The owner’s name is Eugenia and the history of her café is a “funny” one: she worked in a school nearby, but she did not like working there very much. She took care of the children when they were on their break, but while during school hours her work was more quiet. Bored, but still without another job in sight, she found herself forced to find an escape as an excuse to get out of there. One day, while passing through the street of Bonjardim, she saw a shop that was about to wander and thought she could open a café in that space, betting on her homemade dumplings, something she loved to do. And so Geninha appeared, the name by which she was called at school, where she could share her cakes and snacks.

Situated in the street with the same name, the Padaria S. Dinis is a hot bread establishment, with fresh bread served daily. For this reason alone, it would already deserve the attention of our senses. However, the Padaria S. Dinis is much more than that, it is also known for its varied pastries, having Berlin balls (the Berlin ball is a traditional German cooking cake, whose recipe arrived in Portugal during the Second World War by Jewish refugees, becoming an immediate success. It is sprinkled with sugar, but while the Berliner is garnished with mainly red sweets (strawberry, raspberry, etc.), the Berliner ball is filled with a yellow sweet called pastry cream through a side blow and is always visible. With the exponential sale of this product, the flavours of the filling have also increased. The Berlin balls are fried before being stuffed with the pastry cream. Their German counterparts have a slightly smaller diameter and are usually sprinkled with powdered sugar. In Portugal, you can find Berlin balls in most bakeries, which sometimes also have them without filling. They are consumed a lot on the beaches from north to south of the country during the summer), cream pastries, various versions of éclairs and croissants, just to mention a few, as well as for its daily meals, based on the tradition of Portuguese, regional and local cuisine, with modern versions of some well-known dishes and having its version of the famous Francesinha (a sandwich from the city of Porto, consisting of sausage, fresh sausage, ham, cold meats and beef steak, covered with cheese later melted; it is garnished with a tomato, beer and piri-piri sauce and can be served with French fries as a side dish), and ‘Tripas à moda do Porto’ (the most representative dish of Porto that dates back to the time of the Portuguese Discoveries is cooked with tripe and fat meat, accompanied with thick slices of dark bread; today instead of bread white beans are used). The service is attentive and personalised and the space is welcoming, having a family atmosphere.

Officially founded in 1959, Café Santiago had opened doors before as a grazing house and tavern. Francesinha Santiago has always been the main reference of the establishment, having emerged as a result of the refining of typical Francesinha do Porto by members of the Pereira family. Its carefully selected ingredients, 100% artisanal cooking processes and the well-known special sauce whose recipe is a family secret, give Francesinha Santiago the highest reference status in national cuisine. Santiago F emerged in 2011 from the need to expand the business in light of the remarkable demand felt in the original space.