10 Things to do in Mouraria and Intendente

Restaurant/bar/cultural venue Casa Independente’s many rooms feel very small for the crowds that invade them on weekends. Based on this remark, as well as the many requests to hold private parties there, the venue expanded to the top floor of the building with Andar de Cima, a calmer space with more attentive service. The house’s extension has a bar with gin, whisky, rum and vodka cocktails, among which the vodka-blueberry Purple (€8.50) stands out. It’s perfect for dates where you don’t want to be too alone – in case you need an out, just go down to the first floor and hide in the crowd. 

When Ó! Galeria moved from Porto to Lisbon in 2015, the idea was to set up a pop-up store. But the temporary residence turned permanent. Last year, this art store and gallery moved to a larger space, still in Mouraria. Mariana, a Miserável, Tamara Alves and Wasted Rita are some of the names represented there. Between illustrations, designs, books, magazines and signature pieces, you’ll find a bit of everything – and for every budget. 

It’s a dragonfly made by urban artist Bordalo II that welcomes customers at the entrance of Hotel 1908’s bar, one of the new trendy spots in Largo do Intendente, largely due to its romantic Infame restaurant. The bar, which now has a patio on the square, serves cocktails like Adães On The Rocks (with aguardente and ginja and medronho liqueur, amongst other things), a tribute to architect Adães Bermudes (1864-1948), one of the pioneers of Art Nouveau in Portugal, who was responsible for the original project of the historic building that now houses the hotel.

Hotel Mundial’s rooftop bar is a classic in the city, famous for its sunset parties, between April and October. From the last floor of this hotel on Martim Moniz, you can see the castle and the city’s historical centre. The self-designated “rooftop bar & lounge” has sangria by the glass (€6), beer jugs (€6.70), sparking wine (by the bottle or glass), and cocktails. Try the signature Rooftop Overview (Bulldog gin, Blue Corazón, Drambuie, lemon juice, tonic water and egg white, €13.50).

It was the first terrace to open in the remodelled Largo do Intendente in 2012, after various refurbishing works on the surrounding buildings. An afterwork meeting place, O das Joanas serves light meals and drinks – which are cheapest during Friday happy hour: €2 for a beer or a glass of wine, from 6pm to 8pm.

Photographer Adriana Freire dreamed of having a kitchen full of people, like a family home where everyone gathers around the table and there’s always someone cooking something. That’s how Cozinha Popular da Mouraria was born without table service: everyone picks up their plate before sitting down wherever they want. They organise communal lunches, cooking workshops from around the world, and they sometimes invite neighbours to cook their own specialities. One of the most multicultural venues in Lisbon. 

The best time to avoid the long waiting lines at Ramiro is 5pm. But don’t spread the secret too much. You need to be hungry even at that early time, as there are mussels (with buttered toast to finish the sauce), shrimps, crab and famous bramble shark to top it all off. Anthony Bourdain was one of this seafood restaurant’s most famous diners, and since the broadcast of the episode of No Reservations featuring the venue, the lines have been even longer. 

The restaurant opened in 1954, with a name that refers to the six steps you have to go down to reach the dining room: Cova Funda (the Deep Cave). The current management is not responsible for this name, and doesn’t know either how many owners this Intendente restaurant has had over the years. The truth is, it’s three  steps down, a platform, and another three steps. If you ask them, the waiters will say everything is good, neither cheap nor expensive, but the octopus à lagareiro is the house’s star dish. 

Certain vintage Portuguese brands and products were all but disappearing from the national market (and memory), when a former journalist decided to inject new life into them by opening A Vida Portuguesa, whose name means “The Portuguese Life”. Here you’ll find everything from tableware to canned goods, carpets to soaps, children’s games to posters with political slogans. It is the perfect place to spend your spare cents on a souvenir of Lisbon to take back home – or just to learn about Portuguese culture for free. It’s one of the most beautiful shops in town.

Zé da Mouraria is the ideal restaurant for those who like to eat a lot, spend little and take the afternoon to digest at the table while finishing a bottle of wine. No picture can do justice to the size of the grilled codfish platter, but it’s a must. We also recommend the cuttlefish, or the spare ribs with rice and beans. There’s already a second Zé da Mouraria in Campo dos Mártires da Pátria – so if you can’t get a table here, you can always try the other one.