New Portuguese cafe and shop opens in Banbury

Isabel Rebelo with her daughters Beatrice and Catarina Gil outside Bica Portugese Cafe Deli

Bica Portugese Cafe Deli opened its doors on Calthorpe Street on Saturday, selling hot drinks and fresh pastries, including the famous pastel de nata egg tarts.

One wall of the cafe is filled with Portuguese and Brazilian food and drinks, while a freezer contains frozen fish and meat.

Isabel and Andre Rebelo set up the business after five years of selling the Iberian goods from their garage, having come to the UK in 2000.

(L-R) Laura Gil, Catarina Gil, Isabel Rebelo and Beatrice Gil NNL-180821-133619009

Isabel said: “I’m really excited and happy as I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, we’ve always wanted to open something this.”

Bica is a real family affair as the couple’s daughters Beatrice and Catarine Gil help out, while Andre’s mother Laura Gil watches over everything as she is visiting from Portugal.

The family took the chance to rent the former garage in June and have spent the past two months refurbishing it.

The cafe backs onto a site on South Bar Street and the plan is eventually open a restaurant inside, selling Portugal’s famous peri-peri chicken.

Isabel said they will also do sandwiches soon and hope to sell takeaways from the restaurant too.

“We’ve been busy so far and we’ve had lots of support from the community so if it’s still like that then I’ll be happy. And the chicken is coming,” she said.