Lisbon is blessed with a multitude of pastelarias (patisseries) and cafes, many of which are located in beautiful old buildings with lovely interiors. This post focusses on their design, paticularly Arte Nova (Art Nouveau) rather than coffee and cakes which will feature in a separate post later.
One of the most famous cafes is A Brasileira do Chiado at 122 Rua Garrett, which was one of the first coffee shops in Portugal when it opened in 1905. The Parisian-style façade was designed by the famous local architect Norte Júnior (see earlier post) and eventually it became the image of the brand.
The cafe was an important venue for intellectual, artistic and literary gatherings and became a meeting point for the revolutionaries who established the Republic in 1910.
Click on the galleries to get the best view.
Norte Júnior was also responsible for the iconic Pastelaria Versailles building at 15 Avenida da República.
Opened in 1922 it is in the Avenidas Novas neighbourhood; Lisbon’s northward expansion at the end of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century.
In contrast to A Brasileira, it’s location outide the centre means it doesn’t get many tourists, but its definitely worth a detour.
The Campo de Ourique district has a couple of nice patisseries and a bakery. The building which houses A Tentadora at 1 Rua Ferreira Borges was designed by Ernesto Korrodi in 1912.
Also, the bakery A Panificação Mecânica at 209 Rua Silva Carvalho looks a bit plain from the outside but the interior is lovely.
Up in the Bairro Alto neighbourhood, Panificação Reunida de São Roque at 57 Dom Pedro V is lovely inside.
Pastelaria 1800 at 7 Largo do Rato in Príncipe Real was founded in 1857 but was restored in Arte Nova style in 1924.
Click on the pics to see the lovely azulejos (ceramic tiles) depicting a rural scene.
Martinho da Arcada at 3 Praça do Comércio was another important meeting place for politicians, military officers, artists and writers. The cafe was actually inaugarated in 1782 but I include it here for its azulejo mural.
Pastelaria Docel at 74 Avenida Almirante Reis has a garish Arte Nova exterior. I’ve not been inside but be warned, the reviews say the service is awful!
There’s lots more architecture but perhaps it’s time for some food…