Maria Benilde has been selling fish in Ribeira for half a century, mainly to restaurants in the nearby Bairro Alto neighborhood. “There’s no hope for the market’s future,” she says, in a manner more matter-of-factual than lamenting.Īround Mercado Time Out’s main atrium and in a similarly sized space next door, a few die-hards are still selling traditional fare. They are examples of where, instead of being used to enhance the identity of the neighborhood, an international model is applied.” “The transformation of the markets, and even some neighborhoods, follows the logic of this new urban dynamic. “In Lisbon now, ‘star chefs’ are the new starchitects,” says Paula André, professor of urbanism and architecture with a focus on the capital city at the University Institute of Lisbon. The venture took advantage of a central but neglected locale, partly abandoned real estate, a malleable public administration reeling from financial crisis and, crucially, a lot of food-related hype – many of the new eateries are fronted by individual chefs. It makes sense that Time Out’s new concept started here. “But our plan for the future is to close down.” “We have been surviving because our products cater for the African community here,” says Joaquím. The shop’s loaded shelves stock bacalhau (salted cod) and everyday items as well as tinned food, oils, sauces and grains from Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. Many of their neighboring vendors along the corridor have left, some now selling in markets 20 kilometers away. London is also scheduled to get its own Time Out Market, despite initial plans for a market in historic Spitalfields being rejected by the local town council.Īnabela, alongside partner Joaquím, runs Loja 54, a cheerful store that has been here since the 1950s. The success of the site means that three more Time Out Markets – in Chicago, Boston and Miami – will open by 2019. Selling the best of Portugal – from croquettes and custard tarts to seafood and steak – it is now a top attraction, with 24 restaurants, eight bars, a dozen shops and a high-end music venue. Time Out’s concept: an “editorially” curated gourmet food hall. Originally built as a predominantly wholesale food, fish and flower market in 1771, Ribeira today shares its space with Mercado Time Out, financed by the venture capital firm that controls the publishing franchise in Portugal, which has occupied the central section of the market since 2014. “It’s good for tourists, not for us.” While this can sadly be said about many things, Anabela, the woman we are speaking to, is referring to the transformation of Mercado da Ribeira, Lisbon’s historic public market, where she co-runs a small grocery store.
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