Best-of list · Date Night
The 9 best date night bars in Lisbon, from Alfama terraces and rooftop sunsets to hidden speakeasies. Where to book and what to order for two.
The short answer
9 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
A Lisbon date night runs on a view and a slow drink, the terrace at golden hour and the hidden room after dark. We picked these nine for the setting as much as the cocktail, the bars where Alfama rooftops, a bell-press door or a museum of curiosities do half the work. From a hotel terrace over the Tagus to a Cais do Sodré music house, these are where our editors send couples.
Memmo Alfama tucks its terrace bar into a boutique hotel above the old quarter, with a long view over Alfama's tiled rooftops to the Tagus. The wine list leans Portuguese and the small red pool glows at dusk. Arrive before sunset, order a glass of vinho verde, and watch the light go gold over the river. Best at golden hour, for a date that wants the city laid out below it.
Full listing & hours →Red Frog hides behind an unmarked door near Avenida, opened only after you press the bell beneath a small red frog, and it lands on the World's 50 Best Bars discovery list. Inside is a 1920s-style room of low light and cocktails around 14 to 18 euros, built with care. Ring, settle into a booth, and order from the bartender's menu. Best for a date that loves a secret worth dressing up for.
Full listing & hours →Toca da Raposa seats just 30 in a clean, modern room where Constança Cordeiro, who trained for three years in London, builds cocktails on fresh seasonal Portuguese produce. The focus stays on the glass, not the decor. Book ahead, take a counter seat, and let her steer the order. Best for a quiet, serious date, for couples who want to watch one of the city's sharpest bartenders work up close.
Full listing & hours →Foxtrot has hidden in Príncipe Real since the late 1970s, an Art Deco warren of green baize, stained glass and corners you reach through a bell-press door. The cocktails are old-school and the booths are made for leaning in close. Ring to enter, find a snug corner, and order a gin fizz. Best for a long, unhurried date, for couples who like a bar with decades of stories in the wallpaper.
Full listing & hours →Park sits on the top deck of a Bairro Alto parking garage, a rooftop of plants and sofas with one of Lisbon's best views toward the river and the Basílica da Estrela. DJs play as the sun drops. Take the lift to the top, order a gin and tonic, and claim a spot at the rail for sunset. Best on a warm evening, for a date that wants a view and a soundtrack.
Full listing & hours →Pavilhão Chinês opened in 1986 in a former grocery, a labyrinth of rooms crammed floor to ceiling with toy soldiers, model planes and curiosities behind glass. The drinks are secondary to the spectacle, though the menu runs long. Wander the rooms, order a port or a cocktail, and play a round at the back billiards table. Best for a first date that needs a talking point, for couples who like the strange and nostalgic.
Full listing & hours →Procópio is the elder of this family of Lisbon bars, a velvet-and-brass room near Amoreiras that has poured since the early 1970s. The lighting is low, the regulars are loyal, and the mood is old-world calm. Find a corner banquette, order a whisky or a classic cocktail, and talk for hours. Best for a late, quiet date, for couples who want a hideaway with no music to shout over.
Full listing & hours →Cinco Lounge has poured in Príncipe Real since 2004, one of the first rooms to show Lisbon there was more to a night than wine and beer. The menu runs past 100 cocktails, with 12 to 15 euro signatures like the canned-to-order Finders Keepers. The room is small and dim. Book the 8pm seating, order a signature, and let the bartender talk you through it. Best for an early, intimate date.
Full listing & hours →O Bom, O Mau e O Vilão fills a multi-room townhouse in Cais do Sodré, named for the Portuguese title of Leone's western, with sofas, low light and live music nearly every night, from Afrobeat to jazz and DJ sets. It opens at 7pm, later on weekends. Drift between rooms, order a signature cocktail, and follow the band. Best for a date that wants music and movement, for couples happy to wander a while.