The distinction comes from 1000 Libraries, a platform that compiled a global top 10 list based on the votes of nearly 200,000 book and coffee enthusiasts. Ler Devagar was placed seventh, standing alongside some of the most iconic literary cafés in Paris, London, Istanbul, and New York.
Founded in 1999 in Bairro Alto before moving to its current home in Alcântara in 2008, Ler Devagar occupies a converted printing works. Spanning 600 square metres across four floors, the space seamlessly blends literature, art, and culture. Its towering wall of books and the iconic flying bicycle installation have become landmarks in Lisbon’s creative landscape. The venue is also regularly among the world’s most stylish industrial spaces.
While cafés such as Istanbul’s Minoa Pera, Paris’ Used Book Café and London’s Maison Assouline also made the list. The inclusion of Ler Devagar highlights Portugal’s growing reputation as a cultural hub where tradition and modernity coexist. The bookshop-café not only offers thousands of titles but also serves as a venue for exhibitions, concerts, and debates, reinforcing its role as a vibrant meeting place for readers, artists, and thinkers.
This latest recognition adds to Lisbon’s profile as a city of books and cafés, drawing visitors who seek more than just a quick coffee. At Ler Devagar, the experience is immersive: sipping espresso beneath shelves stacked floor to ceiling, wandering through art installations, or simply losing oneself in a book.
In a list celebrating the fusion of literary and café culture worldwide, Portugal’s Ler Devagar now proudly sits among the finest, confirming Lisbon’s place on the global cultural map.