Located in the heart of Lisbon, the new dining concept from the Sana Group, which owns hotels and restaurants in various regions of the country, also includes a pastry shop with in-house production throughout the day and a coffee roasting service.
It is one of the favorite foods of many Portuguese people and also one of the star products of the new Bread & Friends. Located at number 8 on Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo, in the heart of Lisbon, the new dining concept from the Sana Group, which owns hotels and restaurants in various regions of the country, also includes a bakery, a pastry shop with in-house production throughout the day, and a coffee bean roasting service.
“The first Bread & Friends location presents an original and fully transparent production stage, where the essence of Portuguese bread is crafted daily to meet the demands of modern society,” the company states in a press release. The new café is one of the dining spaces within the Epic Sana Marquês hotel, which also houses the Italian restaurant Allora. One of its main highlights is the handcrafted, Alentejo-inspired bread, made with high-quality sourdough, slowly fermented for 48 to 72 hours.
Bread lovers can also enjoy or take home traditionally made rye bread or a yellow corn broa, prepared using a scalded corn flour technique to achieve a moist gelatinized texture, reminiscent of those made in the past. Another specialty is the chestnut and fennel bread, where the chestnut cooking water is reused to enhance the dough’s flavors, giving it a unique taste.
Kneaded and baked in front of customers, this artisanal bread rivals the pastries that Bread & Friends produces daily. “The pastry selection is traditional and also crafted in full view of customers. The menu includes classics such as Bolas de Berlim, made from a butter brioche with extended fermentation and sourdough addition, as well as the brioche craquelin, filled with artisanal creams,” the document states.
The sweetest tooths can opt for a chocolate babka, a cake made with sweet, laminated dough fermented for 24 hours, filled with chocolate, walnuts, and crunchy praline. “Bread & Friends also features bundt cake-style muffins, with a moist texture and artisanal toppings,” the company states.
To accompany these treats, customers can choose from two coffee blends, roasted in-house at different times throughout the day.
“Our offering is based on two product ranges: traditional, everyday coffee and gourmet coffee, made from beans roasted artisanally in our store,” the business group explains. Bread & Friends’ coffee originates from Uganda (Robusta) and Guatemala (Arabica).
As the first in a planned network of dining spaces that the company intends to expand across the country in the coming years, Bread & Friends operates daily from 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM.
