A Brasileira
| The Brazilian Lady Cafe (Café A Brasileira) | |
| Coffeehouse | |
 The iconic façade of the Café A Brasileira with the figure of Fernando Pessoa at his usual table
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| Official name: Café A Brasileira | |
| Named for: original Brazilian coffee-beans sold in half kilo sacks; brasileira Portuguese is the feminine noun of Brazilian | |
| Nickname: A Brasileira | |
| Country | Portugal |
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| Region | Lisbon |
| Sub-region | Grande Lisboa |
| District | Lisbon |
| Municipality | Lisbon |
| Location | Chiado (Sacramento) |
| - elevation | 39 m (128 ft) |
| - coordinates | 38°42′38.49″N 9°8′31.37″W / 38.7106917°N 9.1420472°WCoordinates: 38°42′38.49″N 9°8′31.37″W / 38.7106917°N 9.1420472°W |
| Length | 19.63 m (64 ft), North-South |
| Width | 9.66 m (32 ft), West-East |
| Architects | Manuel Joaquim Norte Júnior, José Pacheco |
| Styles | Art Nouveau, Art Deco |
| Materials | Concrete, Steel |
| Origin | Unknown |
| - Opened | 19 November 1905 |
| Restoration | c. 1908 |
| - Restoration | c. 1922 |
| For public | Public |
| Easiest access | 120 Rua Garrett, Largo do Chiado |
| Status | Property of Public Interest |
| Listing | Decree 67/97, 31 December 1997 |
 Location of the café within the municipality of Lisbon
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The Café A Brasileira (The Brazilian Lady Cafe) is a café at 120 Rua Garrett (at one end of the Largo do Chiado in the district of the same name), in civil parish of Sacramento, near the Baixa-Chiado metro stop and close to the University. One of the oldest and most famous cafés in the old quarter of Lisbon, that ensures constant activity, the shop was open by Adrian Telles to import and sell Brazilian coffee in the 19th century, then a rarity in the households of Lisbon. Over time the space has been the meeting point for intellectuals, artists, writers and free-thinkers, weathering financial difficulties and becoming a tourist attraction, as much as another coffee-shop.
During the middle of the 19th century, the Hotel Borges is founded along the Travessa de Estevão Galhardo, in the proximity of the Hotel Universal (in the old Barcelinhos Palace, later the Chiado warehouses). The space is successively operated within the upper floors of the building, while a shop (operated by Ramiro Leão) functioned on the main floor. In 1868, Elie Bénard inaugurated a small bakery along Rua Garret at no. 104-106, while the Grande Hotel Borges continues to operate under its proprietor António Borges Areias (by 1883).
The A Brasileira was opened by Adriano Telles on 19 November 1905 at No.122 (an old shirt shop), to sell "genuine Brazilian coffee" from the State of Minas Gerais, a product generally unappreciated in homes of Lisboetas of that period. In order to promote his product, Telles offered each shopper, who bought a kilogram of ground coffee (for 720 réis), a free cup of coffee. It was the first shop to sell the "bica", a small cup of strong coffee, similar to espresso. The founder, who lived in Brazil and imported his products, had no problem in importing coffee, goiabada, tapioca, spices, tea, flour, in addition to wine and olive oils.
In 1907 the owner of A Brasileira opened a similar establishment in Braga, the Café A Brasileira (Braga).
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Wikipedia