Lisbon’s Kiosk Revival

It’s almost midnight on a Saturday in September, and Praça das Flores is buzzing. Young Lisbon residents clutch beers and chat with friends, perched on every available surface — from wooden benches to the curved stone edges of a neoclassical fountain — in the leafy, cobbled square in the upscale Príncipe Real neighborhood.

A queue of thirsty patrons snakes from the counter of a purple-and-white kiosk, while every seat is taken at the handful of tables scattered on the cobblestones. But it wasn’t always like this. “About 10 years ago, you would have been afraid to go there at night,” says João Costa, manager of Quiosque Lisboa, a chain of seven city-center quiosques de refresco (refreshment kiosks, pronounced “key-oshk”). “The square was almost empty, and some of the people who gathered there didn’t have the best intentions. The kiosks have helped make some gardens and squares livable.”

People gather around the red kiosk marking the heart of Praça do Príncipe Real.

Katie Wright

The characteristic Art Nouveau-style stands with ornate hexagonal or octagonal awnings date back to the early 20th century. Records show that vendor Januário da Silva was licensed in 1914 to sell newspapers, tobacco, lottery tickets, and flowers from the kiosk that still stands in Praça de São Paulo. It changed hands in 1920, and the new owner was later granted permission to sell alcoholic beverages.

Kiosks started popping up in squares, parks, and miradouros (viewpoints), with tables and chairs. These outdoor cafes served as community hubs where neighbors caught up on the latest gossip over coffee and pastries.

The arrival of the right-wing Estado Novo ("New State") dictatorship under António de Oliveira Salazar in 1933 almost spelled the end of kiosk culture, as the authoritarian government forbade political debate and public gatherings. Restaurants closed, and kiosks were boarded up. Salazar was overthrown in 1974, but many of the original kiosks continued to gather dust or languished in storage until 2009, when entrepreneurs Catarina Portas and João Regal hatched a plan to revive the ailing tradition.

“They proposed to recover four old kiosks in Largo Luís de Camões, Praça do Príncipe Real, Praça das Flores, and Largo de São Paulo,” explains Costa, who took over the business from the pair in 2014. “After that, the municipality of Lisbon realized these kiosks can be a very good thing to make the squares and the gardens more livable, so they started to give concessions to private owners.”

Recovered and refurbished, the historic kiosk of Largo Luís de Camões is now a popular landmark in Lisbon’s center.

Now, there are around 100 kiosks spread across the metropolitan area, many of which have helped transform the atmosphere of the city’s public spaces. “Before the kiosk, this garden was a little bit abandoned. The kiosk changed the energy of the garden,” says Patricia Oliveira, manager of the kiosk in Jardim da Parada.

Located in the residential neighborhood of Campo de Ourique, the picturesque, palm tree-filled square is home to ducks and turtles, which peacefully cohabit a little wooden house in the middle of a shallow pond. The square is popular with senior citizens, who monopolize the picnic tables on sunny days and while away the hours playing cards. “It’s a game called sueca,” Patricia tells me. “A lot of old people also come to the kiosk in the morning and stay there and talk. The kiosk brings more company and socializing to their lives.”

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Blessed with balmy summers, mild winters, and far less rain than its northern neighbor Porto, coupled with the fact that most residents don’t have a garden, let alone a balcony, it’s not hard to see why outdoor socializing has become a way of life in Lisbon. Caffeine is the top priority for locals who stop by their nearest kiosk on their way to work, Patricia says: “In the morning, they want a cappuccino or the different kinds of coffee we have in Portugal, like galão [similar to a latte] or meia-de-leite [a stronger milky coffee].”

The colorful kiosk of Praça das Flores is now a favorite spot for a break under the shade of the leafy trees, during hot summer days.

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In the heart of the city, tourists and alfacinhas (the nickname for born-and-bred Lisbonites) take a mid-afternoon breather at Praça de Luís de Camões, named after the famed Portuguese poet.

