Buna Café (Lisbon)

Coffee is a serious matter in Lisbon, and the city's cafes, from old-fashioned pastry shops with marble counters to small independent spots with a modern menu, are among the best ways to see how locals spend their day. Buna Café is one of the small independent places in the Baixa, the flat, gridded lower town between the castle hill and the river, and it is typical of the new wave of coffee shops that have appeared in the city in the last decade. Details such as menu, hours and ownership change often in places like this, so it is worth checking before a visit.

The name is a clue to the kind of place it is. Buna is the word for coffee in Amharic and in several other languages of Ethiopia, the country where the coffee plant is believed to have originated, and it is used by many roasters and cafes as a way of honouring the drink's roots. Coffee shops that use the name usually take a serious interest in the beans, the roast and the preparation, and a small space in Lisbon with this name is likely to offer a more carefully made cup than a standard counter.

Portuguese coffee has its own vocabulary, and a visit is a chance to learn it. A bica, as the espresso is called in Lisbon, is a small, strong shot; a pingo or garoto is an espresso with a dash of milk; a galão is a tall glass of milky coffee, usually drunk at breakfast; a meia de leite is half coffee and half milk in a cup, and an abatanado is an espresso lengthened with hot water. Ask for a cimbalino if you are in the Porto region, and a bica in Lisbon, and you will blend in. Most cafes serve a small selection of pastries, among them the pastel de nata, the custard tart, a croissant or a toasted sandwich, and the usual way of drinking coffee is standing at the counter, quickly, though many people also sit down with a book.

The Baixa itself is a pleasant place for a coffee stop. Its straight streets, laid out after the earthquake of 1755, are lined with 18th-century buildings with iron balconies and tiled facades, and the pedestrian Rua Augusta leads to the Praça do Comércio and the river. Side streets are quieter than the main avenues, and a small cafe in one of them can offer a break from the crowds. The Santa Justa lift, the castle hill and the Rossio square are all a short walk away.

A cafe like this suits a short pause between sights, a place to read, write or watch the street. Prices are lower than in the main squares, and the experience is simple.