The Shop

Considered the oldest café in Braga, Café Vianna is one of the city’s emblematic venues and tourist attractions. A meeting point for lively gatherings, it has made its mark on several generations and there is not a single inhabitant of Braga who has not sat down at its terrace, right next to the fountain, on a summer’s evening. But if the tertulian experiences captivate, its architecture and the refinement of its decoration, with its stuccoes, golden friezes, generous mirrors, marbles or furniture, still fascinate those who visit this space, as it did in 1875, when "there were only two main cafés, in Campo Sant’Ana, and in the gallery that is vulgarly called Debaixo da Arcada (under the arcade), the most luxurious is the Café Vianna, adorned with magnificent mirrors and comfortable and cosy divans (…) and magnificent billiards.”

Shop History

Café Vianna was founded in 1858 by Manuel José da Cunha Vianna. Local newspapers, dating back to 1858, mention the importance of Vianna to the city of Braga, and report how artists, politicians, and writers like Eça de Queirós or Camilo Castelo Branco, were regular guests there. From Vianna’s chairs they observed society, which they would later narrate in their artistic expressions. The famous, and now extinct, games room often hosted political meetings, some of them decisive for the country’s history, such as the famous 28th of May Movement in 1926, led by General Gomes da Costa. The Movement started from the Café Vianna and led to the end of the First Portuguese Republic. Years before, in 1921, an unusual shortage of metal for the manufacture of coins, led Café Vianna to produce cédulas (banknotes) that circulated throughout the city, as an official substitute for money.

The space maintains the original decoration and furniture, with an imposing interior of elaborate ceilings, marble tables, sumptuous sofas and monumental mirrors. This continues to be a place of reference for generations of locals around the world.
Ah… if only Vianna’s walls could talk!
Come and be a part of our history!

Products and Services

Coffee, bar and quick meals.

Business Hours

Contacts

Parish: União das freguesias de Braga (São José de São Lázaro e São João do Souto)
Address: Praça da República 8-12 , 4710-305 Braga
Postal Code: 4710-305 Braga
253262336
cafevianna1858@gmail.com

General Data

Main activity: Restaurants, pubs, café and Hotels
Opening Year: 1858
Main Code of Economic Activity (CAE): 56301