The Best Specialty Coffee Shops in Lisbon: A Complete Guide

First, the barista was extremely friendly, even coming back outside to chat (and ask what I thought about the coffee) after bringing out the coffee.

Secondly, one of the co-owners, Sergio, also came over to chat AND he had spent time working in Emeryville, CA (which is just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco), which is where I worked through most of my decade living in San Francisco.

Small world. 

At any rate, the coffee is superb, the locals are exceptionally friendly, and the canines are consistently delightful and lovable. If I resided in this neighborhood, this would be my preferred hangout.

Other Places to Get a Nice Cup of Coffee in Lisbon

It seems like trendy cafes are continually opening throughout Lisbon. It’s difficult to walk a couple of blocks in Lisbon’s center without encountering a suitable coffee shop.

Here are some other quality coffee shops that don`t quite make the top four listing, but still deserve recognition. You can visit any of the below places and obtain a good cappuccino or latte, or a well-pulled shot of espresso.

You may not have as many choices in terms of what coffee you receive, or different manual filter preparation techniques, which is something I look for and value. But you`ll still get a nice cup of coffee to start your day.

Milkees

This establishment is renowned for two things – quality coffee and their chocolate chip cookies (unfortunately not gluten free). We stopped by twice when in the area, located decidedly north of Lisbon’s main tourist centers.

The coffee is satisfactory – I had an espresso and a macchiato and both were well above average – and they rotate through local roasters like Roastberry and Olisopo.

SO Coffee Roasters

We happened to visit So Coffee Roasters in Lisbon (which is inside a shoe store) on a day they were closed. However, they have their own space up in Porto, which we made it to later in our trip.

A variety of filter coffees are offered along with descriptive tasting notes cards accompanying each cup. The sampled coffee itself, at least the one shared cup, was satisfactory. Nothing that took our breath away but definitely a solid brew.

Give it a Shot Specialty Coffee

• Strozzi Palace. This 15th-century structure contains an impressive inner courtyard and currently hosts rotating contemporary art exhibitions.

We tried filtered coffee and cappuccinos, and the assessment was “satisfactory, not exceptional.”

I do appreciate that they are alternating between various coffee bean providers, and recently commenced holding public tasting sessions, which can be an engaging experience if you’ve never participated ( follow them on Instagram for updates).

Hello Kristof

When considering trendy coffee shops around the globe, Hello Kristof stands out in terms of aesthetics. The small area is adorned with various plants, a wooden bookshelf against the back wall holds a variety of design-focused magazines, and there’s a large communal table precisely in the center.

We enjoyed sitting in a nook by one of the huge windows, enjoying the natural light pouring in (which is an excellent side dish to a good cup of coffee). The coffee was of good quality, but there wasn`t anything uniquely distinguishing about the coffee menu options. Still, a great flat white could be found here.

Neighbourhood Coffee

This Aussie-run café near the water is the place to go if you want your coffee with a side of an avocado toast. They crank out flat whites, which in my mind are an Australian coffee staple based on our trip a few years ago, and a series of brunch items with a twist – like the jalapeno avocado toast, which looked delicious.

Olisipo Coffee Roasters:

Olisopo is a small coffee roastery located a bit west of downtown Lisbon. They are one of the few roasters operating within Lisbon itself. Regrettably, they maintain extremely limited hours (currently 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays only), so unfortunately we did not get to visit. Though I did sample their coffee at Milkees (mentioned above).

My Coffee Preferences and Experience

First of all, you should know that I am by no means a professional when it comes to coffee. I am, however, an amateur coffee enthusiast who has a home coffee setup containing far too many “coffee devices” (as Alysha calls them) to count.

I`ve visited Europe multiple times previously, and generally found the coffee to be somewhat underwhelming.

• If booking in advance, the Many Glacier Campground in Glacier National Park was our preferred area for outdoor accommodation. Reservations six months precisely to the date provided the best chance of securing a site along the southern riverbank. Sometimes, tent sites across the entire campground were rendered unavailable owing to bear behavior. No such difficulties arose during our stay, yet my mother encountered closure three weeks later necessitating early departure after an aggressive bear scavenged for human food, regrettably leading to its demise.

