published on 2026-10-27 · by Fábio
O Faia — the Carmo family's house, in Bairro Alto
A fado house from 1947, home of Lucília do Carmo and Carlos do Carmo. Dinner with fado from €75, or the late session at 23:30 for €20 plus whatever you order. Monday to Saturday.
Short answer
O Faia is a fado house with dinner in Bairro Alto, opened in 1947 by the fadista Lucília do Carmo. At dinner, the menus cost €75, €83 or €100 per person, with the show from 20:45 to 22:30. Later, at 23:30, there's a 45-minute session with petiscos and drinks, for a €20 supplement plus whatever you order — one of the cheapest ways to hear fado in a house with a professional cast. Closed on Sundays.
Lucília do Carmo opened the house in 1947 and her son, Carlos do Carmo, ran it until the family sold it in 1980. António Ramos, who started behind the bar and became a partner, took it over in the 1990s, with his sons Pedro and Paulo. Alfredo Marceneiro, Fernando Maurício and Beatriz da Conceição sang here and, closer to our own day, Camané and Ricardo Ribeiro.
O Faia at a glance
- Neighbourhood
- Bairro Alto
- Address
- Rua da Barroca, 54–56
- Format
- Dinner with fado
- Price
- Menu with fado: €75Cheapest way in: about €30Late session at 23:30: a €20 supplement per person, plus the drinks and petiscos you order.2026 prices
- Fado
- from 20:45
- Days
- Closed: Sunday
- Booking
- Booking needed
- Website
- ofaia.com
What the night is like
At dinner, three fadistas from the cast sing in sets, with twenty-minute breaks, between 20:45 and 22:30. The cast the house lists includes Lenita Gentil, António Rocha, Sara Correia and Maura Airez, with Fernando Silva on Portuguese guitar and Paulo Ramos on viola. No filming and no flash.
The late session is different: from 23:00 you settle in with petiscos and drinks, and at 23:30 three fadistas sing for 45 minutes.
How much it costs
- Menu Fado — €75: show, couvert, and a starter and main, or a main and dessert.
- Menu Faia — €83: show, couvert, starter, main and dessert.
- Menu do Chef — €100: five courses, for the whole table.
- Petiscos with a show, at 23:30: a €20 supplement per person, plus the petiscos (€7 to €24) and drinks. Budget around €30 to €40 per person.
Watch the cancellation terms: the booking asks for a card as a guarantee, and if you don't turn up or cancel less than 24 hours ahead, the house charges €75 per person.
Who it's for — and who it isn't
The dinner is for those who want a historic house with a strong cast and don't mind the price. The 23:30 session is for those who've already eaten elsewhere and want to hear serious fado without paying for a whole dinner.
It isn't for those who want improvisation: here everything is professional and scheduled. For fado vadio in the same neighbourhood, there's Tasca do Chico, close by.
How to book
On the house's website, with a card as a guarantee (it isn't charged if you go). Groups of more than six, by email or phone. Tables are allocated in order of booking — book early and you sit closer.
PDF guide · 30 pages
Your fado night in Lisbon
Everything to choose and enjoy your fado night: map, houses, prices, videos and ready-made plans. Reads well on a phone.
- How much does dinner at O Faia cost?
The menus cost €75, €83 or €100 per person, with the fado show included.
- Can I go to O Faia without having dinner?
Yes: at 23:30 there's a 45-minute session with petiscos and drinks, for a €20 supplement per person plus whatever you order.
- Does O Faia charge if I miss my booking?
Yes. If you cancel less than 24 hours ahead or don't turn up, the house charges €75 per person to the card given when booking.
Before or after the fado
The rest of your day: Sintra, the Douro, the river at sunset or an afternoon in Lisbon — and how each one fits around a fado night.
Sintra · by day
Sintra by day, fado by night — how to fit both into one day
You can do Sintra and a fado night in Lisbon on the same day, but only with a plan. Train or tour, what to check before booking, and which fado to pick after nine hours of palaces.
See the planDouro · with a night in Porto
The Douro from Lisbon — is it worth it in a day?
In a single day from Lisbon, the Douro is too far. The plan that works: train to Porto, a winery tour from there, and the fado saved for Lisbon.
See the planTagus · at sunset
Sunset on the Tagus and fado — how to fit both into one evening
A sunset sail and a fado night fit into the same day, but the boat's departure time moves with the seasons. When it works, when it doesn't, and which fado to pick afterwards.
See the planLisbon · in the afternoon
An afternoon in Lisbon before fado — three plans that end with fado
A tuk-tuk through Alfama, a pastel de nata class or a food tour through Mouraria: three afternoons that fit well before a fado night, with times and what each one includes.
See the planMore guides
See also
More fado nights I recommend.
Fado with petiscos — a food tour in four stops
from€119Three and a half hours, four stops: a tavern, a petiscos restaurant, a century-old bar and a fado house. A group of ten at most — the night for those who eat with curiosity.
Fado no Chiado — 50 minutes in central Lisbon
from€23A short show, no dinner, in the centre of Chiado. 17 years on stage. For those with little time who want to hear fado without heavy production.
Fado with tour and dinner — a guided night through Mouraria and Alfama
from€55Four hours: a walk through the streets where fado was born, dinner in a traditional house, and a live show. For those who arrive in Lisbon without context and want to leave with it.