20 best fado houses in Lisbon

The Houses of Fado (Casas de Fado) now live in restaurants as live music for tourists, but are still crucial to keep the song alive. As are taverns,wherever there’s a guitar and the will to sing.

There is a number of things in which people agree about the invention of FADO, its origins going from homesick sailors in the age of Discoveries (15th and 16th centuries) to simple sadness and longing of what was lost, including things that were never gained in all ages of portuguese history. Nowadays, only in music festivals can you listen in the street to great singers of FADO. The houses of FADO (CASAS de FADO) have been in order for decades and still are one of the most looked after attraction in Lisbon.

Unlike a ‘house of anything else’, the houses of FADO are not technically places where there’s nothing else going on but the FADO itself. In most cases, we’re talking restaurants of different shapes and ambitions, aiming at different costumers. There are simply too many things you have to do to listen to FADO. In some houses, you can be charged extra for the music, while paying for drinks and food along the way, but the prices are nothing when compared with the ‘mood’ of FADO.

As in a password, the Portuguese demand for complete silence when guitar and voice come together. ‘Be quiet: FADO is about to be sung’ (silêncio, que se vai cantar o FADO’), as tourists tend to be warned. In Lisbon, Bairro Alto holds the most famous and ancient of all houses of FADO like A Severa, O Faia, Café Luso or Adega Machado, in Alfama shines the portuguese soul at A Parreirinha de Alfama and the Sé neighborhood enjoys the favours of Clube de Fado.

But beyond these places, many times given to an atmosphere of luxury according to their own acception of what is supposed to be typical, small restaurants and popular taverns across town or popular neighborhood societies have their regular amateur nights. Amid a snack, you never know which singers can come through the door and who’s the guitarist that follows them.

Last but not least, to know all about FADO the MUSEU DO FADO (Fado’s museum) in old Alfama is a mandatory stop.

Best Of Fado Houses

The Restaurante "Clube de Fado" is in the heart of Alfama and just a "stone's throw away" of the renowned Sé de Lisboa (Lisbon Cathedral). If you enjoy excellent Portuguese traditional cooking, the sound of a Portuguese Guitar and to hear the greatest portuguese Fado voices, go to "Fado Club". As y... READ MORE
One of the most emblematic Fado houses in Lisbon, Senhor Vinho restaurant also shows talent in the kitchen, offering specialties worth to trying.Average price: 50€... READ MORE
This is one of the best-known fado houses in Lisbon and aims to offer an "innovative spect... READ MORE
An old and charming building, 22-feet tall, eclectic in its decoration, filled with the v... READ MORE
In a refurbished and intimate space, with lots of old tiles from a 17th century chapel, t... READ MORE
Parreirinha de Alfama is a place with a cosy environment where the Portuguese traditional... READ MORE
Typical fado and folklore restaurant that offers a thorough menu made of national flavours... READ MORE
Since November 2013 in Alcantara genuine alfacinha Tavern. Inspired in the early 20th cent... READ MORE
The Atalaia Mascot, continues the history of more than five decades of the Fonseca and Sab... READ MORE
Live fado and folklore, a menu that fuses Mediterranean with Atlantic flavours and good wi... READ MORE
Inspired by the concept of Portuguese tavern, Povo aims at being a meeting point for cult... READ MORE
Founded in 1947, O Faia remains up to the present day as a reference in Lisbon nightlife: ... READ MORE
Opened for more than half a century, it is one of the best known fado houses in Lisbon. Po... READ MORE
In Alfama, this very space, living in a 18th century building, offers the very traditional... READ MORE
Music and gastronomy hand in hand with the arts in this multifunctional space right near ... READ MORE
Classic space in Bairro Alto, of decoration that refers to various regions of Portugal, wi... READ MORE
One of the emblematic houses of “fado vadio” in Bairro Alto, in Tasca do Chico it’s ... READ MORE
Bela is the soul of the house and she is irreplaceable. In Alfama, her house is a specia... READ MORE
Amigos da Severa (Friends of Severa) is a typical tavern, famous for traditional drinks l... READ MORE
In the village of Cascais you can also listen to fado, sung and played live. The welcomin... READ MORE

 

SELECTION CRITERIA:
The Best Of selection is based on the opinions and experiences of our community’s journalists and editors, as well as interviews with local people and suggestions from readers validated by our editors. It also includes research of information, comments, and ratings on social networks.

 

ADD YOUR COMMENT:
Your opinion matters and is very important to us. Share it in the comments area of our site and help improve our listings.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *