Pestana Porto – A Brasileira
Famous for its striking entrance, with its Romanesque stone archways and wrought iron canopy, this Porto landmark actually predates the Pestana Porto – A Brasileira by over a hundred years. It originally belonged to the renowned Café a Brasileira, which opened its doors to the public on 4th May 1903.
The brainchild of 19th century coffee magnate Adriano Soares Teles do Vale – he changed the coffee drinking habits of the city’s residents. Coffee was consumed at home, until Adriano gave a free cup of coffee with every bag of (his) Brazilian beans purchased. The café quickly became the place to be for Porto’s artists, poets and politicians; the daily haunt of the city’s elite throughout the 20s and 30s.
By the close of the 20th century, the café (and the apartments above) had fallen on hard times. As with many of Portugal’s most precious architectural gems, the Pestana Hotel Group renovated and rehabilitated the building to create the Pestana Porto – A Brasileira Hotel in 2018. The Café a Brasileira is preserved in all its glory, plus the addition of a second Restaurante a Brasileira.
The apartments were transformed in eight-nine comfortable rooms and suites, and their themed décor celebrates both Adriano’s legacy and the country’s 16th century maritime heritage: when Portuguese traders sailed exotic spices around the Cape of Good Hope to Europe, and (of course) coffee across the Atlantic from Brazil.
The hotel is ideally positioned as a base from which to explore the city: the Igreja dos Clerigos and Sao Bento Train Station are close by, and it’s a short walk to the Se do Porto cathedral: leading you onto the upper deck of the Ponte Luis I bridge and the port houses in Vila Nova da Gaia. The popular pop-up bars and restaurants of Cedofeita are just to the north, the bustling riverfront Cais da Ribeira to the south – and not forgetting the Teatro Sa da Bandeira which is just next door.
