Is it a quiosque crawl or a quiosque hop?
Since we moved to Portugal we have been smitten with what is known as the quiosque de refresco or as we say in English, refreshment kiosks. They seem to be on every block here in Lisbon, but as far as we can tell no one knows how many there are.
The structures are ornate iron or wooden buildings that reflect Art Nouveau architecture with Moorish influences. Their casual style (buy something and the table is yours until you decide to move on) truly epitomizes the Portuguese culture of relaxed eating and drinking. They provide tables, chairs, water closets, shade, and many serve traditional Portuguese snacks and drinks.
A brief history of quiosques
Image source: Restos de Colecção
The popularity of the quiosque began in the 1860’s. For years they were the heart of daily public life. But during the dictatorship of António Salazar (1932 – 1968) they fell out of favor.
Think about it. A dictator can’t have the people socializing, fraternizing, complaining, and planning, so he discouraged public gatherings and conversation. Intellectual debate and social interaction, things that the Portuguese people loved, came to a halt. They were encouraged to stay home, eat bread, drink wine and NOT agitate.
Amália Rodrigues, a famous fado singer, wrote a song called “Uma Casa Portuguesa” (A Portuguese Home) in which she sang about the joys of being humble and poor, staying at home and living a simple life.
Salazar’s reign lasted three and a half decades. During that time, the quiosqes fell into disrepair and disappeared from the lives of the Portuguese.
Fast forward to 2009, when local entrepreneur Catarina Portas decided to revive this beautiful piece of Portuguese history. Many of the quiosques had been disassembled and put into storage. People rebuilt the dilapidated quiosques. Other folks designed new ones.
Today, many quiosques serve traditional Portuguese food, but many have moved on to more modern cuisine. We’ve heard that some serve sushi and many of them offer Wi-Fi. We even saw one with white tablecloths and waiters wearing ties.
A noble quest
Mike has been reading Don Quixote* and that inspired us to go on a quest. We haven’t seen any windmills in Lisbon, so this quest involved visiting 10 quiosques to do … um …“research” – sampling the food and drink on offer.
Somebody had to do the hard work.
Here are snapshots of the quiosques we visited during a recent week.
Bananacafé – Jardim da Estrela
This quiosque was larger than any other we saw – more like a small fast-food restaurant. It’s located in a beautiful old park, the Jardim da Estrela, surrounded by mature trees and lots of greenery.
The menu featured all-day breakfast and typical bar food – salads and sandwiches.
Our meal was simple. Mary had an açai bowl that was cold and tart, like eating ice cream for lunch. Mike had a chicken caesar wrap with sweet potato chips.
Déjà Vu Park – Campo Grande
Campo Grande is one of the largest city parks in Lisbon. It’s about a 10 minute walk from our apartment and is Sox’s newest frisbee playground. The quiosque is at our end of the park. It’s bright red with a big patio and plenty of tables. On the weekends it’s usually packed and the playground behind it is always filled with kids.
We had brunch on a cool, peaceful Sunday morning, the quiet interrupted only by the planes overhead approaching the nearby airport.
We had coffee and tostas – the Portuguese version of a panini. One was ham and cheese, the other was brie and tomato. They were bigger than we expected – we could have done with just one.
Hot Dog Lovers – Avenida da Liberdade
Mary had read about the Hot Dog Lovers quiosque and wanted to have lunch there on her birthday. It was on Avenida da Liberdade, a wide, tree-shaded boulevard in central Lisbon lined with big name luxury brand stores. (Think Julia Roberts going shopping in Pretty Woman.)
At first we couldn’t find it. The address was inside a construction fence where work was being done on a new drainage system. We looked around, walking a couple blocks north at the suggestion of a policeman at the construction site. Then we went back south and found the quiosque in the next block. But it was surrounded by a cloth fence and was closed.
Bananacafé 3 – Avenida da Liberdade
After striking out on the hot dog search, we went a couple blocks further south and found another Bananacafé. We got a ham and mushroom pizza with a couple beers and sat at a table in the shade.
The pizza was pretty good for something made in a tiny kitchen with no real oven. And we enjoyed sitting outside on a beautiful afternoon.
O Melhor Bolo de Chocolate do Mundo
The second quiosque Mary wanted to visit on her birthday was O Melhor Bolo de Chocolate do Mundo – The Best Chocolate Cake in the World. Mary will tell you they lived up to their name.
We shared a slice of their namesake cake – layers of fluffy chocolate cream and sweet cocoa meringue. Along with two coffees, it was a perfect mid-afternoon dessert.
Quiosque do Adamastor
On another day we went to the Adamastor quiosque at the Miradouro de Santa Catarina, a scenic overlook with a great view across the Tagus River. We didn’t eat anything here, but bookmarked it as a place to come for late afternoon drinks or a sunset snack.
Quiosque do Mercado
A few blocks down the hill, next to the Time Out Market, is the Quiosque do Mercado. We got there in time for lunch on a hot afternoon and found a table under their awning. This was the first quiosque we visited that had table service.
The selection of food was more extensive than most of the other quiosques we had visited. They even had a hot dog! (Though at €9, it was priced like a frank at a ballpark in the US.)
But what a dog it was. Mike had to eat it with a knife and fork. It had a homemade pork sausage, pickled carrots, a ketchup BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, aioli mustard, and bacon (!) popcorn.
