LISBOA isn't a new team chasing a trend. It's an evolution of two decades on the same neighbourhood.
2005
It began at Favoritenstraße 7, 1040 Wien, as a wine bar and Portuguese deli. Founded by Hugo and Rui da Silva with one idea: to bring the Portuguese lifestyle of 1990s and early-2000s Lisbon to Vienna, with the poet Fernando Pessoa as its muse.
2015
The house opened at Mühlgasse 20, 1040 Wien, with a small team built around chef André Almeida and the late Super Marinho. It survived an 18-month construction site at its freshly opened doors, and later Covid, with Hugo and Mario Cruz leading the boat.
2025
Lisboalounge reached its ten-year mark, celebrated at the Freihausviertel streetfest 2025: a concert and hundreds of friends came to celebrate so many tasty moments, so many bottles of wine opened, so many litres of olive oil used.
2026
After distilling the concept again, and again, LISBOA was born in October 2026: one address, three distinct areas. Lisboa Wine, Lisboa Dine and the Lisboalounge Keller, carrying a distilled feeling of twenty years in operation.
It began in 2005 at Favoritenstraße 7, 1040 Wien, as a wine bar and Portuguese deli. In its early years, under the name Pessoalounge, it became a local point for a community of expats and university students looking for a space where the south European spirit was represented. Pessoalounge was founded by Hugo and Rui da Silva with one idea: to bring the Portuguese lifestyle of 1990s and early-2000s Lisbon to Vienna.
The first motto was "Pessoalounge, portugiesische Lebensart." Its inspirational muse was the great Lisbon poet Fernando Pessoa, a symbol of breaking the rules, a pioneer and a visionary. The logo, inspired by Almada Negreiros' portrait of Pessoa, became the face of the project for ten years.
Football has been in the bar's DNA since the beginning. Portuguese, Spanish and Brazilian fans filled the room for huge live projections, curated sound and the famous "Totoloto": any customer could get their bill covered by guessing the result of the day's game during World Cups and European Championships. Packed houses and cold beer made for an amazing atmosphere.
Live music was a big part of Pessoalounge life. The Brazilian community and its rhythms took over countless nights through the late hours: DJ nights, theme nights, Carnival, Halloween, Roaring Twenties parties, countless birthdays, weddings and even casual divorce parties. Artists of many nationalities, from all over the world, performed in that small corner. Romances started on that small dance floor, dates took place in the beautiful Hof with its view of the stunning Palais Karl Ludwig, and many other adventures were experienced by those that were lucky to be part of the early family.
Pessoalounge was open from morning until late, serving different snacks and quick lunches throughout the day and petiscos in the evening: bifanas, pregos, tuna baguettes and the iconic tapas plate, a mix of Portuguese cold cuts and cheeses. Some of these dishes became the base of what would later become the food of Lisboalounge.
The name "Lisboalounge" was first used as a flag for summer projects in 2013, 2014 and 2015, at Rockfest Wien and the Filmfestival am Rathausplatz. This name would go on to become the branding for the new project that opened in 2015.
Lisboalounge, in its current address at Mühlgasse 20, 1040 Wien, was founded in 2015 with a small team built around chef André Almeida and the late Super Marinho. The young restaurant had to survive a difficult time: an unexpected 18-month construction site right in front of its freshly opened doors. Perseverance and a lot of faith in the project, now with Hugo and Mario Cruz leading the boat, carried it into calmer waters through 2018, 2019 and 2020, right before Covid.
Covid was a difficult period for every restaurant, and Lisboalounge was no exception. Once again, perseverance, a loyal team and a customer base built up over the years brought the restaurant out the other side as strong as before. It took time and dedication, but by 2025 Lisboalounge had reached its ten-year mark.
A legendary celebration took place during the Freihausviertel streetfest 2025: a concert and hundreds of friends came to celebrate so many tasty moments, so many bottles of wine opened, so many litres of olive oil used.
Countless menus over the years have doubled as stunning artworks from the house illustrator and designer, Paulo Bastos, responsible for the many stories and illustrations that fed so many curious minds while they read the iconic paper placemats.
With the years, some collaborators left and others arrived. The stream brought to this pond the current chef, Bruno Freitas, from Câmara de Lobos, Funchal, where fish and seafood are considered child's play. It made sense for the concept to redefine itself in that direction, under the motto: "Let's distil Lisboalounge, and see what comes out at the end. And then let's distil it again, and again."
After a third distillation, LISBOA was born in October 2026: a space divided into three distinct areas, Lisboa Wine, Lisboa Dine and Lisboalounge Keller, all integrated within the same address, carrying a distilled feeling of twenty years in operation.
