Photography: Guilherme Ornelas
More than 60 years since it first opened in a former tin shop on Rua de O Século, Lisbon’s legendary Snob Bar has had its first major restoration. A refuge for politicians, intellectuals and creatives on a sloping Bairro Alto side street, the landmark has introduced refreshed dark green-leather upholstery, aged brass fixtures and wood to the same dimly lit space, located behind a green door that visitors must ring a bell to enter.
Even the signature dishes have remained. The menu still offers the signature Bife à Snob and mango mousse, and head barman Manel Frazão creates classic cocktails at a bar with 60 brands of spirits and fine Portuguese wines. The establishment is now run by São Bento Group, led by Miguel Garcia.
Censorship was common across 1960s Portugal, and Snob proved a discreet setting for free-flowing conversation. Wood-heavy interiors evoked elegant English clubs with red carpets, bookshelves and logo’d restaurant ware. Table 10, set at a leather banquette with a green-glass library lamp, was especially popular with artistic giants like José Saramago and Carlos do Carmo.
