There are cafés in Lisbon where you can drink a bica, and then there is A Brasileira, where, according to tradition, the term itself was coined. It opened in November 1905 at 120 Rua Garrett, and in the 1920s it became a gathering place for writers and artists. One of them never left the outdoor terrace: since 1988, the statue of Fernando Pessoa has occupied one of the tables by the door.
The coffee that was originally given away
The founder, Adriano Telles, emigrated to Brazil at age 12 and made his fortune in the coffee business. Upon returning to Portugal, he opened the first Brasileira in Porto and, later, the one in Lisbon, which began as a store selling coffee and products from Brazil. It wasn’t until 1908 that it added a café, at a time when drinking coffee by the cup was uncommon, and Telles even offered it to win over customers, according to Lojas com História.
And what about the bica? Its origin is a matter of debate. One version links the word to the spout, or “bica,” of the machine; the most popular—but least likely—version links it to the sign reading “Beba Isto Com Açúcar” (“Drink This With Sugar”). The group that runs the café itself admits to Marketeer that “they say” that’s where it originated.
The paintings that critics did not applaud
In 1925, the café filled its walls with paintings by modernist artists such as Almada Negreiros, Eduardo Viana, and António Soares, which were poorly received by critics at the time. The paintings were sold in 1969 and replaced in 1971 with works by contemporary artists, which made headlines again in 2025 when they were sent for restoration and were temporarily replaced, for a few months, by paintings by young artists, according to the Jornal de Leiria.
Pessoa at the table (and his glasses)
Pessoa was a regular customer, and on the centennial of his birth in 1988, he was honored with a bronze statue by Lagoa Henriques. Inside, the poet’s glasses have been on display since 2020. The building has been designated a Property of Public Interest since 1997, and the café is now owned by the O Valor do Tempo group.
Useful Information
Where: Rua Garrett, 120/122, Lisbon (Chiado)
Hours: daily, from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.
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