For decades, Portugal’s drinking culture has been almost universally associated with wine: bold reds from the Douro, crisp Vinho Verde from Minho, and fortified Port and Madeira. Yet behind water, beer is actually the second most popular drink in the country.
While mass-market lagers like Super Bock and Sagres still dominate street cafes, Lisbon has quietly undergone a craft beer revolution over the last decade. Microbreweries, taprooms, and specialty bottle shops have popped up across the city—tucked into 18th-century stone cellars, neighborhood squares, and repurposed industrial warehouses along the Tagus River.
Whether you want a casual sour after a day of sightseeing, a hoppy Portuguese IPA, or a self-guided brewery crawl through the hipster district of Marvila, here is our tested guide on how and where to drink craft beer in Lisbon.
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Quick Facts: Lisbon Craft Beer
| Detail | What to Know |
| Local Term | Cerveja artesanal (craft beer) |
| Common Draft Sizes | Imperial (small/half pint, ~20cl); Caneca or Pint (full pint, ~40-50cl) |
| Average Cost | €2.50 – €4.00 for half pints; €5.00 – €7.50 for full pints (commercial lagers are €1.50 – €2.50) |
| Top Craft Beer Hubs | Central: Bairro Alto & Príncipe Real; Industrial Taprooms: Marvila |
| National Favorites | Dois Corvos, Musa, and Quimera |
| Legal Drinking Age | 18 years old for all alcoholic beverages |
Table of Contents
Guide To Craft Beer In Lisbon
We are relatively newbies to the craft beer world. Until a few years ago, my preference was always to just go for something cheap and cold, particularly over the summer.
In the last couple of years, though, we have found ourselves tracking down craft beer in every city we visit.
In this post, I share some tips on how to find the best bars in Lisbon for craft beer lovers.
This includes how to create your own independent Lisbon brewery tour (we tell you where to go) and how to speak the lingo, i.e., how to order a beer in Lisbon. We will also talk about how to order a beer in Portugal.
Traveling to Portugal? Check out our comprehensive Portuguese Food Guide, with a list of the 28 traditional Portuguese dishes you must try!
Craft Beer Lisbon Guide – How To Find Portuguese Craft Beer in Lisbon
For decades, Portugal has been most associated with its wines: Port wine, the Duoro Valley, Alentejo, and Vinho Verde from the north. But beer is the second most popular drink in Portugal, after water.
The Portuguese started brewing beer centuries ago. In the last few decades, though, local production switched to mass production, mostly controlled by Sagres and Super Bock.
This is a common theme across much of Southern Europe, including Spain and Italy.
In recent years, though, Portugal has experienced a local beer revolution coming in the form of craft beer.
The mass-produced Portuguese beer brands have their place, particularly on a warm summer day in Lisbon. But, for travelers looking for more flavor from their beer, Lisbon is becoming an interesting destination.
On our most recent trip, as much as it seemed that more Lisbon bars are carrying craft beer, the mass produced Portuguese beers still reign supreme.
Walk by any bar or terrace in the warm months and everyone is still drinking Sagres or Super Bock. But, look a little harder, and you will find some more locally produced beers.
Learn more about craft beer in other destinations:
Craft Beer In Ireland: The Best Irish Craft Beers and Breweries
Bristol Craft Beer Guide – How To Drink Craft Beer In Bristol UK
Barcelona Craft Beer Guide – Drinking The Best Craft Beer In Barcelona
Lisbon Beer Lingo: How to Order Like a Local
Before you start your pub crawl, it helps to know how to speak the local beer language. Walk into a traditional tasca and ask for a “beer,” and you will automatically get a commercial lager. If you want craft beer, ask for cerveja artesanal.
- Cerveja Artesanal: Craft beer. (We learned while living in Spain that bartenders don’t always use the English word “craft”; asking for artisan beer gets you the good stuff).
- Um Imperial: The standard draft pour in Lisbon (around 20cl, similar to a Spanish caña). It stays cold in the warm weather before it warms up.
