At Frida, it’s not just about having dinner. It’s about stepping into a home where food is memory, celebration, and identity. A place where Mexican tradition is lived with authenticity, but also with emotion — and where Bombarda emerges as the natural setting for this story.
“There is a commitment to ensuring that each dish has its own beauty and is, in itself, an artistic creation.”
From a first meeting to building a life together
Q: Your first connection happened while you were Erasmus students in Poland. When you met, did you ever imagine you would one day be cooking together… in Porto, in Bombarda?
João: Not at all. We met while studying — I was in Economics and Sol in Engineering — and our plans were simply to pursue careers in those fields. Cooking together, let alone opening a restaurant in Porto, wasn’t part of our plans at the time.
Q: Reuniting in Mexico changed the course of your lives. What shifted when you decided to build a life there together?
João: It was in Mexico that everything started to take shape. Sol moved शहर to be with me and enrolled in a Mexican cooking course at a very well-regarded school. That’s when she developed a real passion for cooking — and when we first started talking about the possibility of one day opening a Mexican restaurant in Portugal.
Q: After four years in Mexico, you set off on an 18-month journey across Latin America. What were the most memorable moments from that experience?
João: It’s hard to choose. We travelled through 17 countries and something memorable happened almost every day. But what stayed with us the most were the people — like a family in Quito who welcomed us into their home for a month without asking for anything in return.
Sol: There were also difficult moments — we lost the brakes more than once, faced extreme heat and cold, and dealt with constant breakdowns. But all of that taught us a lot.
João: We lived with the bare essentials — sometimes with just 20 litres of water for everything. That simplicity made us realise how little you actually need to be happy.
Q: How did that experience contribute to the idea of opening a restaurant?
João: During the trip, we stayed with several chefs in Colombia, Argentina, and Brazil, which was incredibly important for us. We knew Mexican cuisine, but we had no experience working in or managing a restaurant. That’s when we began to better understand that world.
From travels to Frida in Bombarda
Q: What were the key ingredients that shaped the concept of the restaurant?
João: Many of our dishes carry history — some are pre-Hispanic, others are tied to Mexico’s history. And we feel it’s part of our role to explain that.
Sol: We want people to feel like they’re travelling, not just eating. That, for a moment, they are in Mexico.
“When we saw the space in Bombarda, we immediately felt it was the right place for the Frida restaurant. The connection to art was decisive.”
João: In Mexican culture, food is present in every moment of life. It’s something deeply rooted in identity — and that’s reflected in what we do.
Q: What led you to choose Bombarda to open Frida?
João: When we arrived in Porto, Bombarda was one of the first areas we looked at. We already had the name “Frida,” and the neighbourhood perfectly matched what we had in mind. When we saw the space, we immediately felt it was the right one. The connection to art was decisive.
Q: How do you feel Bombarda connects with the spirit of the restaurant?
João: We expect each dish to be a work of art — even if it’s ephemeral. And that artistic dimension connects very naturally with the neighbourhood. After more than 10 years, a natural relationship has formed: those who visit Frida recognise the Arts District, and those who explore the neighbourhood know that Frida is part of it.
Q: In what way does the neighbourhood influence your relationship with your customers?
João: At first, we thought our audience would mainly be Portuguese, but today we receive many visitors from abroad — the Netherlands, the United States, France, England…
Sol: Very special relationships are created. Some customers leave drawings, handmade pieces, memories. Some even become friends.
João: And we’re receiving more and more Mexican customers — which is very important to us. Being able to surprise them with authentic dishes is a great recognition.
A business with a Mexican identity
Q: What challenges did you face when opening a restaurant so closely tied to Mexican culture in Portugal?
Sol: In the beginning, there were no suppliers for many of the ingredients we needed — not in Portugal, and not easily across Europe either.
João: And building a team wasn’t easy either. Even a highly skilled Portuguese chef may not be familiar with Mexican cuisine, so it requires openness and willingness to learn.
Q: What do you aim to convey through the dishes you serve?
Sol: The pride and passion we feel for Mexican culture. Each dish carries identity, history, and emotion.
João: We want to show the many dimensions of Mexican cuisine — from street food to family meals, from historical dishes to more contemporary ones. And we want people to feel like coming back.
Q: How do you build a family-like atmosphere within the restaurant?
João: We are demanding, but we try to build a relationship of trust with the team.
Sol: We listen to ideas, we involve everyone. We want them to feel part of the house.
Q: What does Frida Kahlo represent for your project?
João: The name came from our journey — from our Kombi Amália-Frida. It represents the connection between Portugal and Mexico. Frida Kahlo is an iconic figure of Mexican culture, so it made perfect sense for the restaurant.
Growing without losing identity
Q: How do you keep the spirit of discovery and authenticity alive?
João: It’s not easy — there are limitations when it comes to ingredients and costs. But we keep adapting the menu, creating new dishes, and exploring new possibilities.
Q: What future do you imagine for Frida?
João: We want to preserve what we have. Growth can sometimes mean losing identity — and that’s something we don’t want.
The focus is to continue with quality, authenticity, and dedication.
At Frida, Sol and João continue to travel — not along roads, but through the flavours they bring to each dish. A story that began far away, but found in Bombarda the place where it continues to be written every day — whenever someone sits at the table.
Contacts
Address: Rua Adolfo Casais Monteiro, 135, Porto
Opening hours: Lunch: 12:30pm – 3:00pm | Dinner: 7:00pm – 12:00am
Website: Frida – Bienvenidos a su casa
Phone: +351 22 606 22 86
Email: info@cocinamestiza.pt
