. That happened in 2016. We accidentally found this pub during our trip to Lisbon because we came across this set of random steps and said, “Shall we go up there?” without any clue what was at the top. We were glad we did as we found this little hidden gem. It has nine beers on tap and prides itself on only serving local beers, so they were all new to us.
I went for number 2, a lovely blonde beer, and hit the spot incredibly well after walking up those stairs, while my friend chose a different choice. We both agreed that this was the place that had some of the best-tasting beer we tasted for a while.
As this is a brewpub, the beers on the nine taps are only made in loco (they brew around 250 liters a month). In addition to the beers on tap, they also offer a lot of great Portuguese craft beers. Additionally, there are over 50 different labeled bottles of beer. There are also tapas so that you are not drinking on an empty stomach, and although we sat in the pub, there is an outdoor terrace that's nice during the warmer months.
2. Brew!
Brew! is one of the coolest bars to visit in Lisbon. It's a literal paradise for beer lovers. However, this place can be rather expensive, even with 23 beers to choose from. Look at the price of this one in particular – 34 euros for a beer – who is going to pay for that?
We opted for a pale session beer, and it was lovely. What we especially loved was the ambiance and the fact that the bartender was accommodating. He gave us some tasters of their sour beers.
At Brew! There is a fridge full of every beer you could think of that you can either drink at the bar or take home with you. I had a good look through it, and there was beer to suit everyone, but we didn’t have a fridge in our hotel room to make it worth taking any back.
3. The George
As you may have guessed by the name, The George is one of Lisbon’s examples of a proper English pub in Lisbon. This has been added to our guide because it was the first place we stopped by when we arrived in Lisbon. We wanted to check out the darts final, and they were showing it.
Although we didn’t have any food, we saw some dishes served to other customers, which looked delicious. They make a steak dish with Padron peppers and fries in a special sauce. They do great fish, chips, and dishes like Beef Wellington—standard British fare.
The beer was good; we opted for sagres and then had some old-fashioned cocktails.
It was first established in 1927 and has been open for just under a century, serving local residents drinks and beers. Over the years, it has developed into a superb sports bar, and there are a variety of big screens around the place offering clear views of all the action so that you can watch your favorite sports or team.
4. The Corner Irish Pub
If you are after an Irish Bar in Lisbon, head to the Barrio Alto area; this is one of the liveliest places for a fun night out. It had a great atmosphere and played some decent music. My friend and I managed to get a seat at one end of the bar, and as we were in an Irish bar, I had to try their Guinness. I’ve become something of a Guinness expert now, but I can confirm that the pint of the black stuff from The Irish Corner Pub was decent.
However, plenty of great beers were available there, though only a little craft beer, and there was a wide selection of lagers.
The Bairro Alto area of Lisbon is a stunning working-class quarter that dates back to the 16th century and has a history of being the bohemian haunt for many writers and artists in the city. The area is generally quiet during the day but comes to life at night.
The Corner has an excellent central location and offers a charming and warm atmosphere, the kind you would get in an Irish pub found on the Emerald Isle. One of the city’s most cosmopolitan drinking holes, along with your Guinness or your choice of something else, you can expect a lot of live music and a friendly atmosphere.
5. The British Bar
Getting to this bar involved a bit more of a walk, and we passed a lot of places that felt like there were no tourists inside them. The football was on when we arrived at The British Bar, and everyone in the pub was Portuguese. Unfortunately, it was probably more our timing than anything, but many of the beers were off. I opted for a Sagres, while my friend chose the Munich Dunkle. The bar was incredibly friendly, and some locals asked where we were from. We chatted football with them as they were all interested in English football and wondered who we supported. The atmosphere was great, and although it was called The English Bar, there were no English people in there.
It opened in 1919 and has served locals and tourists for over 100 years. It has always been a meeting point for foreign communities based in Lisbon. One of the things that sets it apart from many other bars is that although there are a large number of English and Portuguese people who frequent it, there is no division, and everyone is encouraged to get along. This bar is always highly recommended as one of the best bars in Lisbon.