- Um Fino: The northern Portuguese term for draft beer (used in Porto, rarely in Lisbon).
- Uma Caneca: A large mug or pint-sized draft beer.
- Uma Garrafa: A bottled beer. (Don’t confuse this with a girafa, which is a novelty one-liter beer tower!).
- Cervejaria: Traditionally a beer hall, though many in Lisbon (like our favorite, Cervejaria Ramiro) operate primarily as seafood institutions that happen to serve draft beer.
- Saúde!: Cheers!
Recommended Bars and Breweries in Lisbon
From craft beer bars to breweries, there’s now no shortage of where to drink in Lisbon for craft beer lovers.
Many of these Lisbon bars that focus on craft beer in Portugal are centrally located or within a bus or tram ride from the city’s center.
We’ve tried to include opening hours where possible, but things frequently change across Lisbon. Some bars shut for holidays or in August. Please use the opening times as rough guidelines, not gospel.
Book one of these Lisbon Food Tours to learn more about Portuguese food and drink.
A Craft Beer Pub Crawl – Lisbon City Center
Some of our favorite places to find Portuguese craft beer in Lisbon are outside the city center. They are pretty easy to get to.
That said, I know many travelers visit Lisbon on a quick city break, or it’s only one stop on a European tour.
If short on time, there are a few places to try some Portuguese craft beer within the city center. These are my recommendations for centrally located craft beer bars to create your own sort of craft beer pub crawl.
Or, plan your trip around Lisbon Beer Week, a Lisbon beer festival focused on local beer, a beer run, and other events in September each year.
Traveling to Lisbon? Check out our Portugal Packing List and learn what to wear when traveling in Lisbon.
Duque Brewpub (Bairro Alto / Chiado)
Duque Brewpub is Lisbon’s first independent brewpub, serving their own house-made beers alongside Portuguese guest taps up a historic stairway near Rossio.
Duque is a small, intimate space perched up a steep flight of steps just above the city center. It’s got only a handful of tables and about a dozen Portuguese craft taps. While you won’t see an elaborate brewhouse floor, you can look behind the bar and spot a stainless steel fermentation tank tucked in the back.
When we visited, I had a pint of their house stout. It was good, but to be completely honest, I felt that the craft beers being brewed outside of the city had far more flavor and character. Still, it is a very cozy, authentic spot, and because it sits just slightly detached from the rowdy, cheesy bars in Bairro Alto, it makes for a fantastic downtown escape.
They also have a short food menu focused on toasted sandwiches, which are surprisingly great if you need a quick bite with your pint.
- Hours: 4:00 PM – Late daily
- Location: Calçada do Duque 51
Cerveteca Lisboa (Príncipe Real)
Cerveteca Lisboa is an unpretentious neighborhood craft beer bar and bottle shop in Príncipe Real stocking over 100 Portuguese and international labels.
Cerveteca was one of the first craft beer bars to open in Lisbon, and it immediately became a staple for us. It’s a bright, light-filled space on Praça das Flores with extremely knowledgeable staff who are happy to guide you through regional bottles.
It also happened to be just a few blocks from an apartment we rented through Booking.com in Príncipe Real, which made it dangerously easy for us to track down and visit more than once. Along with their rotating draft taps and fridges packed with Portuguese bottles, they serve simple snacks—mostly pâtés, preserves, and sandwiches—curated to pair with whatever style you’re drinking. If you want a great beer in a genuine neighborhood square without tourist crowds, this is the place.
- Location: Praça das Flores 62
- Hours: 3:30 PM – Late daily
The Beer Station
More on the commercial side, The Beer Station is located just up the steps from Rossio in the center of the tourist town. They have a small interior space but a large outdoor seating area.
They carry beers from some of the other local beer producers making it a great way to have a best of Lisbon beer tour staying very local. They also offer a happy hour that involves buying one large beer, and get one free.
It’s a great option if you want to sit outside, but is probably lacking in variety and atmosphere. The Beer Station is located at Largo Duque do Cadaval 17, and is open from 3 pm – late seven days a week.