Mary had a tosta diavolo with mozzarella cheese and Portuguese choriço (sausage). She said the bread was very good – it had lots of air and crunch.
Quiosque Praça das Flores
Late afternoon on the next day of our quiosque quest, we visited this colorful stand at the Praça das Flores (Plaza of Flowers). This is a beautiful little park – green, shady, with a fountain that actually worked (most around here seem to be in need of summertime maintenance), and lots of benches.
The quiosque was at one end, on a street corner. It was cute, with purple paint, purple tables and chairs. The menu was limited, but also pricey – €5.45 for a glass of wine. We decided to keep moving.
Quiosque Príncipe Real
We walked up a long hill and stopped at the Quiosque Principe Real – a small, no-nonsense kiosk on a busy street corner at the edge of another park. We got two smallish glasses of wine for €2..20 each and an empada for €1.60. €6 total for a nice late afternoon snack.
There were lots of people coming and going. It looked like a mix of tourists and locals. The attendant was constantly busy, working out of a 1 square meter box. He was hustling, but always with a smile on his face and a cheerful word for the next person in line.
Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara
This quiosque is probably our favorite. We’ve been here multiple times on our own and with out-of-town guests. It’s located in the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, a scenic overlook in the Bairro Alto neighborhood.
The quiosque has ample outdoor seating, with an awning that can be extended on sunny or rainy days. There are also picnic tables nearby.
On our most recent visit we enjoyed a bottle of white wine (€20) and a tosta grande, a large grilled chicken sandwich.
Every quest must come to an end
That was the last quiosque we visited on our quest. We enjoyed sitting there and looking out across the city toward the Castelo São Jorge (Saint George’s Castle, dating back to the 10th century) and the river. It was a great evening for just being outside. That’s the quiosque experience.
Until next time / Até a próxima vez
Mary and Mike
The Cook and The Writer
What quest have you been on lately? Send us your knight errant’s tale with a note in the comments below or via the Contact Us form. Pictures of windmills you tilted gladly accepted.
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Such an interesting post! The writer is a great one…I felt like I was on the quest with Mike and Mary. Love the inclusion of historical background and the mindset of the times under Salazar, deftly promoted in the lively Amália Rodrigues song “Uma Casa Portuguese.” Wonderful photos, too.
Wow, they certainly weren’t there when I was visiting in the 70s. Wish they were in every place we visited. It makes everything fun and casual. Thanks for the beautiful pictures too.
Hi Alice,
Thanks for commenting. The quiosques do add an inviting touch to many public places in Lisbon. The good news, too, is that even where there isn’t a quiosque, there are usually outdoor tables at a café or bakery. So al fresco dining is possible almost anywhere.
Have a great day!
Mike
The pictures are great! ‘Am suggesting a most appropriate name for your blog….”THE COOK AND THE WRITER; PHOTOGRAPHER INCLUDED”.
Joy C.
Thanks for your note, Joy. We have two friends here who are very accomplished photographers, and we’ll let them own the title. If we turn out a good photo it’s usually a combination of luck, timing, and some creative editing!
Mike
It was lovely going on the quest with you virtually. These kiosks are a great concept. I do enjoy sitting outside and watching people.
Much love,
Teresa
Hi Teresa,
Thanks for joining the conversation. When we were eating the pizza at the Bananacafé, Mary was intrigued by a group of people playing cards at the next table. It was a lively game and they were obviously having a good time. We couldn’t tell what game they were playing and didn’t recognize the cards, but had they invited her, I think Mary would have jumped right in!
Our best to you and Greg,
Mike
I LOVE this! What a great and worthy quest – and a great read!
Hugs,
Nan
Thanks, Nan!
Oh wow I’ve never heard of these and didn’t see any when we were in Lisbon in 1998 or 2004. They are charming!
Wouldn’t one of these be just perfect in Columbus? It couldn’t operate year round but would be such a nice gathering place.
Nicely done! Will have to try out some of these.
Hey Carol,
Let us know when you’re in town. Perhaps we can meet up in a shady spot under a quiosque awning.
Thanks for commenting,
Mike
Aren’t the quiosques wonderful!! Thanks for sharing so many of these iconic gathering places. I think we’ve been all but one of them and we love love love the one at São Pedro da Alcantara with it’s deck chairs for sipping vinho and gazing out across the city. Our fave, though, is the Quiosque São Paulo, on the small plaza north of Time Out and owned by the same folks who own Taberna da Rua das Flores in Chiado. I must admit I never knew the O Melhor Bolo by that name—and have never tried that bolo—so it will be on a future stop soon! BTW, one can also smoke a cigar at any of these quiosques . . . just sayin’ . . .
Muito obrigado!
David
Hi David,
The São Paulo quiosque is on our list for a visit sometime soon. We read that it serves some traditional Portuguese cocktails, like the capilé, which I want to try but haven’t found anywhere yet. And if a cigar can be enjoyed there, so much the better!
Have a great week,
Mike
Yea bloggers have a heavy cross to carry. Ours was searching for the best sangria….yours the quiosque. It’s a rough life but that is what we do for our readers.
Hi Nancy,
Yes, it’s a tough job, but it’s just what we do to support and entertain our readers. 😉
Mike