Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Bala

    4.0 (3 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

    Bala Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Bala

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Bala Reviews in Other Languages

    Verify this business for free

    Get access to customer & competitor insights.

    Verify this business

    LX Factory - Backside, cafe

    LX Factory

    4.3(131 reviews)
    2.6 kmAlcântara
    €€

    A cute place to visit and support local artists in Lisbon. There are so cute shops and food spots…read moreto see here. I would consider this the hipster part of Lisbon. For me, it's not my style. If you're a tourist, this is more about supporting locals. Nothing historic, just lots of cool art. If you're local, I imagine this is the place to get cool unique things. The one thing that's really pretty to see here is the bookstore. Other than that if visiting from another country, I would find other things to see.

    This was one of my favorite days in Portugal - spending it at the LX Factory, getting to see the…read morework of local artists, and eating some delicious simple Portuguese food. I came on a weekend so there were tents set up by artists and vendors in a large area which made the day even more interesting. It feels a little to me like a condensed version of the Arts District in LA. It is very busy on the weekend, but worth it to navigate just so you can see all the tents of vendors. There are vintage shops, ceramic shops, cool clothing shops - so many spots to find great gifts and be inspired. It feel industrial/warehouse-y which makes the vibe feel so much more interesting. We ate at Chickinho (pronounced chickeen-yo) because I really was craving some grilled chicken with piri piri oil. This spot specializes in chicken, especially grilled chicken with piri piri. We ordered the whole chicken, got a deliciious red cabbage coleslaw, and some wedge potato fries and a tomato/cucumber/onion salad. Everything was just so fresh and tasty. The piri piri oil was already at the bottom of the dish that the chicken came on so we just kept dipping the pieces of chicken in there and wow was it addicting. I couldn't stop thinking about this meal for a couple of days and really wanted to go back again, but we opted to try another spot that was well known for their piri piri chicken. I have to say overall, I still enjoyed Chickinho the most because of the sides and how well they seasoned and cooked the chicken. And I really liked their piri piri oil.

    Photos
    LX Factory - Records

    Records

    LX Factory
    LX Factory

    See all

    As Bifanas do Afonso

    As Bifanas do Afonso

    4.6(120 reviews)
    2.8 kmMadalena, Mouraria - Castelo - Alfama

    As I continue to slowly get through the large list of review drafts I wrote when I was in Portugal,…read moreat this point, a bit over 3 months ago, in no particular order... this was one of two places that ended up on my list of places I had to try a famous bifana sandwich when I was in Lisbon, the other being O Trevo the next day. To both of them equally I say, there are very few places I'd be willing to stand in line for an hour for, and few of them involve meat on bread. Luckily, being the off-season, I didn't have *any* wait to order a sandwich. Unluckily, being the off season, that's also because it kept raining off and on, and this is a strictly take-out affair. So I ended up eating the sandwich under a nearby awning. In nicer weather conditions, though, there are plenty of nearby benches to sit on right there. Would i wait in a long line? I would not. But it was a legitimately great sandwich, great fluffy bread, great cheese if you splurge on cheese (as of a couple months ago, they were 3.5 euro without cheese, 5.5 with cheese), and solid, juicy, meaty meat, even if I do *personally* prefer the thin-sliced version like the other place I went, did. For how filling they are, that'd make them pretty darn affordable, if you don't add cheese, which I would probably keep doing anyway if I lived here, I'd just go when it was the off-season and not busy, *and* not raining*. At least as of when I was there, being a takeout place, they didn't have much in the way of drinks, but there was an unrelated business in the next alcove over selling cheap large glasses of beer and large blended fruity pineapple drinks. p.s. Make sure to absolutely douse your sandwich in mustard and chili oil, if you like spicy food like I do. They're self-serve, and great.

    Bifanas are a classic Portuguese sandwich made with simmered pork. It's a fast, cheap meal across…read morethe country - and arguably no place is as famous for these as As Bifanas do Afonso. It's a tiny takeout-only counter, but the lines can get very long here. When I arrived, it was mid-afternoon, so only about five or so people. They're very quick with the food as well - I got mine, the classic one (no cheese), about a minute after ordering. The sandwich overall was pretty good. It's not meant to be a full meal - more like a snack or a breakfast type - it's not very large. The pork is alright, but a little tough. It's not very juicy, as there are certain parts that feel leather-ish. It did grow on me as I kept eating though, and towards the end I started to like it more. The bread is actually quite good; crispy on the top and yet the hollowed-out inside stays fluffy. They have mustard and chili oil on a side table for you to add - and this is much needed. The moisture from these helps so much with the sandwich, and especially the mustard just adds that different flavor that prevents it from being just plain pork. Oh yeah, and it's super cheap - at just 3 euros. Overall, it's not amazing food, but for how cheap it is it gets the job done. 8/10

    Photos
    As Bifanas do Afonso
    As Bifanas do Afonso - Bifana with cheese, mustard and pepper oil

    Bifana with cheese, mustard and pepper oil

    As Bifanas do Afonso - Restaurant

    See all

    Restaurant

    Bala - mexican - Updated September 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...