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Bairro Alto, long the center of Lisbon's nightlife, is still one of the best places in the city for barhopping. There's a street-party vibe on weekends, when revelers take their drinks outdoors. A number of bars here have a predominately gay clientele, but invariably welcome all.
Stepping into this bar is like entering a wine cellar; hundreds of bottles cover the stone-arch interior. It's owned by Portugal's largest producer, Sogrape, and serves as a showcase for its wines from across the country (and from its estates in New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, and Spain). To accompany your wine, order some ham from acorn-fed Iberian black pigs, salmon ceviche, or beef carpaccio or something more substantial such as slow-cooked veal cheeks.
The name says it all: this space used to be a pharmacy, and you’d just need to take a peek inside to know that. The medicine cabinets are still there, although they now display strikingly backlit bottles of wine. All the wines on offer are from Portugal and can be poured by the glass, to be accompanied by cheese and meat platters. Other choices change daily, to be enjoyed at the barrel tables.
Unlike most other wine bars in town, this one is open from midday. It has inviting outdoor seating and a tastefully designed interior that tells the story of Sandeman, one of the best-known port wine labels. Naturally, it was founded in the city of Porto in 1790; it opened this outlet in the capital in 2016. Since then it has been offering all of its different types of wine—plus port wine cocktails—along with desserts and a couple of food options.
