Fado, which means destiny or fate, has a feeling the Portuguese call “saudade,” a melancholy emotion that roughly means a nostalgic longing, a certain ineffable yearning.

Two districts in Lisbon's old center, the Alfama and the Bairro Alto, have small, informal fado restaurants. In the Bairro Alto, wander around Rua Diario de Noticias and neighboring streets.

It’s after dark in Lisbon’s ramshackle Alfama neighborhood. Old-timers gather in restaurants, which serve little more than grilled sardines, to hear and sing Portugal’s mournful fado ...

It’s after dark in Lisbon’s ramshackle Alfama neighborhood. Old-timers gather in restaurants, which serve little more than grilled sardines, to hear and sing Portugal’s mournful fado ...

To experience fado, the mournful folk music born of Lisbon’s oldest neighbourhoods, is to tap into centuries of history and bohemia. With a new state-of-the-art exhibition celebrating fado’s ...

Some of the most experienced locals agree that Lisbon’s nightlife begins in Bairro Alto, which is home to lots of bars, restaurants and Fado houses offering nightly shows and performances.

Old-timers gather in restaurants, which serve little more than grilled sardines, to hear and sing Portugal’s mournful fado: traditional ballads of lament.

Along with solid cuisine (thanks to award-winning chef Carla Sousa), it has a quiet courtyard that is one of the best, most hidden places to enjoy happy hour jazz or fado in Lisbon.