The Folks Alfama — Specialty Coffee

The terrace is the reason to climb up to it. The Folks Alfama sits high in Lisbon's oldest quarter, with tiled walls, tables outside, the Tejo below and Fado carrying up from the alleys. It is the Alfama branch of The Folks, a specialty coffee and brunch group that started in Lisbon in 2022 and now runs in Chiado, Blue Street, Santos, Sé and Belém as well.

Filter, espresso and an 18-hour cold brew

The coffee splits three ways. Single-origin filter is brewed on V60 and pour-over, which is the order for tasting one coffee without milk in the way. Espresso is pulled by trained baristas for anyone who wants it short. Cold brew is steeped for 18 hours, so it arrives as a considered drink rather than a jug of iced coffee.

The wider roasting programme gives the counter its range. Retail bags include Coconut Splash from Colombia, Sunset and Chelchele Funk from Ethiopia, Abraço from Costa Rica, Siesta Decaf from Colombia, Floral Echo from Ethiopia and Vale do Mel from Brazil. The flavour language runs floral and citrus at one end, through orange and black currant, to honey, brown sugar, toffee and nuts at the other, which is a fair map of what turns up in the cup.

A terrace above the old quarter

The branch is compact and terrace-centric rather than a formal brunch room. The house description calls it a quiet love letter to Lisbon's soul, and the terrace is built for slow mornings and long conversations rather than a fast turnover. Tiled walls, historic streets and the river shimmering beyond do most of the decorating.

It also works as a place to stay a while. There is WiFi, outdoor seating, food through the day and a roasting operation behind the list on the wall. The building is old, and there is a tree-shaded courtyard with mosaic work in it. Use it as a neighbourhood coffee stop, a pause while walking Alfama, or a slower brunch where the view matters as much as the cup.

Brunch beside the coffee

Food is built around a terrace-side brunch board that changes with seasonal specials, plus house-made pastries and desserts. It is designed to sit alongside the coffee rather than compete with it, which suits the pace of the room.

The most useful order is a single-origin V60 with something from the brunch board on a slow morning, or an espresso and a pastry if the walk back down through Alfama is waiting. In warm weather the 18-hour cold brew is the drink to take out onto the terrace.