I sit sipping a crisp white wine from the Douro Valley and listening to a couple of buskers playing a flute and trumpet rendition of “The Girl From Ipanema” over a bossa nova backing track when a man asks if he can share my table. “Today I was teaching, so I decided to come here after for a snack,” says Filip Rodrigues, a Lisbon native, lawyer, and philosophy lecturer. We chat while he munches a breadcrumb-covered beef croquette and sips a glass of fresh orange juice.

Salgados, savory light bites such as croquettes and rissoles, are kiosk staples around the clock, along with sweet treats like the iconic pastel de nata (Portuguese egg tarts made with a creamy filling and perfectly flaky pastry). As evening approaches, friends often gather for an al fresco after-work beer (a fierce debate rages over whether Sagres or Super Bock is the tastiest local lager) with a side order, Patricia explains, of “little yellow beans we call tremoços. It’s very typical here in Portugal and in Spain also.”

I can attest the crunchy, marinated beans are delicious, but if you’re looking for something more substantial, a few kiosks — including Patricia’s in Campo de Ourique — also offer burgers. For a taste of Portugal, she recommends the cheeseburger made with a slice of queijo da ilha, a strong cheese from the Azores Islands.

Especially during the warmer months of the year, people meet around Lisbon’s kiosks for an evening drink, bringing to life squares that were often empty a decade ago.

Ask any Lisbon resident and they’ll tell you their favorite kiosks. For Brazilian food influencer Renan Suenes, it’s got to be Beca Beca in Parque Eduardo VII. “This kiosk is very interesting, firstly because it’s in a very beautiful park, and secondly because every Thursday there is live samba music and everybody dances,” Renan says. “It’s like a mix of Brazilian culture and live music. I would suggest having a caipirinha or a beer and enjoying the vibe.”

For a truly authentic Lisbon experience, you’ve got to leave behind the overcrowded avenues of the metropolis and head to the suburbs. I venture a few stops north on the Metro’s green line to Areeiro for the opening of Las Ganas, the latest addition to the kiosk scene. The dance floor is packed when I arrive at the Saturday night bash, the crowd shimmying and singing along to the energetic beats of a Brazilian roda de samba (samba circle) band. I grab an imperial, a small beer, and note that at €1.50, it’s half the price of the same measure downtown.

“We were on vacation in Greece when we got the idea,” says real estate agent Isabel Vieira, who banded together with three childhood friends (an accountant, a financial consultant, and a nutritionist) on the side hustle project. “We said, ‘We love kiosks, we are always in kiosks, so why not open one?’”

The all-female quartet quickly located an existing kiosk that was up for grabs, took over the lease, and named it after a Spanish phrase meaning ‘willing’ or ‘desire.’

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“One of us is half-Spanish, half-Portuguese, and the other two live on the border with Spain, so we have a little bit of influence from Spain,” explains Isabel, who hails from Porto and has called Lisbon home for nine years. “Las Ganas means when you have a lot of energy and you really want to do something. We have a big desire to do something different and good quality. You know in the TV show Friends they have the coffee shop where they go every day? We want it to be like that.”

Located just outside the city center, Las Ganas is one of the recent additions to Lisbon’s kiosk revival, drawing hundreds of people thanks to its cheap drinks and friendly atmosphere.

The 30-somethings have big plans for making the most of the space throughout the year. “We will have outdoor heaters because we want it to be a cozy place for the winter with coffee and cappuccinos and hot chocolate,” Isabel continues. “We will have quiz nights, stand-up comedy, and outdoor cinema in the summer, watching football matches. We are thinking during the summer of doing some yoga classes in the park too. We have a lot of ideas!”

Considering not that long ago kiosks were on the verge of extinction, it’s heartening to see how a new generation of vendors is putting a modern spin on a heritage industry. Thanks to the passion and perseverance of Lisboetas, this 100-year-old tradition is going from strength to strength.