The Story Of… A Brasileira Cafe in Lisbon, Portugal

By Karen Beishuizen
Photos courtesy of A Brasileira Cafe

A Brasileira opened on 19 November 1905 in Chiado, in a premises that had once been a shirt shop. The business was started by Adriano Telles do Valle (1859–1932), a Portuguese emigrant from Alvarenga who married the daughter of one of the largest coffee producers in Minas Gerais, Brazil, after travelling there in 1872. From the day it opened in 1905, A Brasileira do Chiado became one of Lisbon’s most popular cafés. It was—and still is—the backdrop for intellectual, artistic, and literary discussions, and where writers and artists like Fernando Pessoa and Almada Negreiros found their inspiration for paradoxical concepts and ideas. Fernando Pessoa was such a regular patron that on the centenary of his birth, in 1988, a bronze statue depicting him and created by sculptor Lagoa Henriques was installed there.

It shows the poet sitting at a table on the café’s terrace and is one of Lisbon’s most photographed statues. Stepping into A Brasileira is like stepping back in time. One of Lisbon’s oldest and most emblematic cafés invites you to come inside and enjoy the meeting point of the intellectuals of times past, full of History in a century-old space that preserves its original charm and elegance. So next time you are in Lisbon, visit the cafe and enjoy a “bica” to taste a real coffee as Portuguese love to enjoy it!

KB: Describe to the RSR readers how A Brasileira Cafe was founded and by who?

A Brasileira Café was founded on 19th November 1905, in a premises that was once a shirt shop. The business was started by Adriano Telles, a Portuguese emigrant who married the daughter of one of the largest coffee producers in Minas Gerais, Brazil, before returning to Portugal. Here, he started to sell coffee, unknown at the time and an unpopular drink due to its bitter taste. With an eye on the obstacles that might prevent his customers from enjoying Brazilian coffee, he implemented the idea of creating a coffee shop where the product could be sampled, and he started giving away cups of coffee as a form of advertising.

KB: What is the history of the statue of Fernando Pessoa out the Café?

Fernando Pessoa’s regular presence at A Brasileira prompted the unveiling of the bronze statue sculpted by Lagoa Henriques in the 1980s, showing the writer at a table in the café’s outdoor seating area.

Initially designed with the left arm raised, it was during a break that Lagoa Henriques, the master author of the work, took the book “Obras” (by Fernando Pessoa) and opened it at random. He came across a poem whose first verse was “The hand resting on the table”. Instantly, the master sculptor had an epiphany as if he had just received a message from Pessoa himself, and decided to change the position of the arm, placing it on the table. The statue was unveiled on 13 June 1988 to mark the centenary of the poet’s birth, by Mário Soares, President of Portugal at the time.

The statue was unveiled on 13 June 1988 to mark the centenary of the poet’s birth, by Mário Soares, President of Portugal at the time. Through his heteronyms, the most universal of Portuguese poets reflected deeply on the relationship between truth, existence, and identity.

His personal spectacles were acquired at auction from the poet’s family and are now on display at A Brasileira.

To pay him a tribute, in 2021, A Brasileira launched a very special edition of Message, an anthology of 44 poems by Fernando Pessoa (1888-1935). It is the only work published in Portuguese by the poet during his lifetime, and the book on display here is a rare first edition from 1934. This literary treasure portrays Portugal’s glorious past, trying to make sense of the greatness of Portuguese achievements during the Age of Discoveries, glorifying their symbolic value. This special edition is specially sold at A Brasileira and has now 5 bilingual editions, all including Portuguese and a foreign language (English, French, Spanish, Mandarin and Italian).

KB: What do you sell in the shop?

“The best coffee is from A Brasileira!” This was the slogan created by Adriano Telles at the start of the 20th century, that would make A Brasileira coffee so famous.

A Brasileira’s own batch, resulting from a careful selection and blend of coffee bean varieties, has special and unique characteristics such as sweetness, body, and aroma, which make coffee a gourmet drink for true connoisseurs. Besides being able to enjoy this pleasure in this mythical space, sitting at the table with Fernando Pessoa, you can recreate it at home. A Brasileira sells packets of coffee so customers can take home a little of the magic that is having a cup of coffee at A Brasileira. But also, coffee cups with the logo and the poetry artwork “Mensagem” from our most universal poet, Fernando Pessoa, in several bilingual editions.

