Portuguese Coffee Culture

Coffee in Portugal is short, dark and drunk standing up. The default is an espresso taken at the counter for well under two euros, ordered as um cafe nationally, uma bica in Lisbon and um cimbalino in Porto. The roast is deliberately dark and usually blended with robusta, which is why it tastes bitter and thick rather than fruity, and why it is served in a thimble. Milk versions have their own names and vessels: galao in a tall glass, meia de leite in a cup, a pingo or garoto with only a drop. The room it all happens in is the pastelaria, open from breakfast, half bakery and half bar.

What you actually see

• The counter - coffee ordered, drunk and paid for standing, in minutes.
• The regional names - bica in Lisbon, cimbalino in Porto, cafe everywhere else.
• Galao and meia de leite - the milk versions, each in its own glass or cup.
• The pastelaria - bakery and bar in one room, open from early morning.

When to go

All day and all year. Mid morning and mid afternoon are the natural stops and the pastry cabinet is fullest then. Lunchtime counters fill with workers taking a coffee standing before going back. Table service usually costs more than the counter and a terrace seat more again, though nobody will hurry you off one.

Honest expectations

If you like light-roast specialty coffee, the standard Portuguese espresso will taste burnt to you; a small third-wave scene exists in Lisbon and Porto but is not the norm anywhere else. Filter coffee is rare and usually poor. Asking for a large milky coffee to take away marks you out, and in older places may not be possible at all.

Nearby

Every town has one; the pastelarias of Lisbon's Baixa and central Porto are the busiest.