After four successful years at Casa da Guia in Cascais, the Brazilian eco-lounge Palaphita has arrived in São Pedro do Estoril. Named Palaphita Deli & Market, it’s the new neighbour to Fauna & Flora, right in front of the Marginal. Unlike the open, nature-surrounded space in Cascais, this younger sibling is housed in a conventional store but with a unique concept—it's a concept store and delicatessen, where you can enjoy a light meal and shop for groceries or a variety of other items.
"We wanted a covered, safer space that we could operate year-round", explains chef Natacha Fink, one of the people behind Palaphita. "This strengthens our brand and is something we already have in Brazil".
The new Palaphita opened on August 8th, but will only be officially inaugurated on September 5th, Amazon Day, with a completely new menu. “At Casa da Guia, our kitchen is in a food truck, so we can’t prepare 70% of the things we can make here".
There are plenty of lunch options to choose from. In the salad section, try the Fink (10,90€), made with potatoes, roast beef flowers, garden greens, mustard and honey vinaigrette, pickled red onions, a toasted seed mix with turmeric, and Amazonian chestnut dust; the Chumbo (9,90€), with champagne-marinated turkey breast, garden greens, toasted sweet potato, ratatouille, Amazonian pesto, croutons, and a seed mix; or the sautéed shrimp (12,90€) or smoked salmon (13,90€) salads. You can also add any item from the counter to your plate and pay by weight.
If you’re more in the mood for a sandwich, you can’t miss the founder Mário de Andrade’s favourite, featuring house pastrami, courgette with apricot, and pickled onion on house-made potato bread (15,90€). Alternatively, you could go for a hot dog with German sausage, gratinéed with Azores cheese (9,90€).
You can also order the Nosso Atum (15,90€), a tataki of tuna with Sichuan pepper, pumpkin pâté, garden greens, sardela, spiced couscous, courgette with apricot, and Amazonian chutney; or the Veggie (14,90€), featuring smoked tofu with sesame and cashew jelly, spiritual mushroom, Greek salad, tapenade, quinoa tabbouleh, a mix of leaves, and Adelaide-style aubergine with a crunchy Brazil nut topping. Give the American sandwich (13,90€) a try, which comes with a choice of salad and is very popular in Northern Brazil; or the Carioca stuffed potatoes, which means either a baked potato or sweet potato filled with mushroom cream (12,90€), cod cream (13,90€), or Fink’s stroganoff (15,90€), all served with a seed mix. For an extra 1€, you can add crispy potato sticks or fried onions.
To complement your meal, there are kombuchas (6,50€), a variety of juices in different flavours, sizes, and prices, fruit lemonades, coffees and related beverages, smoothies (6€), and a cocktail menu that deserves attention. For instance, the São Pedro caipirinha is made with tangerine, but you can also opt for the passion fruit version or the caipivara, with a mix of seasonal fruits. Other standout drinks include the cashew daiquiri, the mojito with rose syrup, and the Sofia (vodka with Amazonian soursop and drops of Jerusalem roses). Almost all cocktails are available in both smaller and larger sizes, with prices varying by about 2€.
"It’s a fusion of our Amazonian roots, our Polish or Peruvian heritage, and also everything we’ve absorbed over the years in Portugal. It’s suitable for everything: to take and enjoy at the beach, to bring home after the beach, or to eat and have fun here after a day at the beach", adds Natacha Fink.
The venue is a former 200-square-metre surf shop that has undergone extensive "set design" work. The straw and greenery evoking the Amazon are everywhere—it's the Palaphita jungle in an indoor format. Since it’s located in a residential area, there was also an "acoustic treatment" implemented to isolate the sound of music or people inside.
There are 30 seats in the main room and a small terrace filled with flowers, designed to encourage informal socialising. And you can’t overlook the bathroom, which ranks among the most original in Lisbon and its surroundings, featuring a true throne built around the toilets—complete with a crown or tiara and everything!
At the table or in the pantry at home
The big new feature of this Palaphita is the delicatessen component. Cold cuts, salads, sweets, pickles, vinegars, oils, desserts, vegetables, fruits, and Palaphita-branded wines are some of the products available at the counter. They produce much of their own specialities, from charcuterie to salads. Additionally, they have partnered with small regional producers, both Portuguese and Brazilian, to offer items like quince cubes and jams, among many other products. "We don’t have anything industrialised".
Alongside the grocery items, there are surfboards for sale—a nod to Lucas Fink, an athlete in skimboarding—swimwear and beachwear, natural cosmetics, plants, and indigenous crafts. "More than just a commercial aspect, we want to showcase these indigenous pieces to promote them. These communities are starting to export, and it’s one of their main sources of income to remain on their land".
Everything seems to fit into the new Palaphita, as long as it aligns with the ideals guiding the project’s philosophy. "We want to share a bit of our lifestyle. Anything can be here as long as it makes sense with our vision, with Palaphita’s origins in the Amazon, with products that respect nature or that contribute to the idea of reducing pollution. The goal is to have no empty spaces on these shelves in six months. We want to have much more for sale".
The new concept is closely tied to the history of Palaphita and its founder, Mário de Andrade, who was raised in Manaus, in the north of Brazil. In Manaus, it was so difficult to obtain products manufactured in the southeast of the country—where much of the nation’s economy and industry are concentrated—that a "free zone" was established. This zone allowed international products to be exempt from taxes, giving the local population better access to a range of goods.
"It was easier for us to get things that came by boat, via the rivers, from Europe or the East. So, without having to pay taxes, we became privileged. In Manaus and northern Brazil, only Swiss chocolates or American products were available. When I moved to Rio de Janeiro at 16 to study, I was shocked: where are all my things? They’re not here?" recalls Mário de Andrade.
Inspired by this market gap, as in the city of Rio de Janeiro and other places local products were more common, Mário opened the first delicatessen in Rio de Janeiro on May 1, 1983, featuring a range of international products that were rare in the area. "We were the first to import Pringles potato chips and Diet Coca-Cola", he recalls. By coincidence, the very first customer to enter Casa dos Sabores—the name of that initial project—was none other than Chico Buarque. It was a sign of the prosperity that the business would come to enjoy.
Rua Sacadura Cabral, 40, Estoril. Mon 11.00-22.00; Wed-Thu, Sun 12.00-22.00; Fri-Sat 12.00-23.00. +351 21 467 6075