Jamie W and I figured out that there are two gay-focused areas in Lisbon. It appeared that Barrio…read moreAlto is where the louder and younger bars and dance clubs are congregated. Not our scene. We presumed Principe Real is Lisbon's mellower gayborhood. Embedded in an affluent residential area, this is where we headed after a full day in Belem. Despite some navigational challenges, this bar was our first stop. If you happen to gravitate toward the bulkier, more hirsute members of your brethren, this is the low-key bar for you. Initially we were confused by the smattering of straight couples hanging in the front patio, but when we entered, the gay element was much more prominent. Groups of gregarious men in tanktops were at the various hi-top tables. Lonelier bears hung out at the smallish counter. It wasn't that crowded even though it was a balmy night. We managed to secure a table for ourselves and had a couple of refreshing 8,5€ Expresso Martinis (Photo 7). No thumping music, more '90's dance pop. It was quite chill. COCKTAILS - 4 stars...smooth libations AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...chill inside, patio seemed more like a straight area SERVICE - 4 stars...nice bartender, helpful TOTAL - 4 stars...a quieter bear den RELATED - Exploring Lisbon? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/qi-D5O-t1O

Awesome Drag show night, was a great night and a lots of fun with my friends. Recommend it to…read moreeveryone to try it out

I love a good dive bar the world over. And when we travel, we always try to find the lesbian bars…read more Purex is perfect. Felt like home. Lovely staff, especially on Thursday night. Shoutout to the two bartenders that offered to kick out the creep that was harassing us (side note: don't be the guy harassing lesbians in a dyke bar!) We visited twice within a week and found a good mix of queer people both times. The djs both times were SO GOOD.

We spent only two nights in Lisbon and managed to drop by Shelter on both nights - so I guess we…read moreliked the place. First, the bar wasn't super packed and felt age appropriate for two 40ish year old guys. Second (and probably the most important for me), the AC was pumping at full blast. Overall, the bartenders were pretty nice and had a nice command of English and Spanish. I have to admit that I was a bit annoyed that drink prices would vary for the same drink depending on the bartender...or even with the same bartender. Gin tonics were about 12 euros and beers about 7 euros. I wouldn't try to get too innovative with ordering cocktails bc with my Tanqueray on ice with tonic water, Sprite or juice on the side seemed to cause a bit of confusion. I only made this request because I felt the bartenders served way too much mixers in my gin beverages. The clientele was a mixed bag of folks (eg body types, races and ethnicities) which was great. I would say the personalities of the clientele was mixed (like any other bar or lounge) - with some nice folks, some sketchy folks, and some unnecessarily sassy folks. On both nights, the music was on point. In terms of the number of folks, I would describe it as an ebbing and flowing - one moment, the bar was packed like sardines, then in the next moment without warning, there would be quite a bit of empty space. I definitely would return to Shelter Bar the next time I'm in Lisbon

It's a nice enough spot, the bartenders were friendly and the drinks were sufficiently strong. But…read moreI think it's more of a pre-game spot more than anything. It's quite small, and there weren't many folks there even around 10:30-11:00. I'd recommend if you want to be able to sit down and chat with a friend while having a cocktail in a safe environment, but otherwise there's not much going on here. Which is perfectly fine if that's what you want for the evening. The crowd heavily leaned late 40s to late 50s, but no one made us feel uncomfortable.

Iconic. Love a place you can get dinner (crazy good lasagna) and then stick around for a drag show,…read morethen party the night away if you wish. One of the most interesting drag shows I've seen! Lots of crowd work so prepare to be pulled on stage! The bathroom stalls are a little sus but you can't have it all

Great drag show. One of the best I've seen and I've seen them all over the world. It starts late so…read moremake a reservation and go 10 minutes before it starts. Very small venue but well worth it. I loved it.

I hate that this place shares a name with one of the most bigoted individuals in the world, but…read morealas, the Portuguese queer community is here and we are not letting down. Trumps was my first stop in Lisbon after 21 hours of flying from the U.S. I came here when Yvie Oddly (RPDR S11) was the featured performer and had a blast. Entry was 20€ which included a free drink, and is apparently higher than normal - likely because of the guest of the night. GET THERE EARLY (i.e. at midnight) in order to avoid a long entry line. The club itself was pretty well laid out. There is a coat check right at the front and you are led downstairs to two different rooms - a dance hall and a performance stage. I spent my entire night inside the performance hall where the queens of Trumps was DJing and performing, and I was blown away. The drag scene in Lisbon is top notch and I was VERY impressed. My Tequila Sunrise was juice, let's be real. But I didn't come here to drink, but to see good performers entertain me. I got great drag queens, good throwback 2000s music, and a fun time. My only complaint was that the DJ wasn't very good, as it sounded like they were just hitting 'next' on their Apple Music player. But the queens performing were phenomenal! Note: most of the people here seemed to be very young gays in their early 20s.

If I could give this place 0 stars I would…read more Listed below are my grievances: 1. There are barely any gays. 2. The drinks are extremely diluted - not worth the overpriced €10 cover fee. 3. Os empregados nao sao gays! 4. The club is so poorly lit and too bright. Really an uncomfortable atmosphere augmented by poor projected media. 5. The music and general environment was extremely tacky. 6. Cheira mal! Ignore your guide book and skip this joint! There are better places to go to In town

Jamie W and I spent one evening in Lisbon strolling through Principe Real, the city's heavy mellow…read moregayborhood. Our first stop was at Bar TR3S, a bear bar that just matched the low-key vibe we were looking for (review: https://yelp.to/xaXcEkTk74). Just a couple of blocks away was this even cozier spot where you press a doorbell to enter. From the outside, it looked more like a boutique than a bar. Once we were inside, it felt like a suburban dad's basement den but not like your parents' house. More like a place your gay uncle furnished and whom your mom is convinced hasn't found the right woman. All the underlighting was in hot pink, and the rest of the space sparkled in multicolored lights. The bar itself was full up with mostly thirtyish guys shooting the breeze with the English-fluent bartender. We settled ourselves on the couch in the front. Foregoing our usual tequila sunrises, Jamie went for the 6,5€ Mojito kicked up a notch with a potent amount of Bacardi rum. I went for something new for me, the 8,5€ Electric Lemonade, quite a mix of gin, vodka, rum, absinthe, tequila, and triple sec (Photo 6). One round was all we could handle. Our chit-chat started to slur, so it was time to go. COCKTAILS - 4 stars...really potent libations AMBIANCE - 4 stars...cozy space SERVICE - 3.5 stars...kept pretty busy TOTAL - 4 stars...is that the doorbell? RELATED - Exploring Lisbon? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/w-RH95uZGK

Fantastic service, excellent barman, fabulous drinks…read more Ambience very friendly, welcoming and fabulous atmosphere. Best gay bar for a drink and meet people. Delicious ham and cheese & tuna toasts. "You must come"