Besides all this celebration of History, A Brasileira remains a Café. For a light tasty meal to be enjoyed in the outdoor area or at the historic hexagonal tables of A Brasileira, we recommend the legendary Brasileira steak, a timeless classic that comes with chips, and an egg on top as Fernando Pessoa liked it, light and refreshing salads, or a Lisbon breakfast, recalling the habit of Almada Negreiros, who made it his morning ritual at A Brasileira every day. Traditional pastries, joined by treasures of national confectionery such as the Pastel de Nata (custard tart) or convent sweets that recreate traditional monastic recipes, all of them go well with the anonymous and humble galão (coffee with milk); the secret is a good coffee, and good coffee is from A Brasileira!

KB: What is the best coffee on the menu and why should people try it?

A signature of the Café that is an affirmation of the space where one of the most ingrained habits in Portuguese culture – having a coffee – was created, and where the well-known term “bica”, equivalent to an expresso coffee, was born.

A Brasileira do Chiado’s own batch, resulting from a careful selection and blend of coffee bean varieties, has special and unique characteristics such as sweetness, body, and aroma, which make A Brasileira coffee a gourmet drink for true connoisseurs. So, we would recommend a “bica” to taste a real coffee as Portuguese love to enjoy it!

KB: The cafe was and is very loved. What is the reason?

The history of A Brasileira carries with it many other stories. It has been through many time periods, political systems and turning points in Portugal’s history. Through it all, it has maintained its essence and perpetuated the memories of many artists and anonymous patrons who have found here a place unlike any other, for over a hundred years.

The plush interior décor made A Brasileira a rendezvous point for the great and the good of the day: lawyers, doctors, teachers, writers, and so many famous artists, Portuguese and others. It was also a meeting point for revolutionaries who eventually took part in establishing the Republic in 1910. With the freedom achieved in the period after the establishment of the Portuguese Republic, and due to its privileged location, A Brasileira became one of the most popular cafés in Lisbon at the time and was the scene of numerous intellectual, artistic and literary gatherings. Renowned writers and artists such as Fernando Pessoa and Almada Negreiros found at A Brasileira the inspiration for paradoxical concepts and ideas.

It was very loved by writers and still is. And so many others passionate about poetry, architecture and History.

KB: Describe for the RSR readers what they would see on a visit to A Brasileira Cafe.

Wherever you look, you will see, and feel, History. With the importance it took on in Portugal’s cultural life, A Brasileira still keeps its identity intact – for the specificity of its decoration and the symbolism due to links with intellectual circles. Designed by architect Manuel Norte Júnior, one of the most notable architects of his generation, the design of the luxurious, Parisian-style façade has become an image of the Café. Classified since 1997 as heritage of public interest, today it is one of the oldest cafés in Lisbon, and one of only three that survived the entire 20th century and remain open. Being classified as heritage, the Café keeps its architecture, furniture and interior design intact from the beginning, making a visit a true time travel experience.

In 2017, the municipality of Lisbon distinguished A Brasileira with the award “Stores with History”, awarded based on the interest of its activity over the years and the existence and preservation of material, cultural and historical heritage.

KB: Why should people visit A Brasileira Cafe?

A Brasileira is the beating heart of Chiado neighborhood and a literary, architectural, and artistic treasure that is part of Lisbon’s history.

Stepping into A Brasileira is like stepping back in time. One of Lisbon’s oldest and most emblematic cafés invites you to come inside and enjoy the meeting point of the intellectuals of times past, full of History in a century-old space that preserves its original charm and elegance.

Today, as before, A Brasileira continues to fulfil its purpose as a driver for change and a stage for artistic effervescence. It does so every time people meet at one of its hexagonal tables, but especially in every story told in “Mensagem de Lisboa”, Brasileira’s digital newspaper born where Almada wrote part of his famous Manifesto. Today, as then, we believe that we can play a part in change.

Check out the cafe’s website: HERE

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