{"id":34415,"date":"2017-07-31T01:40:43","date_gmt":"2017-07-31T05:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=34415"},"modified":"2020-08-19T10:06:22","modified_gmt":"2020-08-19T14:06:22","slug":"the-lx-factory-lisbons-little-brooklyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/the-lx-factory-lisbons-little-brooklyn\/","title":{"rendered":"The LX Factory: Lisbon\u2019s Little Brooklyn"},"content":{"rendered":"
Ironic mustaches, high-waisted shorts, and angst. When I left New York earlier this year to move abroad to Lisbon, I thought these things were in my rearview mirror for good. I was moving to Europe, after all, everything was going to be old, traditional, and timeless. And yet, within days of touching down in Lisbon, I found myself in a sort of walled-off cultural commune of expats and locals (a \u201cCreative Island,\u201d as those who drink the Kool-Aid call it) known as the <\/span>LX Factory<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n Just west of the city, in an area known as <\/span>Alc\u00e2ntara, the LX Factory sits on the grounds of an old manufacturing company, Companhia de Fia\u00e7\u00e3o e Tecidos Lisbonense. As the city\u2019s industry began to dwindle and move elsewhere to greener pastures, the factory fell into disrepair. In 2008, however, the area was purchased and revitalized \u2013 using the romance of the industrial fossils as a backdrop for something new and innovative. A space for young artists and creative-types to feed their eccentricities, free from the zoning, high rent prices, and square-footage confines of Lisbon\u2019s city center.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Main street at the <\/span><\/i>LX Factory<\/i><\/b>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Forward-thinking artists, chefs, writers, and entrepreneurs found a home within the walls of the LX Factory, and now, almost ten years later, the area is a bustling hub for restaurants, antique stores, art galleries, barbers, bookshops, bohemian clothing, and lots and lots of street art (something Lisbon, itself, is famous for).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Things to Do<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The entrance to Cantina, one of the signature restaurants of the <\/span><\/i>LX Factory.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Eat<\/span><\/i> – \u00a0<\/span><\/i>There are plenty of great places to grab a long lunch or a quick snack in the LX Factory. Perhaps the flagship restaurant of the area is <\/span>Cantina<\/span><\/i>, an airy industrial setting serving up traditional, yet refined Portuguese food with a wood-fired oven. The restaurant is located in the old <\/span>Companhia de Fia\u00e7\u00e3o e Tecidos Lisbonense canteen, where factory workers were fed daily.<\/span><\/p>\n Another great option is <\/span>A Pra\u00e7a, <\/span><\/i>a beautiful space with high ceilings and great natural light. The theme here is kind of farm-to-table-esque with a Portuguese flair. Of course, as with most restaurants in Lisbon, there is plenty of octopus. <\/span>A Pra\u00e7a <\/span><\/i>does theirs in the classic style, slow-braised with olive oil, garlic, potatoes, and greens.<\/span><\/p>\n