Owner of popular Portuguese patisserie plans to open second branch in this Sheffield suburb

Lisboa Patisserie - Fábrica de Pastéis de Nata opened in at St Paul’s Parade in the Peace Gardens in December 2018, and since then has gained a reputation for its authentic Portuguese tarts, pastries and coffee.

Owner Dan Martins is gearing up to open a second branch of Lisboa at 238 Crookes, on the corner of Springvale Road, which will have the capacity for 23 seats and “the same amount, if not more” outside.

Dan says he is currently working towards opening the Crookes branch in June, and believes having a larger kitchen at the new premises will give him the opportunity to expand Lisboa’s food offering.

"What opening the new café in Crookes will allow us to do is to expand on our authentic Portuguese food offering, which includes pastries that we make fresh every day; and having the space there will mean we can make more things and will be able to experiment more,” he said.

Lisboa’s primary focus as they expand the food offering will be to add more dishes to their vegan and free from ranges, and they will also be looking to serve up a more typically Portuguese lunch selection comprised of soups, quiches and sandwiches.

Dan added: “We’re also trying to create a really nice outside area, we’ve got space either side, and so there's the potential for the same amount of seats outside as inside, if not more. A café with a big outside space is one of the things Crookes lacks. We’re going to try and make it green, and make it a space people really like.”

30-year-old Dan is from Portugal and moved to the UK in 2008, and moved to Sheffield a year later to study at the University of Sheffield.

"I came here to study, and never left,” laughed Dan, adding: “I’ve always loved coffee, and have always wanted to open a café and it made sense to open something that Sheffield didn’t have. I think bringing authentic Portuguese coffee and patisserie is what helps to set us apart. It’s what our customers like about us, and we do try to be as authentic as possible – with recipes and ingredients, some of which are brought over from Portugal.”

While using traditional recipes and ensuring the food is authentically Portuguese is important to Dan and the Lisboa team, there is also an emphasis on innovation and flavour experimentation.

As with most hospitality businesses, the last year has been tremendously challenging for Lisboa due to Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions.

But Dan says the support they have received from their loyal customers has meant that the periods of time they have been open for have been “amazing.”

"We’ve got such lovely customers who are always checking in with us,” he said.

Dan is now looking at reopening the city centre café from May 17, and he says the safety of customers and staff has been of paramount importance throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

"We’re very positive about what's left of this year, and especially next year when things will hopefully return to some form of normality,” he added.

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