Pavilhão Chinês

"A Bar or a Museum? You need to make time for this bar, because there is an 82-page book—a fantastic work of art—from which to choose a cocktail. Or you can have tea. Also, you will need time to check out all five rooms. Thousands of pieces are here: medals, frames, mugs, tin soldiers, flags, cartoons, strollers, busts, the work of Bordalo Pinheiro (a Portuguese artist), and much more. And, go to the last room to play at the snooker tables (it’s the only smoking room). The name comes from a time before the bar, when a grocery store here sold spices, teas, coffees, and other delicacies. In 1986 the place became a bar, or should I say museum? To enter you will need to ring the bell."

"Look for the red door and ring the doorbell to be let inside Pavilhão Chinês, a bar in the trendy Bairro Alto neighborhood of Lisbon. Housed in a 1901 building that was formerly a grocery store, the bar’s five rooms are packed with the owner’s personal stash of vintage collectibles and oddities, amounting to a sprawling cabinet of curiosities. There are rows of helmets and military uniforms, vintage paintings in every corner, and shelves with all manner of dolls and action figures. Model planes and boats strung from the darkened ceilings jostle for space with crystal chandeliers. Around the bar counter, china plates and antique mugs hang helter-skelter around perched porcelain figurines. Don’t bump into the British Palace guard mannequin standing at attention on your way to order a drink. Sit at the festively upholstered little booths in one of the rooms, lined on all four sides with ever more cabinets bursting with vintage toys, trains, pins, and more. Order some bacalhau and a bottle of wine, and take in the surroundings in this spirited curiosity-shop-cum-drinking-establishment. Know Before You Go The bar is open 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Remember: You have to a ring a bell to be let inside." - p patricialotterman, rbenn250, chrisjthen, cdb, patricialotterman, joshuacarlon, ahvenas, c chrisjthen, bobbypinto, c cdb

"The five rooms of Pavilhão Chinês, in Bairro Alto, essentially compose a small gallery that flaunt a staggering collection of antiques. Here, there are plates on walls, statues propped up on tables, and rows and rows of glass cabinets showing off the likes of figurines, fans, and hats. When you're ensconced in one of the striped benches, surrounded by dark wood, you'll feel a bit like you're imbibing in a shop or an offbeat museum. Between rounds of drinks, kick back at the pool table." - Alia Akkam