Canela provides a choice of dishes that change daily, always fresh ingredients, such as chorizo in wine, black pork chorizo bread, feijoada (black beans and smoked meats), portuguese snacks, cheese breads and a selection of cod specialities.
This branch has a dramatic black and red interior, which, coupled with an energetic musical soundtrack, serves to give the place the feel more of a nightclub than a café. By contrast, service was laid-back and amenable, with staff happy to talk first-timers through the options.
The deli counter is packed with bold, appetising salads and quiches, as well as Brazilian streets eats: chewy cheese bread (pão de queijo), a starchy drumstick-shaped snack of breaded chicken and potato (coxinha), and a thick-set lemon curd tart with a coconutty base (quindim). Coffee comes with a cinnamon stick for stirring: just as in Lisbon.