WIZZ MAGAZINE
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LISBON
5. Mercado da Ribeira
In theearlyhours,whilestreet cleanersgatherup
theemptybottles inCaisdoSodre, fruit-and-veg
traders in theneighbouringMercadodaRibeira
arepullingup theshutters.BeforeMay, theonly
hipstersyou’dfindherewere thosestill up from the
nightbefore.And then
TimeOut
moved in, tookover
halfof themarket, and invitedsomeofPortugal’s
finest chefs tosetupshop.Theresult is thecity’s
best foodmarketand
TimeOut
’sfirst.Headstraight
tocelebritychefAlexandreSilva’sstall foraplateof
thick-cut, rawsalmononabedofguacamole, tomato
and lettuce.Or tryMarleneVieira’s
bacalhau
(salted
cod)onachickpeamoussewithcornbreadand
spinach.Themarket isopenuntil 2amatweekends–
perfect forstoppingatbeforeorafterpartying.
4. BairroAlto
One stopalong fromChiado isBairroAlto, and if
Pessoacouldn’t get enoughgrappa inABrasileira,
hewould’ve found ithere.This littlenetworkof
pedestrianised streets is theheartofLisbon’s
nightlife.Avoid thewaitershawking foreign
menus, andhead intooneof the fadobars.These
are theplaces tohear the traditionalmelancholy
Portuguese folk singers, and theyaren’thard to
find: thewholeneighbourhood isfilledwith their
crooningeveryevening. In recent years, though,
thecool kidshave left thisnightlife stalwartbehind
andheadeddownhill to theport areaofCaisdo
Sodre.Until acoupleof yearsago,CaisdoSodrewas
thecity’s red lightdistrict, frequentedbyvisiting
sailors. Localskeptwell away.Now, thewholearea
turns intoaBrazilian-style streetpartyeverynight.
The longestqueuesareoutsidePensaoAmor (the
LoveHotel), but thisburlesque-themedbar iswell
worth thewait.