As well as Portuguese beer, there is also a wide range of foreign offerings such as Czech, German, Dutch, and Belgian. Three drinks are only available in The British Bar: the ginger house, house liqueur, which has a tangerine flavor, and Alto Douro. These are only available here because they are produced in-house.
6. The Beer Station
Unsurprisingly, The Beer Station is found just outside the local train station. Compared to other places around the city, The Beer Station is significantly smaller, only providing seating for about 15 people.
It serves authentic Peruvian street food, which is a selling point. When we went there, though, we had already had something to eat elsewhere, so we didn’t get a chance to try anything from the menu. This has some of the best beers in Lisbon, and we made a point of ordering local beers that we had never heard of before and were satisfied.
Other reviews of The Beer Station show it is a trendy little place. There are four different varieties of the popular Dois Corvos, and they also sell international giants like Staropramen, La Trappe, and Delirium Tremens.
7. Cerveja Canil
This pub is the one we visited just before we took the flight home after 12 midday, which is why there is nobody inside the pub in any of the pictures we took. We were impressed with the selection of beers on offer for such an unassuming place. However, as our trip ended, we were out by this point.
The best part of this bar, though, and something that we recommend to others, was that it offers a self-service area with 10 cl glasses. These are very affordable at 1.50 euros each. This is an excellent thing that I’ve never seen in any bar I’ve visited before. It’s a great way to go over and just take a sample of some random beers you probably haven’t tried before, and that's why it's on our list of the best bars in Lisbon.
8. Cerveja Canil, Rua dos Douradores
This is the sister bar for the one mentioned above. Although it is smaller and does not offer self-serve here, it is still a great little bar. When we visited it initially, we didn’t even realize it was related to the other bar. It has a more central location, which means it’s easier to get to, especially if you are on a pub adventure around the main parts of the city.
I went for the rhubarb sour, a beer I would highly recommend, and my friend had a nice drink, too, that he enjoyed and would recommend.
If you have the opportunity, I suggest you visit both this and the above to get a flavor of both. One benefit of the more accessible location is that the above offers the self-service thing, a unique feature.
9. Snooker Club, Lisbon
This is the wild card in our guide because it is not the typical place you would go for a beer. However, we wanted to do more than just sit around having a beer, as that’s what we did for most of our trip. So, we went to the Snooker Club. It has a great bar, and you can play snooker or pool while you are there, which we did and had a lot of fun and a bit of a laugh.
10. Beers
LX Factory is a part of Lisbon that was first set up in 1846, and for a long time, it was the city's main factory. It produced wirings and textiles over the years, then the factory expanded, and many buildings were built to help. This covers 23,000 square meters of outdoor spaces, warehouses, and industrial buildings.
Now, it is a very hip and trendy complex home to various intriguing restaurants and arty retailers. It was here that we stopped in at Beer’s, one of Lisbon's coolest bars. This is a great little place. They have a wide range of different beers on tap. While there, I decided to have the local Portuguese red ale while my mate had Sagres stout. We had never seen the latter before, and I think he was very happy with his decision.
This is a trendy spot with locals and tourists. Beer’s is ideal for anyone looking just to have a few beers and a chat and take in the atmosphere or if you are looking to enjoy some of the mouth-watering food on offer, either in Beer’s itself or one of the other establishments in LX Factory.
Final Thoughts
If you want to enjoy a quiet local beer in Lisbon and don’t want to deal with too many people and queues, winter is a great time to visit the bars.
However, if you are more interested in a fun, more exciting, lively atmosphere, you should try the city during peak times. While some places will always be on the expensive side, we found many great places where you could enjoy a nice beer for a reasonable price.
Beer prices ranged from 4 euros all the way up to 8 Euros. There were more expensive options, but we didn’t want to pay more than 8 Euros.
If you think we have missed out on any, as we know that is possible, we would appreciate it if you dropped the names and links in the comments section. This was our favorite ten from our visit to Lisbon.
Related: The 16 Things to Do in Lisbon That Are Worth Every Penny
Great insights! I’ll have to try some of these.