Ele Ela Café

La Cabra is the coffee here, and the cappuccino is the drink that shows it. Ele Ela Café is a specialty coffee café in Lisbon’s Santos-o-Velho, trading since 2020 and led by coffee rather than by a kitchen: espresso drinks, a pastry case that takes gluten-free and vegan baking seriously, and a design-conscious room people sit in far longer than a bica takes.

Coffee drinks, matcha and cakes

The beverage programme is anchored by La Cabra, the Danish specialty roaster that supplies the café. The drinks most associated with the place are espresso staples, above all the cappuccino, singled out for its presentation and its latte art. Milk work is clearly part of the house standard, and the same base carries the latte for anyone who wants something longer.

Matcha is on the board too, and tea is a real part of the offer rather than an afterthought. Named food beside the coffee includes chocolate croissants, gluten-free cheesecake, gluten-free carrot cake, orange cake, avocado croissants, vegan cakes and vegan pastries. The pastry case is central, particularly for the gluten-free and vegan sweets, which are hard to find alongside coffee this considered.

A casual Lisbon café with a design-led room

The atmosphere is warm and visually polished: a lovely interior, smiley-faced cups, photographs for sale on the walls and music people notice. One reading calls it surfer-inspired, another Scandinavian; the common thread is a style-led space rather than a formal dining room. The café also keeps a local running-club connection through Ele Ela Running Club, which says something about the crowd.

The experience is casual and flexible. Dine-in, takeaway and delivery all work, there is outdoor seating, and the room suits solo visits and laptop sessions. The entrance and seating are wheelchair accessible. Service gets consistent praise, with baristas who are young, friendly and attentive. It is a Santos café for focused coffee, a pastry, a laptop hour or a relaxed break rather than an elaborate meal.

Order the cappuccino with a chocolate croissant

For a first order, take a cappuccino with a chocolate croissant. The cappuccino reflects the espresso work and the latte art, while the chocolate croissants draw the strongest praise of anything in the case. A latte is the other straightforward milk drink on the same La Cabra base.

If cake is the priority, the gluten-free carrot cake and the gluten-free cheesecake are the standout names, and the carrot cake in particular is held up among gluten-free sweets in Lisbon. The avocado croissant is the clearest savoury-leaning choice, and vegan cakes and pastries extend the plant-based side. Orange cake and a Basque cheesecake turn up as well, completing a pastry-focused café where the strongest order is coffee first, then a bake from the counter.