A new Portuguese restaurant, Azorean Cafe, has recently opened in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood. Located at 4715 Liberty Ave., the new arrival serves breakfast and lunch with a menu that emphasizes traditional Azorean regional fare.
The cafe comes courtesy of Elsa Santos, a native of São Miguel, an island in the Portuguese archipelago Azores, the business says on its website.
For breakfast, there are light sandwiches, such as the sandes with butter, cheese and chorizo, and the mista with butter, cheese and dry-cured ham.
Lunch items include the bifana sandwich (pork loin with sautéed onions, lettuce and tomato in a garlic sauce served on a Portuguese roll) and the polvo guisado (baked octopus marinated in olive oil with onions and potatoes). Baked goods and a selection of caffeinated beverages are also available.
Azorean Cafe has proven to be a popular addition to the neighborhood thus far, with a 4.5-star rating out of three reviews on Yelp.
Nick W., who was among the first Yelpers to review the new spot on May 28, said, "Excellent pastéis (egg tart pastry) and octopus. It has a coffee shop atmosphere with delicious food. Authentically Portuguese."
Yelper DJ J. added, "The staff is very friendly and will explain the items on the menu. Elsa, the owner, is very sweet, checking on you and your satisfaction with your food. Really enjoyed the feijoada for lunch, a Portuguese stew of beans, pork and chorizo. It's a very large bowl of deliciousness."
Swing on by to take a peek for yourself and try a Portuguese dish: Azorean Cafe is open from 6:30 a.m.–8 p.m. on weekdays and 7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. on Saturday. (It's closed on Sunday.)