Craft Beer in Lisbon – Breweries Outside of the City Center
When traveling for craft beer, many craft beer bars feel like all the others in the world, even if they are carrying more local beer.
I tend to like the breweries that offer a taproom for tasting. There’s just something about drinking a local craft beer, steps from where it was produced.
In this guide, we share three Lisbon breweries that are not in the center of Lisbon but are totally worth the drive (or bus ride).
The thing is the local brewers are so much closer to the city than visiting a Portugal winery, making it a perfect place to enjoy a few drinks close to town.
Quimera Brewpub (Alcântara)
Quimera Brewpub serves house-brewed sours, wild ales, and authentic New York-style deli sandwiches inside an 18th-century royal underground tunnel.
Before visiting, I kept seeing references online to what I thought were three completely different bars: Chimera, Chemaera, and Quimera. When we finally went, we learned they officially settled on Quimera after a change in ownership and partners, though locals still call it by its old names.
The setting is unlike anything else in Lisbon—it’s located inside an 18th-century stone tunnel that originally served as a royal underground passage. The owner, Adam, is originally from the US and spent time in Colorado; he knows his craft beer and he knows his pastrami. Unlike many craft bars that are wall-to-wall hipsters, the room was filled with neighborhood locals of all ages.
Their tap list is fantastic because they don’t just rely on standard IPAs—they pour brown ales, wild sours, and rich stouts. Pair your beer with one of their hot deli sandwiches, which are a rare find in Portugal.
- Location: Rua Prior do Crato 6 (Alcântara)
- Our Travel Tip: It’s located about halfway to Belém. We strongly recommend taking a taxi or an Uber, especially after dark. The street the brewpub sits on is totally fine, but the area just south toward the water and the train tracks has a lot of abandoned buildings where we wouldn’t feel comfortable walking at night.
The Marvila Brewery Crawl: Musa & Dois Corvos
For serious beer lovers, heading out to the industrial riverfront district of Marvila is completely worth the short trip. The neighborhood is still transitional and raw around the edges with vacant warehouses, but it has become the hub of Lisbon’s independent brewing community.
We took the 728 public bus from Praça do Comércio out to Marvila (it costs about €2 and drops you off right near the breweries in 20 minutes). However, after wandering past several abandoned industrial blocks between stops, we were more than happy to call an €8 Uber to take us back to our apartment at the end of the visit.
Cerveja Musa (Marvila)
Cerveja Musa is an airy, industrial brewery taproom in Marvila featuring music-inspired house IPAs and regular live community events.
Musa is a very cool-looking taproom situated directly inside their production brewery. Walking in, the bright, airy warehouse space and brewing tanks in the back felt much more like a craft taproom in Boulder, Colorado or Portland than traditional Lisbon.
They pour about a dozen taps, with a strong focus on clean, aromatic IPAs and pale ales. The staff behind the bar were exceptionally friendly and helpful in recommending pours, and the space regularly hosts weekend concerts and DJ sets.
Location: Rua do Açúcar 83
Dois Corvos Cervejeira (Marvila)
Dois Corvos is Lisbon’s pioneer production brewery, known for boundary-pushing barrel-aged stouts and collaborative European brews.
Located just a few blocks’ walk from Musa, Dois Corvos was the original craft brewery to set up shop in Marvila. Compared to Musa’s polished, design-forward warehouse, the Dois Corvos taproom feels a bit more rustic, raw, and less refined, but their reputation for making some of the best craft beer in Portugal is well-earned.
They pour an adventurous board of their own creations alongside collaborations with other brewers and guest taps from Cerveja Lince (a nearby Marvila brewery without a public taproom). Pairing Musa and Dois Corvos together makes for a fun afternoon mini-excursion before heading back into the city center for dinner.
Location: Rua Capitão Leitão 94
Lisbon Beer Guide Pro Tip
The Price of Beer in Portugal: The price of beer in Lisbon is pretty similar to the rest of the Iberian peninsula.
