What was LX Factory in Alcântara, Lisbon, before it opened?

It was an industrial site. In 1846 the Companhia de Fiação e Tecidos Lisbonense, a textile company, set up a 23,000 m² works there; later tenants included the Companhia Industrial de Portugal e Colónias and printers such as Gráfica Mirandela. Mainsite bought it in 2005 and reopened it in 2008 as LX Factory, now with about 50 shops plus cafés and restaurants.

When did the 25 de Abril bridge over Alcântara in Lisbon open?

The bridge opened on 6 August 1966 as the Salazar Bridge and was renamed after the revolution of 25 April 1974. It is 3,173 m long, with a main span of about 1,013 m, and a lower rail deck was added in 1999. Pilar 7 Bridge Experience on Avenida da Índia opens daily 10:00–18:00.

How do you get to Alcântara from central Lisbon?

Tram 15, run with articulated trams, follows the western riverfront from Praça da Figueira toward Belém and Algés. Trains on the Cascais line stop at Alcântara-Mar, and the parish also has Alcântara-Terra station, both open since 1887. Tram 18 runs from Cais do Sodré up to the Ajuda cemetery.

Cafés in Alcântara, Lisbon: Hours and Map

Alcântara takes its name from the Arabic al-qantara, the bridge, after a Roman bridge over the Alcântara ravine.¹ From the 15th century quarries and lime kilns worked the valley, and through the 19th century it filled with tanneries, textile mills and factories. Land reclaimed from the Tagus in 1876 was quickly taken over by docks and warehouses.¹

The 25 de Abril bridge, opened on 6 August 1966 as the Salazar Bridge and renamed after the 1974 revolution, crosses overhead.³ Many of the old industrial buildings now hold studios, shops and cafés, and the area has two specialty roasters of its own, Torra and Olisipo.

Local tip: Pair the bridge and the roasters: Torra on Travessa do Conde da Ponte opens at 09:00 every day, an hour before Pilar 7 lets visitors in at 10:00.

At a glance

47Cafés listed

9With opening hours

07:00Earliest opening

23:59Latest closing

Opens earliest: A Bolaria, from 07:00 (Mon–Sat 07:00–20:00).

Closes latest: Café Dias, until 23:59 (Mon–Sat 08:00–23:59).

Most common features: outdoor seating (15%), bakery café (13%), open late (9%).

Getting to Alcântara

The railway reached Alcântara in 1887, with two stations, Alcântara-Terra and Alcântara-Mar, and the line was extended to Cascais in 1891.¹ Tram 15, the only route run with articulated trams, follows the western riverfront from Praça da Figueira to Belém and Algés, and tram 18 runs from Cais do Sodré up to the Ajuda cemetery.⁴

LX Factory and the bridge

In 1846 the Companhia de Fiação e Tecidos Lisbonense, a textile company, set up a 23,000 m² works here. Later tenants included the Companhia Industrial de Portugal e Colónias, the printers of the Anuário Comercial de Portugal and Gráfica Mirandela. The property company Mainsite bought the site in 2005 and reopened it in 2008 as LX Factory, keeping the industrial buildings; it now has about 50 shops plus cafés and restaurants.² Landeau Chocolate and Wish Slow Cafe are both at 103 Rua Rodrigues Faria.

The bridge is 3,173 m long with a main span of about 1,013 m, painted the same International Orange as the Golden Gate. Its lower rail deck, left out of the original design to save money, was added in 1999.³ Pilar 7 Bridge Experience, on Avenida da Índia, opens daily 10:00–18:00 with last entry at 17:00; in October 2026 Visit Lisboa listed its lift to the viewing platform as under repair.⁵

Docks, palaces and the Tapada

The Santo Amaro docks were converted to commercial use in the 1990s.¹ Inland, the parish keeps the Burnay and Sabugosa palaces, the Convento das Flamengas and the Tapada da Ajuda, which houses the ISA agronomy school and the Lisbon Astronomical Observatory.¹ Alcântara had 22,745 residents at the end of the 19th century and about 13,850 in 2021.¹

Rua Luís de Camões ties with Calçada da Tapada for the most cafés here, six each: A Bolaria at number 2 (Monday to Saturday 07:00–20:00), Dona Flor at 36, Selva at 112, Rovany at 123-B and Leitaria Veneza at 124. Calçada da Tapada has DR. Croissant at 174B and Café a Seara at 109.

Roasters and opening hours

Torra Roasting & Coffee, at 1 Travessa do Conde da Ponte, opens daily 09:00–17:00 with outdoor tables. Olisipo Coffee Roasters is at 84 Rua do Cruzeiro, and Copenhagen Coffee Lab has a branch at 1A Rua Prior do Crato; check both for hours before you go.

Neighborhood counters open first. A Bolaria, Britus and Tanite (15 Largo das Fontaínhas) all start at 07:00, and Lambreta, at 55 Rua Leão de Oliveira, at 07:30 on weekdays. Tanite stays open until 23:00 Monday to Saturday and Café Dias, at 3B Rua Pedro Calmon, until 23:59. Londrina Café on Rua Gil Vicente is closed on Sundays.

Cafés in Alcântara

At a glance

Bloom Bistro Cocktails

Café Dias

Lambreta - Coffee and Food

Landeau Chocolate

Londrina Café

Torra Roasting & Coffee

A Bolaria

Britus

Tanite

A Nata do LX

Café a Seara

Café Snack-Bar Bonança

Cafetaria Funchal

Cafetaria Pampulha

Cafetaria Travessa dos Moinhos

Dana Cafe Lisboa

Gleba Alcântara

Guanaco

Leitaria Jardim

O Café Do Bairro

O Teu Café

Olisipo Coffee Roasters

Parioca

Pastelaria Lila

Selva

Smile Snack-bar

Tact

The Therapist

Village Underground

Yakari

Barraca Real

Big Prego

Café Sabores do Kiko

Café Wanda

Cafeteria Alegre

Dona Flor

Coffee chains in Alcântara

Copenhagen Coffee Lab

Getting to Alcântara

LX Factory and the bridge

Docks, palaces and the Tapada

Roasters and opening hours

Sources

More of Lisbon

Baixa & Chiado

Alfama, Graça & Mouraria

Bairro Alto & Príncipe Real

Cais do Sodré & Santos

Estrela & Campo de Ourique

Arroios & Anjos

Avenidas Novas & Saldanha

Alvalade & north

Belém

Marvila & the east

Alcântara cafés: questions

What was LX Factory in Alcântara, Lisbon, before it opened?

When did the 25 de Abril bridge over Alcântara in Lisbon open?

How do you get to Alcântara from central Lisbon?

Own a café in Alcântara?