Nicolau/Amelia/Basílio brunch cafe food review

Hi everyone, I'm coming back with another food review!

Brunch cafes are all the rage in Lisbon at the moment. It doesn't mean we're getting more people sleeping until noon though - it just means that the food is so appetizing that you just want to eat it any time of the day! Poached eggs on toast, salads, pancakes, waffles, smoothies, lattes, you name it. And I'm a big brunch lover, just not in the traditional moulds. Sometimes you just need a "treat yourself!" kind of meal.

Nicolau Lisboa was one of the first brunch cafés in Lisbon and you could say it was the one that started this trend here. Right in the heart of the downtown area, it attracts both the millenials and visitors alike. They have an indoor area but also a place to sit down outdoors. Because of its popularity, it's always crowded, but so worth the wait! Usually when you arrive you have to tell them your name, how many people are sitting down with you (you can also go solo, no problem) and where you'd prefer to sit.

Eggs on toast to fulfill your Instagram needs.

It became so popular that the owners decided to build two other cafés soon after - Amélia and Basílio. With Nicolau portrayed as a wiener dog, Amélia is a poodle who's Nicolau's girlfriend, and their cousin is Basílio, a Jack Russell. The three of them offer more of less the same options for a meal, with slight variations. I must confess I end up visiting Amélia the most (so the pictures on this post are from it), but any of the three is good, it's more of a question of which location is more suitable for you.

Sigh, I cannot resist colorful food with layers and different textures. Can you?

Their menu has loads of items, so it can be very hard for you to narrow it down to whatever you feel like eating (everything sounds so appetizing!). But fear not, they have a brunch set with some of their classics. Albeit simple, it can give you a very good idea of the quality of their food. For 15€, you can get coffee/tea, their standard pancake (and it's oh so fluffy!) with either nutella, honey or red berries jam, avocado simple toast/ salmon toast, a bowl of yogurt, fruit and granola, and orange juice. It's a good variety for a nice price, isn't it?

Basílio will probably the easiest for you to visit, since it was the last one that opened and it's a little bit hidden. Have you visited any of these cafés? If not, do you like brunch food? Share your thoughts below, or on my Facebook page and Instagram :) See ya!