The Príncipe Real neighborhood is full of places to visit, from museums, stores and restaurants, lots of restaurants… and even the British newspaper The Telegraph has just distinguished it as the coolest in Europe.
Since Príncipe Real is one of the most cosmopolitan places in Lisbon, we went in search of those places that only you like to experience, from places to just hang out to places to spend the day shopping and tasting new delicacies.
Table Of Contents
Lisbon Botanical Garden
Attention lovers, the Botanical Garden is one of the gardens with the most hidden corners in Lisbon.
It also has a butterfly garden, an epic sequoia, a super Instagrammable cactus garden and Wi-Fi everywhere.
Not that that matters when you’re in a 140-year-old Eden!
Address: Rua da Escola Politécnica 56-58
El Santo
The Mexican restaurant El Santo is the sanctuary of Mexican gastronomy in Lisbon.
If you like Mexican food, tacos and burritos, tequila and margaritas, you have to visit El Santo, the perfect place to enjoy the caliente flavors of Mexico.
Address: Pátio do Tijolo 61 (Príncipe Real)
Opening hours: every day, from Sunday to Wednesday, from 12 noon to 12 p.m.; and from Thursday to Saturday, from 12 noon to 1 a.m.
Reservations: menu at Fever
Embassy
When work began on the beautiful neo-Arabic Palácio Ribeiro da Cunha, Lisbon put its hands up, but when we entered the Embassy we breathed a sigh of relief: the interior is magnificent and now every room is a store.
Brands such as Castelbel, Organii, Latitid and Boa Safra are there, as well as two restaurants and a wonderful terrace in the palace gardens. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Address: Praça do Príncipe Real 26
Les Filles
Once upon a time, there were two girls who were full of pep and a bit fed up with seeing everyone wearing the same clothes.
They had an online store which, overnight, became a cult pop-up.
Les Filles is tucked away in a lane, but once you find it you’ll never forget it.
The pieces make a dream closet for a character from Wonderland.
Address: Travessa do Rosário 33A
Art Room Gallery
It’s a secret attic gallery. When you pass this address, if the door is open you can go in and catch the latest exhibition of illustration, painting or serigraphy.
Names like Tamara Alves, Kruella D’Enfer, Branca Cuvier, Maria Imaginário and Mariana A Miserável have already been there. Who will be next?
Address: Pátio do Tijolo 1
Jamie’s Italian Lisbon
The name needs no introduction, but it calls for a lot of grub. Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant is a must try.
It has an upstairs terrace where you can spend a whole afternoon eating the delicious snack boards and imagining yourself on a Mediterranean beach.
There are pizzas, pastas and salads for those who are hungry and books by the chef for those who feel like making them.
Address: Praça do Príncipe Real 28A
Kolovrat, 79
It used to be a bakery, but now it’s the sophisticated boutique-atelier of Bosnian designer Lidija Kolovrat, one of the first fashion designers to set up store in Príncipe Real.
Here you can buy pieces from her latest collection, as well as accessories and even objects for the home, from exclusive brands.
Address: Rua Dom Pedro V 79
Tapisco
It’s tapas & petiscos. Henrique Sá Pessoa’s new restaurant explains, once and for all, what an Iberian eats when he’s not hungry enough for a whole plate.
It’s the perfect place for a Portuguese to show a Spaniard what’s good for a cough, and vice versa. Hermanos on the peninsula and on the plate.
Address: Rua Dom Pedro V 81
Príncipe Real Enxovais
Príncipe Real isn’t all about things that opened yesterday. The Enxovais store is a treat that’s almost 60 years old, but could be 120.
Before the IKEAs of life, a trousseau was a treasure that women began to make almost before they could read. They would put together towels, sheets and embroidered clothes for when they got married or had a baby.
In the age of buy and throw away, Vítor Castro’s store prides itself on having the best embroidery in Portugal.
Address: Rua da Escola Politécnica 12-14
Yakuza by Olivier
From the Japanese mafia with wasabi comes the most amazing fusion sushi in Príncipe Real.
It’s Olivier’s signature and the decor, but above all the atmosphere, are worth a visit. There’s a Japanese garden for inspired lunches, but it’s best to go in the evening and sit at the counter. Reservations are recommended.
Address: Rua Júlio César Machado 7
Coyo Taco
Barack Obama once went to a Cayo Taco and said it was home to the best tacos around.
The building where it is located, in the heart of Príncipe Real, is bright blue, but it has also made a name for itself thanks to its comprehensive Mexican street food menu.
Among the tacos, we’d highlight the Pollo Al Carbon (chicken, cheese and pico de gallo), the Al Pastor (pork, pineapple and onion), and the Carnitas de pato (confit duck, michoacan style, salsa serrano, onion, cheese and coriander), but there’s no shortage of tortillas and quesadillas either.
And to go with them? Margaritas, of course!
Address: Rua Dom Pedro V 65 (Príncipe Real)
Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday, from 12h to 00h; Fridays and Saturdays, from 12h to 01h
Reservations: on the website
São Roque Bakery
Known as the “Cathedral of Bread”, Padaria de São Roque was founded in 1961 and resulted from the merger of several smaller bakeries scattered around the Bairro Alto and Príncipe Real areas.
It is one of the oldest bakeries in the city still in operation and is a benchmark for bakeries and pastry shops in the greater Lisbon area.
Passers-by can’t help but take pictures of the beautiful architecture, with Art Nouveau influences.
Address: corner of Rua D. Pedro V 57 and Rua da Rosa 57 (Bairro Alto/Príncipe Real)
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 6.30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