A small local beer, like Sagres or Super Bock, at a typical bar, is around €1. The craft beer prices were understandably more. A half-pint ranges from about €2.50-4 and a pint ranges from €4-6.50.
Museu de Cerveja – Beer Museum Lisbon
I don’t know how much this is a museum of beer in Lisbon as it is a location to drink beer in Lisbon, with some history of beer attached. The museum part focuses on the history of beer production, with a focus on Portuguese beer brands.
They also have information on beer in Portuguese-speaking countries, including Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea, Cape Verde, São Tomé, and Príncipe.
The brewery is a large restaurant with a menu focused on Portuguese dishes like bacalhau, a salted codfish. The menu is meant to pair with the Portuguese local beer brands, including Sagres, and Super Bock, among others.
Because it is located on the most popular tourist square in Lisbon, the feel is a little touristy. We did not eat there. But, I wanted to mention it because it is so visible on the tourist trail.
The feel of the restaurant seems a little Willy Wonka-style if that is your thing. It might be worth a visit for a cold beer on a hot day with a view, but otherwise, it might be worth a skip.
The Museu de Cerveja Lisbon is located on Praça do Comércio one of the most famous squares in Lisbon, facing the water.
In nice weather, sit outside on their patio and enjoy the view. Admission to the museum is €5, which includes a tasting. They are open from noon until 10 pm daily.
Where to Stay in Lisbon for Food Lovers
Whether you are staying for a weekend of petiscos crawls or settling in for a week-long culinary exploration, choosing the right neighborhood is essential. Here are our top accommodation recommendations in Lisbon:
- Apartments & Extended Stays (Best for Longer Trips): When staying a week or more, booking a serviced apartment gives you extra space and a kitchen for market finds. We recommend Lisbon Serviced Apartments – Baixa Castelo for easy access to tascas and bakeries. (Browse all Lisbon Apartments on Booking.com)
- Luxury & Grand Stays: For five-star service and refined dining, the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon is an iconic classic overlooking Eduardo VII Park (check out their rooftop running track!). For a quieter luxury base just off the grand boulevard, PortoBay Liberdade offers a superb rooftop and indoor pool, while the Sheraton Lisboa Hotel & Spa provides reliable comfort near Saldanha.
- Central Mid-Range Boutique: My Story Hotel Tejo offers stylish, comfortable rooms in the heart of historic Baixa, placing you steps from traditional pastelarias and tram lines.
- Riverside & Food Market Base: Corpo Santo Lisbon Historical Hotel sits right by Cais do Sodré, placing you a two-minute walk from Time Out Market and the seafood tascas along the Tagus River.
- Browse All Options: Check current rates and availability for all Lisbon hotels on Booking.com.
FAQs – How To Find Craft Beer in Lisbon
What is the legal drinking age in Portugal?
The legal drinking age in Portugal is 18 years old for all alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine, and spirits. While beer and wine were previously permitted at 16, Portuguese law updated the threshold to 18 across the board.
What are the most popular mass-market beers in Portugal?
The two dominant commercial beer brands in Portugal are Super Bock (originating from Porto and popular throughout the country) and Sagres (originating from Lisbon and southern Portugal). Both are pale European-style lagers best served ice-cold on hot summer days.
How do you ask for a small draft beer in Lisbon?
In Lisbon and southern Portugal, ask for an imperial (e.g., “Um imperial, por favor”). An imperial is a small draft pour served in a 20cl glass. In northern Portugal and Porto, the exact same small draft is referred to as a fino.
How much does craft beer cost in Lisbon?
Craft beer in Lisbon is very affordable compared to the rest of Western Europe and the United States. Half pints of local craft beer (cerveja artesanal) typically range from €2.50 to €4.00, while full pints or specialty double IPAs and sours generally cost between €5.00 and €7.50.
Where is Lisbon’s craft beer district?
Lisbon’s craft beer district is located in Marvila, an industrial neighborhood along the riverfront northeast of the historic center. Marvila is home to several top independent production breweries and taprooms—most notably Cerveja Musa and Dois Corvos—which are situated just a short walk from one another.