Cafeography
Lisbon · Avenidas Novas & Saldanha

Cafés in Avenidas Novas & Saldanha

The avenues north of Marquês de Pombal: office crowds, pastelarias and the Gulbenkian.

Photo: Igor Passchier, Pexels License

The Avenidas Novas (new avenues) are Lisbon's planned push north, built from the late 19th century into the first half of the 20th: wide avenues laid across what was then mostly farmland to tie the old center to outlying places.1 The first blocks were family houses and rental buildings for the middle and upper classes, in eclectic styles with some Art Nouveau, by architects such as Miguel Ventura Terra and Ernesto Korrodi; under the Estado Novo the building went on in the so-called Português Suave style.2

Its cafés spread beyond the parish of the same name, from Rua de Dona Estefânia and Saldanha up Avenida da República, east to Alameda, Areeiro and Avenida de Roma, and west along Estrada de Benfica. This is largely office Lisbon, and its cafés follow the working week.

Local tip: At weekends, check hours before you walk over: many of the avenues' pastelarias close on Sundays or early on Saturdays, while Pastelaria Versailles opens daily 07:15–21:00.

At a glance

191Cafés listed
58With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
02:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Nortex, from 06:00 (Mon–Sat 06:00–20:00).
  • Closes latest: Al-Café, until 02:00 (Mon–Fri 10:00–02:00 · Sat 14:00–02:00 · Sun 18:00–02:00).
  • Most listed streets: Avenida António Augusto Aguiar (2).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (18%), bakery café (16%), open late (9%).

Vol. — specialty coffee, matcha & vinyl

  • Avenida Óscar Monteiro Torres, 37
  • Mon–Thu 08:30–16:30 · Fri 09:30–16:30 · Sat–Sun 09:00–16:00
  • +351 913 356 400
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Cafetaria Caju

  • Praça da Ilha do Faial, 1-C
  • Mon–Fri 07:00–21:00 · Sat 07:00–13:00
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Fábrica Imperial

  • Rua Marquês de Fronteira, 113
  • Mon–Fri 12:00–15:00 · Sat–Sun Closed
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MAS Specialty Coffee & Brunch

  • Rua de Dona Filipa de Vilhena, 8D
  • Tue–Thu 09:00–18:00 · Fri 09:00–19:00 · Sat–Sun 09:30–19:00
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Coffee chains in Avenidas Novas & Saldanha

Getting around the avenues

Visit Lisboa points out that the main axis has renewed sidewalks and bike lanes along its full length, so you can move quickly between Praça de Entrecampos, Praça Duque de Saldanha and Marquês de Pombal.5 Underground, Saldanha is on the Red line and Marquês de Pombal on the Yellow, while Alameda, Areeiro and Roma are on the Green line.6

Parish, parks and the Gulbenkian

The parish of Avenidas Novas was created in the 2012 reform of Lisbon's parishes from Nossa Senhora de Fátima, São Sebastião da Pedreira and a small part of Campolide. It covers 2.99 km² and had 23,261 residents at the 2021 census.2 Edward VII Park was laid out in 1903, and the parish also holds the Campo Pequeno bullring, the Galveias Palace and the Gulbenkian Museum and park.1

The Gulbenkian's Centro de Arte Moderna reopened on 20 September 2024 after a renovation by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, with the public garden redesigned by the landscape architect Vladimir Djurovic and enlarged by two hectares.4

Pastelaria Versailles and the classic houses

Pastelaria Versailles dates from 1922. It fills the ground floor of a building put up in 1919 and since listed as a Building of Public Interest, behind a façade that pairs classical columns with French-inspired Baroque.3 Inside are Art Nouveau furniture, paintings by Benvindo Ceia, carved wood, mirrors and marble. It was among the earliest cafés in the new district and kept its character when the district's best years faded in the late 20th century.3 It is at 15-A Avenida da República, open daily 07:15–21:00.

It has neighbors in the same mold. Pastelaria Sequeira is a few doors away at 11 Avenida da República, Pastelaria Sena is at 62 Avenida João Crisóstomo, and Pastelaria Madrid at 11C Avenida de Madrid. Namur, at 54D Avenida Defensores de Chaves, is open daily 07:00–23:00.

Specialty coffee and the weekday rhythm

Rua Viriato has four cafés, among them Shakar Coffee at 1B, open 09:00–16:00 every day; Tomorrow at 9, a few doors along at 9B, 08:00–17:00 every day; and, at 23D, Defuse Cafe, which serves until 23:00 from Tuesday to Sunday. Hygge Kaffe at 95B Rua Tomás Ribeiro opens daily 08:00–19:00, Pipe Coffee is at 8E Avenida João XXI and How about Coffee at 41B Alameda Dom Afonso Henriques.

The office calendar shows in the hours: about two in five cafés in the district are closed on Sundays. Casota Portuguesa on Rua Sousa Martins, Nortex on Rua Engenheiro Vieira da Silva and Pérola das Laranjeiras on Estrada das Laranjeiras open at 06:00 but only Monday to Saturday, and Fábrica Imperial serves only weekday lunches, 12:00–15:00.

Sources

  1. Avenidas Novas (Lisbon), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Avenidas Novas, Wikipédia (Portuguese), accessed October 2026
  3. Pastelaria Versailles (Open House Lisboa), Trienal de Arquitectura de Lisboa, accessed October 2026
  4. Lisbon is getting a huge revamped modern art museum this year, Time Out, accessed October 2026
  5. Lisboa Centro, Visit Lisboa (Turismo de Lisboa), accessed October 2026
  6. Lisbon Metro, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Avenidas Novas & Saldanha, also browse: Specialty coffee Pastelarias Esplanadas Wi-Fi Brunch Open by 6am Open late

FAQ

Avenidas Novas & Saldanha cafés: questions

When did Pastelaria Versailles open in Avenidas Novas, Lisbon?

Pastelaria Versailles dates from 1922 and fills the ground floor of a 1919 building since listed as a Building of Public Interest. Its interior has Art Nouveau furniture, paintings by Benvindo Ceia, carved wood, mirrors and marble, and it was among the earliest cafés in the district. It is at 15-A Avenida da República, open daily 07:15–21:00.

How do you get around Avenidas Novas in Lisbon?

The main axis has renewed sidewalks and bike lanes along its full length, linking Praça de Entrecampos, Praça Duque de Saldanha and Marquês de Pombal. By metro, Saldanha is on the Red line, Marquês de Pombal on the Yellow line, and Alameda, Areeiro and Roma on the Green line.

Are cafés in Lisbon's Avenidas Novas open on Sundays?

Many are not. About two in five cafés in the Avenidas Novas are closed on Sundays, and several pastelarias that open at 06:00, such as Casota Portuguesa, Nortex and Pérola das Laranjeiras, work Monday to Saturday only. Pastelaria Versailles on Avenida da República is open daily 07:15–21:00, and Namur on Avenida Defensores de Chaves daily 07:00–23:00.

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