Café Majestic
Mirrors, carved wood and leather banquettes: a café built for the Belle Époque and still serving coffee a century on.
At a glance
The Café Majestic opened on the Rua Santa Catarina in Porto in December 1921, designed by the architect João Queirós. Behind a carved stone front lies a single long room in the Art Nouveau taste: walls of mirrors and carved wood, leather seats, cherubs and a glass roof at the rear. It was the meeting place of the city’s writers and artists, and remains one of the most beautiful cafés in Europe.
Key facts
- Location: Rua Santa Catarina 112, Porto
- Architect: João Queirós
- Opened: 17 December 1921
- Style: Art Nouveau / Belle Époque
- Function: historic café, still open
History
Porto in 1921 wanted a café to rival those of Paris and Lisbon, and a local owner commissioned Queirós to design one in the latest taste. Opened just before Christmas, it was first named the Elite, then renamed the Majestic.
It became the haunt of Porto’s intellectuals through the twentieth century, fell quiet, and was restored in the 1990s. Today it draws visitors from around the world, as much for the room as for the coffee.
What you see
The long room is lined floor to ceiling in carved dark wood and tall mirrors, with carved cherubs over the frames and a leaded-glass skylight above the back. Brass, marble and leather complete the scene. It is the Belle Époque café preserved whole, a single Art Nouveau interior you can sit inside.
Practical information
- Open: daily, café hours
- Cost: the price of a coffee; often a queue
- Best for: the carved-wood-and-mirror interior
- Time needed: 30–60 minutes
Getting there
The café is on the Rua Santa Catarina, Porto’s main shopping street, a short walk from the Bolhão metro station and the city centre.
Nearby
- Rua Santa Catarina — the pedestrian shopping street at the door
- Capela das Almas — the azulejo-tiled chapel nearby
Sources
- Wikipedia — Majestic Café
- Câmara Municipal do Porto / Comércio com História — café heritage
- Wikimedia Commons — image source and licence
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