Cafés and places to work in Olaias, Lisbon
A brunch café six minutes away, Portugal's best specialty coffee shop of 2025 on the Alameda, a 1946 pastelaria, free study rooms at Técnico and a public library: where to drink coffee and work from Olaias.
Photo: Photo Claude TRUONG-NGOC · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Olaias itself has few cafés, but it sits at the end of the Alameda, and that walk takes you to some of the best coffee in Lisbon and to Técnico, the engineering university, whose study rooms are open to outside users. Walking times are from our Olaias residence.
Close by
Moment Brunch Cafe (Rua Barão de Sabrosa 163C, about 6 min) is the nearest brunch spot, on the way to the Alameda, and Google reviewers rate it very highly. Expect about €10 to €15 for brunch. Opening times differ between listings, so check before you go.
Specialty coffee you can work from
- •How About Coffee (Alameda Dom Afonso Henriques 41B, about 14 min): roasts on site and was named Portugal's best specialty coffee shop at the European Coffee Trip Awards 2025. Free Wi-Fi, laptop-friendly, a terrace and vegan options. Weekdays 08:30 to 18:00, weekends 09:00 to 17:00.
- •Dong Coffee (Rua Quirino da Fonseca 17A, about 15 min): opened in 2025 by a former coffee-farm worker from Nepal who roasts in-house. Time Out listed a flat white at €3.40 and a V60 at €5.50 in September 2026. Free Wi-Fi and laptop-friendly. Every day, 08:30 to 16:00.
A classic pastelaria
Pastelaria Mexicana (Avenida Guerra Junqueiro 30C, about 16 min) opened in 1946 by Praça de Londres and is part of Lisbon's historic shops programme. Look up at the 1962 "Sol Mexicano" ceramic panel by Querubim Lapa, and order one of its own pastries with a bica. Open every day from 07:30.
For free, or for focus
- •Técnico library study rooms (Alameda campus, about 19 min): the Instituto Superior Técnico says outside users can use its reading rooms, in the North and South Towers, weekdays 09:00 to 20:00. The Wi-Fi needs a university login, so download what you need first.
- •Biblioteca da Penha de França (Rua Francisco Pedro Curado 6-A, about 20 min): a free municipal library with Wi-Fi and a quiet room. Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 18:00.
- •Sítio Alto de São João (Parada do Alto de São João 17-A, about 18 min): paid co-working in a converted warehouse, with a terrace, kitchen and showers. Day passes are booked online. Weekdays 09:00 to 18:00.
For food, see where to eat in Olaias. More cafés are listed in cafés and places to work in Arroios, a little further west.
Frequently asked
Where can I study for free near Olaias?
Técnico's library opens its reading rooms on the Alameda campus to outside users on weekdays from 09:00 to 20:00, and the Biblioteca da Penha de França is free from Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 18:00.
Which cafés near Olaias are good for working on a laptop?
How About Coffee on the Alameda and Dong Coffee near Arroios are both listed as laptop-friendly with free Wi-Fi, about 15 minutes on foot from our residence.
Is there a café right next to the Olaias residence?
The nearest dedicated café is Moment Brunch Cafe on Rua Barão de Sabrosa, about six minutes on foot.
Rooms in Olaias
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Arantes e Oliveira Residence
Arantes e Oliveira Residence
Arantes e Oliveira Residence
Arantes e Oliveira Residence
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