Santos à Bica: Lisbon’s new bistro not just for tourists

It opened shortly after the summer and has Portuguese proposals, but also toasts and hamburgers for a lighter meal.

The new Santos à Bica overlooks the passage of the tram.

The restoration area is not unknown to António Santos, 50, and his family. He already had an artists’ bar at the National Theater of São Carlos and also at Arco da Velha, on Rua de São Paulo. It is precisely in this street in Lisbon that a new concept was opened, Santos à Bica. This bristo, as they call it, opened shortly after the end of summer and has been receiving many tourists. Still, they don’t want to limit themselves to that audience.

“We like restaurants, contact with the public and we want to give people an option of a quiet family space, to eat, drink, snack, have a snack and be with the family. This whole concept was developed around eating for more at home”, explains António to NiT.

From this family that is part of Santos à Bica are António, who is also a graphic designer, Tânia Marvão, 41, who has always been involved in restoration, and Maria Filomena Pereira e Sousa, 63, who is a violinist at the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa.

“The pandemic unfortunately reinforced distance socialization. We think that now, more than ever, it’s important to have a space where people can come with confidence and at the same time feel in a familiar and comforting environment, where even the food is made with that in mind. ”

Cod is the most sought after dish by tourists. “The hamburgers are most requested by the younger audience. Our chicken is already in high demand by some regular customers. We also have cakes and teas for lunch. ”

Every day they prepare a soup and a quiche. They make cheese and sausage boards (13.50 €), which go well at the table with a glass of wine; some snacks, such as eggs with farinheira (€6.50), frying prawns (9 €) or the tuna nail (10 €).

Gratin XL toasts are another speciality. You can choose the four-cheese version, tuna or mixed with salami. In addition to wines (2.50 € a glass), drinks include gins, liquors, beer, sangrias, whiskey or vodka. As for cakes such as snacks, they serve hot chocolate.

In these few months that they have been in operation, the only have good comments promulgated by those who visit them. “We are very happy with the feedback from customers. Reviews have also been superimposed across all platforms we’re subscribed to. ‘Good food, nice space and fun, good service’ is what we’ve been told the most. ”

The project’s name, Santos à Bica, ended up making sense among the options it had. “First because my last name is Santos and Tânia was born in the Bica neighborhood. I’m also from Santos, but there was no end there had to be some connection to Bica, where the space is. ”

The restaurant has a capacity for 22 guests inside. There is also a small terrace outside. Over the next few months, those responsible ​​want to start having more live music and even Fado nights. Another bet is to increase the menu offer, for example.

Click on the gallery to learn more about the new Santos à Bica, in Lisbon.