It is a place where regular guests will start to feel like family members because of the warm hospitality of the people that run it. And new guests will want to come again.

Nuno and Daniela run the restaurant on a daily basis. While Nuno’s mother, Olga, helps out when necessary. Either in the restaurant or at home watching the children. Nuno’s father José likes it better to be the behind the scenes guy.

They changed the name of the restaurant 3 years ago; it used to be Tapas no Bucho (tapas in the belly or stomach). That is how my husband Frank and I first got to know it. We found out about it from a lady at Quinta dos Vales, where we had gone for a wine tasting. We asked for recommendations of a place in the neighbourhood where they would serve nice lunch dishes, and tapas was just our thing, so we went, and have kept coming back ever since. My husband died 3 years ago, but I still go, alone with my dog, or with friends and family. Because they are my absolute favourite restaurant.

I met with Nuno and Daniela, who run the restaurant on a daily basis. Nuno takes care of the tables and the guests, while Daniela provides the food for their “bucho”. A combination that will make you feel warm all over, heart, soul and belly.

A restaurant was born

Nuno’s parent, Olga & José, had two mini mercados in Lagoa, one near Pingo Doce and the other one where Brunch & Wine is located now. When the big supermarkets came to Lagoa, they sold their minimarket business, and they transformed one of them into a wine shop. Daniela had just met Nuno, and she moved from Lisbon to the Algarve to be with him, all the while looking for a job in marketing, to “honour” her degree. While the job search was going on, she and Nuno both worked in the shop and gradually got to talking about starting something of their own.

As Nuno’s parents were quite ready to stop and leave all the daily hassle to Nuno and Daniela; they started selling wine and snacks to be consumed “sur place”. From there, Daniela perfected her home cooking skills and discovered she liked putting together little dishes to go with the wine, and a tapas restaurant was born. This was in 2016.

Why change from Tapas no Bucho to Brunch & Wine by tapas no bucho

In the course of the 10 years of their existence in the middle of Lagoa, they have become a home to a faithful following of customers who come here on a regular basis, enjoying the ambience, the food, and the hospitality of both Nuno and Daniela and Nuno’s mother, Olga.

At the time, they served lunch, and later opened for dinner. That changed when they became Brunch & Wine. The change was actually brought about by their children (they have 3 now), who started complaining that they would never see each other anymore, only on Sundays. So they came up with a different formula and a different schedule. Mornings for brunch and afternoons for tapas. Their summer schedule (started on 1 June) is from 9.30 to 17.00. And whenever there are special festivities, they also open evenings and weekends.