If Lisbon has a soundtrack, it’s undoubtedly made up mostly of guitar-driven fado, the poetic hymns of the downtrodden born in 1820s Portugal. A night spent wallowing in the delicate, heartbroken melodies of the country’s national song style is certainly a quintessential Lisbon experience, but the fado houses of Bairro Alto and the Alfama can be complete tourist traps. Keep on walking to Mesa de Frades, an 18th-century chapel lined with exquisite Portuguese tiles, where just a few intimate tables are up for grabs each night. Be sure to make a reservation, and a late one at that—locals tend to go after midnight.
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Mesa de Frades
If Lisbon has a soundtrack, it’s undoubtedly made up mostly of guitar-driven fado, the poetic hymns of the downtrodden born in 1820s Portugal. A night spent wallowing in the delicate, heartbroken melodies of the country’s national song style is certainly a quintessential Lisbon experience, but the fado houses of Bairro Alto and the Alfama can be complete tourist traps. Keep on walking to Mesa de Frades, an 18th-century chapel lined with exquisite Portuguese tiles, where just a few intimate tables are up for grabs each night. Be sure to make a reservation, and a late one at that—locals tend to go after midnight.
