it was probably
around the second or third bottle of Sagres that
we realised our mistake. We’d been in Lisbon with the express
brief to party like the locals do (hence the beer we were drinking),
but things were proving hard going.
Our feet, clad in high-heels, were killing – and not just in the
normal Saturday-night way. The Portuguese capital is built on
seven hills and, more often than not, its quaint, rambling streets are
covered with cobblestones. That’s not so bad if you’re ensconced
in a fine cocktail lounge for the whole night, but if you want to have
an authentic experience in this city, you’re going to have to get
hopping. The nightly ritual for Lisboetas sees everyone wandering
from bar to bar, drinks in hand, often stopping to chat outside.
“
Street life”, as the Randy Crawford song goes, “it’s the only
life there is.” It’s just as well, since we’d arrived here with a strong
desire to play. First up, we headed to the old part of town, the
beautiful Bairro Alto, where the charming owner of a stunning
castle-turned-bar-cum-restaurant called The Decadente
(
thedecadente.pt
)
welcomed us with open bottles.
‘
Duarte’ – as this enigmatic character introduced
himself – proved to be a safe pairs of hands,
and after a couple of his house cocktails,
made with
Licor Beirão
(
the recipe is a trade
secret), we were certainly perked up.
Outside, like us, the Bairro was buzzing. One bar was
overloaded both in and out – always a good sign – so we dived in.
Mahjong (
3
Rua da Atalaia; tel: +351 213 421 039
)
is a local institution,
where cabbages hang from the ceilings, beer flows and it’s all
super-cool and Oriental, not your average Portuguese playpen.
Taking our drinks (Sagres, of course) outside, we joined the
rocking residents who were in full swing. In winter, Lisbon only
drops to 10°C, so hanging on the street is still fun. Next, we latched
on to a group of edgy-looking musicians and, after a steep climb,
found ourselves in Bicaense (
38
Rua da Bica Duarte Belo
).
This bar is
arty, with movies projected onto the walls, bands playing and, like
everything good in Lisbon, a party that spills out onto the cobbles.
By this time, there was only one way to top the mayhem. We
headed to a former brothel. Pensão Amor (
19
Rua do Alecrim;
tel: +351 213 143 399
)
is currently the city’s most in-vogue
destination, with a backdrop of chandeliers, lurid 18th-century
painted ceilings, plentiful drapes and kissing booths.
The bar staff produce delicious love-themed drinks,
and a DJ plays house and lounge music. We
stayed late, drank too much and by the time we
limped back to where we were staying, our
twisted ankles didn’t seem quite so painful.
barchick.com
Hop till you drop
B A R C H I C K
This month, our secret bar columnist hits Lisbon for a whirlwind crawl
We stayed late,
drank too much and,
by the time we limped back,
our twisted ankles didn’t
seem quite so painful
1 1 3
V I E W P O I N T S
