Where to buy ice in Lisbon: a practical guide
Three ways to get ice in Lisbon, when each one makes sense, and how not to run out halfway through the party.
Published 27 September 2026
If you're looking for ice in Lisbon, you probably need it today. You have three options: a supermarket, a petrol station, or a producer who delivers. Which one is right depends on how much you need and what kind of ice.
1. Supermarkets
Most large supermarkets in Lisbon keep bags of ice in the frozen section — usually 2 kg of small cubes. Fine for a dinner with friends or filling a cool box before the beach.
- Pros: everywhere, and you can buy on the spot.
- Cons: small quantities (rarely more than 10–15 bags in the freezer), cubes that are often hollow and melt fast, and you have to get it home before it melts.
2. Petrol stations and convenience stores
Some service stations sell bags of ice, especially in summer and near the beaches. Handy as a last resort, but stock is unpredictable — on an August Saturday afternoon it may already be gone.
3. Ordering from a producer who delivers
For a party of more than 30 people, an event, a bar or a restaurant, ordering is almost always easier:
- the ice arrives at your door, at the agreed time, in sealed bags;
- you get formats supermarkets don't stock: spheres, 5 cm cubes, Collins spears and crushed ice;
- ice from professional machines such as Hoshizaki is hard and dry — it lasts longer in the glass and the tub;
- businesses get a proper VAT invoice.
How much ice to buy
For drinks, allow about half a kilo per guest for the first two hours. Add more if you're also chilling bottles in tubs, and another quarter in midsummer or outdoors. For an event, tell us your guest count on our event ice page and we'll do the maths for you.
Making the ice last
- Keep bags in a closed cool box in the shade and open one at a time.
- Don't add water to the drinks tub at the start — only when you need to chill bottles very fast.
- Crushed ice melts fastest: have it delivered close to service time.
In short
For a little ice right now, the supermarket will do. For a party, an event or a bar's day-to-day in Lisbon, delivery pays off.