The Portuguese flag is about to be firmly planted on Dorchester Avenue in Savin Hill with the upcoming opening of Lisboa Café – the long-time dream of Raquel Semedo, who was born and raised in Portugal but boasts deep Cape Verdean roots.
She was a recipient of the competitive Supporting Pandemic Affected Community Enterprises (SPACE) grant in 2024, and after a long search, she signed a lease three months ago for space in a newly constructed building at 1078 Dorchester Ave. and Elton Street (former site of Theo’s Pizza), where she hopes to open by August or September.
Last week, she held an abutter’s meeting to discuss her application for one of the new restricted all-alcohol restaurant licenses for enhancing dining experiences.
Standing in what is still an empty shell, she talked about her designs for Portuguese-style blue and white mosaic floor tiles, a center island serving area, and calming beige wall tones and added that she sees a great future there in tandem with the community.
“I’m happy and excited and proud of what I’ve done here so far,” she said. “I’m thankful for all the support I’ve gotten. It’s all very overwhelming. That’s the closest word because there are no words to describe it fully. I think about the future and how it will be here in one year. I have such a good feeling about it. And that’s because I’m doing this for the community, that this will be as much their place as mine.”
The 39-year-old Semedo, who has family connections to the owners of the Cape Verdean Restarante Cesária on Bowdoin Street, pursued a degree in Travel and Tourism in the United Kingdom and spent a lot of time there working in restaurants and hotels – supervising and managing and getting a feel for the business. She credits her first job at McDonald’s in Portugal at the age of 16 for engaging her in the food service business.
“Being in Portugal, the weekdays during school were more Portuguese and then at home on the weekends were more Cape Verdean,” she said. “That’s why I really want to bring them together. Both cuisines are very similar and can go together very well. There’s an emotional aspect to that because I’m putting my life story together in one place and answering the question ‘Who is Raquel?’ for everyone. Even now, I’m exploring that inside of me with food, desserts, and emotionally.”
The 49-seat space will accommodate a pastry and coffee counter inside the doorway for people to come in quickly in the mornings, or to linger and enjoy unique Portuguese bakery items, in particular the specialty breads, and carefully selected Portuguese coffees. Large windows will accommodate window seating with prime views of Dorchester Avenue, and a large service island in the center will serve as the bar as well as a salad bar for lunch time. Noting that “kids will be well taken care of here,” she said she has carved out an area for kids to sit and be occupied while parents relax.
“Lunch will be a light menu,” Semedo said, “with salads and gourmet sandwiches. At dinner, I want to dim the lights and make things very comfortable and have relaxing music at times.”
The all-alcohol license will allow for Portuguese wines, Portuguese beers, and unique cocktails to go with food specialties like Cozida a Portuguesa (a popular stew) and Carne de Porco a Alentjana (pork shoulder and clams). She intends for the hours to encompass three meals, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Semedo, who was featured in The Reporter in early 2024, only had a concept and a dream at the time. A little more than a year later, after learning a great deal about setting up her business and networking constantly, she said she is well on her way to turning a dream into reality – a dream that has persisted throughout years of work in hospitality and restaurants worldwide.
“I’m getting a lot of good energy so far,” she said. “This location has been vacant for more than 10 years and people were wanting something – especially a café – to open here.”