During my second and third trips to Europe two years later, I had developed from using a Keurig machine to a V60, but still didn’t truly grasp how to utilize it. The coffee scene in Europe in 2014 was mainly comparable to what it had been a couple years beforehand. Burnt espressos and cappuccinos, consumed either promptly and effectively at the counter (in Rome) or leisurely on an outdoor patio (in Paris).

Seven years later, I had fully embraced being called a “coffee aficionado” as my friend Alysha – who does not regularly consume caffeine (never trust anyone who does not rely on it) – liked to describe me.

I enjoy exploring the world of specialty coffee and am always on the lookout for something novel and thrilling to try. Whether an unconventional brew method or a coffee with wild flavor profiles (my personal favorite has notes of “watermelon candy”), I`m open to new experiences.

Fortunately for me, Europe`s coffee culture has advanced in parallel with my tastes, supplying me with many cafes to consider for finding quality coffee in Lisbon.

Below, you’ll find my perspective on specialty coffee – what kind of coffee I prefer, the different groupings of coffee shops, and more – to provide you an idea of how I assess these places. Because ultimately, coffee is mostly about individual preference.

You may enjoy your coffee strong, dark, and bitter, and that’s completely fine! But if you come into reading this thinking I also like my coffee that way, you may not appreciate the places I did in the same manner (or, you could discover a fresh way to experience coffee!).

Coffee in Portugal: A Brief (and Completely Incomplete) History

During our stay in Lisbon, we participated in a private walking tour organized through WithLocals (one of my preferred tour companies globally because participants can choose their guide), and our leader, Isabel, provided a brief overview of the history of coffee in Portugal, how to order it, and additional details. It was this tour, and I highly, highly recommend taking part in it.

At a high level view, coffee was initially brought to Portugal many years ago in the 1800s from South America, though it remains unclear if it originated from Brazil, as a Portuguese colony at the time, or elsewhere in South America like French Guiana based on further research I conducted. If you have any insights, I`d appreciate learning more!

Anyway, the coffee that came back was served similar to espresso today, but without the pressure. In other words, it was extremely dark and bitter.

The term “bica,” which is the Portuguese word for a beverage that is somewhat similar to (but slightly different from) its Italian counterpart, espresso, has two potential origin accounts. Again, it remains unclear which one is accurate.

One potential origin account claims that bica is purported to be an acronym for “BebaIstoComAçúcar“, which translates to “drink this with sugar.” In the early twentieth century, among the first coffee houses opened in Lisbon`s Chiado district. In fact, it remains there presently – it`s known as Café A Brasileira. They commenced offering up coffee sourced from Brazil, and said “drink this with sugar” because it was so dark and bitter.

The second bica origin story that Isabel had for us was that the way it emerges from the machine is comparable to a fountain or tap, which are also called “bica.”

From there, Portuguese interest in coffee greatly expanded. As a reader likely aware of coffee`s capacity to energize, it`s understandable why locals embraced more of its euphoric effects.

One aspect of coffee culture in Portugal that differs somewhat from home (similar to other parts of Europe I`ve visited) is the social component.

Walking around Lisbon, you’re likely to see groups of people meeting at a café, having a bica, and catching up. In fact, we walked past the same group of older men outside a café in Alfama around the same time on two different days, which tells me it must be a daily ritual of theirs.

The Coffee Scene in Lisbon Today

For some reason, Lisbon`s coffee culture is more developed than places like Rome, or Paris (although the latter is certainly catching up).

In other words, it appears there is a higher count of “specialty coffee retailers per inhabitant” in Lisbon than in other places we’ve traveled. Why is that? I’m uncertain.”

It likely relates to the lower cost of living – and thus, decreased obstacles to starting a business – in Lisbon compared to some larger European cities, giving more possibilities to take risks.

It’s comparable to how Portland and Seattlehave superior coffee scenes than San Francisco, and Los Angeles (in my estimation, anyway).