The claim
A narrow doorway on Rua das Portas de Santo Antão with a counter and almost no room behind it, pouring ginja from eight in the morning until midnight. Drinkers take the small glass out to the pavement. The house makes its own Eduardino liqueur, named after a clown from the Coliseu next door, and supplies ginja to other Lisbon houses, including the Tendinha in the Rossio.
What the records show
Lisbon city council's register of shops with a history gives the fullest account: the house was founded at the end of the nineteenth century by João Lourenço Cima, grandfather of the present owners, keeps its original front, and probably took its Art Déco fittings in the 1920s, when that style was everywhere. Portuguese Wikipedia puts the year at 1890. Nothing documentary has been read behind either, so this is a C. The register is also unusually clear about the trade: selling over the counter was new when the ginjinhas took it up, and because the rooms are tiny the drinking spills into the street. The house opens at eight in the morning and serves ginja, capilé, groselha and its own Eduardino liqueur, named after a clown from the Coliseu next door who is said to have mixed it; the name was registered as a trademark in 1908.
What to look for inside
- The Eduardino liqueur, named for a clown at the Coliseu next door and trademarked in 1908
- Its label reads that the house has never entered an exhibition, at home or abroad
Visiting
Ginjinha Sem Rival is in Lisbon, Portugal, at Rua das Portas de Santo Antão 7, Santa Maria Maior, Lisbon. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
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