Majestic Cafe: Portugal

in Cinnamon Cup Coffee2 years ago

Majestic Cafe opened its doors in 1922 and today it is every bit as Majestic as it was back then. The Cafe-restaurant is located in the city of Porto Portugal and is a highly recommended destination in the city.

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From a personal perspective I would say that the experience is worth the slightly higher price tag based on the quality of food and the romanticized atmosphere.

Price is definitely a relative concept here though. The prices in the Majestic Cafe were more expensive compared to normal rates in Portugal but equal or even less than some other standard places that we've eaten at in Europe. To put it into perspective I would say that this elevated experience cost about the same as what we paid for a regular breakfast in the Netherlands or Switzerland for similar items.

Ambiance and Decor


The interior of the Cafe is exquisitely decorated in an Art Nouveau style. It has green marble floors and charming white topped tables with carved wooden chairs.

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Stamped leather benches are situated around the perimeter. The walls are adorned with flemish style mirrors inlaid in intricately carved wooden frames.

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Metalworked lamps hang from an ornately plastered ceiling, lighting the interior in a warm golden glow.

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The Cafe is small but it feels open and airy.

My picture barely shows it but a man in a white coat stands at the door greeting guests and showing them to a table while friendly servers, also dressed in immaculate white coats, smile to guest and take their orders.

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The place is fancy without being pretentious, snobish or fussy. I think that refined comfort would be a good way to describe it.

Accolades


The Cafe has received many awards over the years but one that stands out among the rest comes from Cityguides. The cafe made their top 10 list of Most Beautiful Cafes in the world, coming in 6th place.

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The cafe also comes highly recommended by some celebrities. According to J.K. Rowlings biography the author spent much of her time in the Majestic Cafe while writing her first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. She Tweeted about the Cafe back in 2020 as well, stating that it was the most beautiful Cafe that she had ever written in.

Coffee and Breakfast


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As I mentioned above, we were there for breakfast. My wife and I had a cappuccino and of course a Pastel de Nata, the quintessential breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack pastry of Portugal.

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She also ordered a scone with jam and cream (sorry no photo) and I got the Majestic style French toast.

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The French toast was delicious. It was slightly crispy on the outside and gooey and creamy on the inside. It was unique and different from other versions that I've had in the past.

As you can imagine the Cafe gets pretty busy throughout the day. We arrived on a Tuesday shortly after it opened and it was quite full by the time we left.

Cafe Majestic really lives up to its name so head over there early in the morning to ensure that you'll get a table, you wont regret it!

Well thats it for now. Until next time, thanks for stopping by.

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 2 years ago  

Hello @leaky20
It looks and sounds amazing and I am pleased to hear about the cost and how it compares to the rest of Europe. However, this is what sold it to me.

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The place is fancy without being pretentious, snobbish, or fussy.

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I like what see, and I would probably put on a nice pair of shoes to enter.

The French toast was delicious. It was slightly crispy on the outside and gooey and creamy on the inside.

That's interesting. I'm not overly keen on "gooey" food, but I would be delighted to receive an order like that.

Beautiful chinaware that compliments the establishment nicely.

You surely have a knack for finding greatness.

Have a lovely day:-)))

 2 years ago  

Yeah it's not the type of place that one has to dress up at in order to enter but wearing nice pair of shoes never hurts... actually in a literal sense I hear that nice shoes almost always hurt women 😕 ... lol 😂

Yeah that's fair about not liking gooey foods. Maybe that was a bad choice of words. Lol

 2 years ago  

Oh, just seeing the words uncomfortable shoes hurts my nerves. My feet are my sensitive zone, and I always gave my new shoes to my mum to walk in around the house to break them in...🤣... but I think it's great to wear nice shoes, apparently, that's what the eyes see first on a woman... or so I'm told.

"gooey"... hmmm, I think it's one of those similar words to "moist" ... but in your own words,

"was delicious"...

so I guess that what matters 😁

 2 years ago  

gooey"... hmmm, I think it's one of those similar words to "moist"

Haha yeah I see your point.

 2 years ago  

🤣😊🙃

All I can think of, is the time that it took you to erase people's face in the picture 😌

The café looks amazing!!

 2 years ago  

Hahaha 😂
Yeah, sometimes I just feel wrong posting photos of other people's faces, especially if they are looking directly at the camera. I usually draw sunglasses on them but since this photo was taken inside I thought it would look weird 🤣

Ooo, I don't remember seeing this one in Porto 😪 Looks amazing! Though any cafe looks and feels amazing because of the scope of pastries on display. I don't care about anything else, haha. Drooling over here!!!

 2 years ago  

Now you know for next time, if you ever go back. A lot of people just pop in for a look and a picture. We saw that as well.

Yeah pastries are a must in Portugal or anywhere for that matter lol.

hahaha, true! we travel to experience new cultures, see new worlds and taste good food 👍
I am sure I will return one day.

In one word: Majestic :)))

 2 years ago  

Haha that's a good descriptor for it.

:D

Sometimes the best things can be expressed just in one word hahaha 😄

 2 years ago  

That is very true 😁

Extremely wonderful, how a coffee shop that opened 100 years ago still looks so spectacular, I have seen pictures of this coffee shop since it started and there have not been many major changes, it has been maintained over time, and of course I have also read very good reviews of this place, no doubt as you say the price is worth it.

 2 years ago  

It's awesome when these old buildings are well maintained and preserved. Apparently it was run down at one point but then restored to all its glory by new owners who took it on. It's very classic in my opinion.

Portugal best country for cryptopreneurship

 2 years ago  

Yeah? In what way? I know nothing about that sort of thing

First you don't pay taxes when cashing out crypto. Second I agree with you that it very much depends on what communities you are in, I was very lucky when expanding to Lisbon, LX factory was very inspirational for me. Third the regulatory environment, whereas we in Central Europe are still thinking in black boxes, so called sandboxes hindering innovation, because innovation happens at intersections Portugal has cross-sectorial Zonas Livres Tecnológicas: https://cointelegraph.com/news/portugal-chases-crypto-friendly-status-with-new-free-zones-for-tech

 2 years ago  

Okay that's interesting and good to know. Thanks for elaborating on the subject.

 2 years ago  
 2 years ago  

Thanks so much. I'll check it out. 😁

 2 years ago  

Yeah definitly keep it in mind if you go. It's worth checking out.