Sabi Phagura enjoys brunch with a view at Andaz Lisbon, where the Luzzi rooftop has just won a Restaurant & Bar Design Award.
It’s a lazy Sunday in Lisbon and I’m settling in for brunch at Luzzi, the rooftop restaurant at Andaz Lisbon. I’m eye level with the famous Baixa rooftops spread out around me. Then I learn the place has just won the Rooftop category at the 2026 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, seeing off more than 1,100 entries. It only opened just over seven months ago. Now that’s reason enough to order a glass of alcohol-free fizz.
It’s easy to see what impressed the judges. I look around me. Overhead, a ceiling in orange and green sets the tone, while underfoot a blue patterned floor swirls in every direction. Colourful tables with sculpted bases are dotted between curved green and yellow seating. It’s playful, confident and thoroughly un-beige. Designed by Patricia Urquiola, the room draws on Portugal’s links with Africa, the Atlantic, South America and Asia.
It’s Andaz’s first hotel in Portugal, and it couldn’t have picked a better location. From the rooftop bar, I have a clear view of the triumphal Rua Augusta Arch, which leads to Praça do Comércio, once the gateway to Lisbon, where ships arrived laden with the spices and treasures found on their voyages of discovery.
Those voyages are on the menu too. The kitchen calls its food Modern Lusitanian cuisine, blending Portuguese roots with the spice routes that once linked Portugal to the Atlantic, Africa, Brazil and Asia. My starter shows exactly what that means: a crisp, triangular chamuça de camarão e chouriço (€9), a samosa-style pastry stuffed with prawn and served with tamarind chutney. For my main, I go for more prawn folded inside an omelette, lifted by a mix of light spices. With the alcohol-free fizz, it feels properly celebratory.
I know I’m in for a treat from the moment I waltz through the ancient bronze doors and lay eyes on the winding marble staircase. Pitchers crowd the stairs, each one hand-painted in bold colours, a modern take on the traditional jugs found in Portuguese homes. To the right hangs a blue-and-white tiled panel of Our Lady of Misericórdia, unearthed during the renovations and older than the 1755 earthquake that destroyed so much of Lisbon.
It’s easy to forget that this was once a bank. Its last occupant was Portugal’s BPI bank, before Hyatt Hotels Corporation took it on and turned it into an Andaz. The public spaces give little away about its former life, and it’s not until I head for the lifts and walk the bedroom corridors, a labyrinth of passages at different heights, linked by stairs and leading to the rooms, that I can imagine this as a working bank.
The 170 rooms and suites are divided across 12 categories. If you want to push the boat out, go for one of the four Arch Suites, which look directly onto the Rua Augusta Arch. I’m not in one of them, but I’m just as happy with my room on the second floor. It’s flooded with light, the high ceilings make it feel even more spacious, and the bed is one of the comfiest I’ve slept in. As in the public areas, contemporary art decorates the rooms. The bathrooms are clad in deep red walls and are a pleasure to freshen up in before a day exploring this vibrant city.
While Luzzi is the more formal dining space, the Andaz lounge just past the main reception is far more relaxed. It opens like a big hug, full of colour, with little areas to chill whether you want to work on a laptop or catch up over coffee with friends. I can’t stop admiring the artwork dotted around, which draws on Portuguese materials such as pale local Lioz stone, cork, textiles, ceramics and tiles. Beatrice Bonafini’s vibrant cork piece is particularly compelling.
The oval bar is the real focal point, drawing in guests and non-guests alike. It’s a reinterpretation of Lisbon’s street kiosks, the little domed stands that began appearing in the late 19th century, with pastries on display in glass counters alongside drinks. Wines by the glass come from female Portuguese producers in the Lisbon and nearby Setúbal regions. It’s a thoughtful way of celebrating local winemaking and giving women a prominent place on the menu.
The food is all about the snacks Lisboetas love: croquettes, cod fritters and chicken empanadas. I go for the empanadas, which I devour with a huge helping of homemade piri-piri sauce. The pastel de nata in its glass case has been eyeing me up since I arrived. I snap it up for dessert. Delicious. Just as well there’s an on-site fitness centre. The spa is yet to open though, so it’s a good reason to head back.
Lisbon is one of Europe’s most popular city breaks. Tourists are drawn by the tiles, the trams, the sweeping viewpoints over the red rooftops and the fado drifting out of bars come nightfall. But the city rewards those who go beyond the obvious, and Andaz Lisbon makes that easy with bespoke experiences that take guests off the well-worn route and into the city’s quieter corners.
I’m drawn to Ride the Heritage, a day built around the Lusitano, the Portuguese horse long associated with royalty and the art of riding. I leave the city in a private car and, an hour later, arrive at Morgado Lusitano. After the city, it’s peaceful and rural here.
At the heart of the estate is an 18th-century manor house, with traditional cottages and leafy gardens. Sitting on an elevated level, it has views stretching towards the River Tagus. But the real stars are the Lusitano horses, an elegant native breed trained to an impressive level.
This is more than a hotel offering the odd riding lesson. It attracts experienced riders as well as those looking to improve their skills, with classical dressage instruction on well-trained Lusitanos. Martin is my teacher and my horse, Cercal, named after a village, is my companion for the morning. He’s blind in his left eye, which, I discover, doesn’t hold him back.
I’ve ridden a few times before, but today I learn to trot for the first time. It’s all about balance and trusting the horse, Martin tells me. He’s not wrong. I sit up tall, glue my shoulder blades together at the back and tighten my abs, and I find trotting becomes easier. I gather a bit more pace and, within an hour, feel like a pro.
In the afternoon, we drive for another hour or so to Comporta for a ride along the coast. It’s one of the most pristine parts of Portugal’s coast and this section isn’t accessible by car. There’s barely a soul on the beach despite the beautiful autumnal sun beating down, which makes my ride with my horse Whiteface that extra special.
Back in the city, street art is big, and I’ve always had a penchant for it. Luzzi’s colourful theme has enticed me to try some myself, so I’m heading out with Miguel Brum, one of the city’s best-known street artists. We’re not only exploring Lisbon’s street art scene, but I’m also getting creative with a spray can.
Miguel is like a magnet. His joyous, upbeat creative energy is infectious, and I’m spraying to my heart’s content. I feel like a kid again, gloriously messy, and I don’t want to stop.
Then Miguel hands me a can and says the words I’ve been waiting for: “Scrawl your name on the wall. Make it big.” So I do, in huge, wobbly letters. Then he steps in and shows me how to lift the name off the wall with artistic sprays of paint, and suddenly my scrawl looks like the real thing.
I can’t believe I’ve left my name tag in Lisbon. It’s enormous, and I feel like a total rebel. Just like Andaz, I’ve left my mark on this city, and Lisbon has well and truly left its mark on my memory.
Tell me more about the Andaz Lisbon.
Andaz Lisbon is located in Rua do Comércio 132, Lisbon 1100-150, Portugal. T: +351 21 020 1234 E: lisbon@andaz.com
Rates from £249 per night based on two adults sharing a King Room in January 2027.
