A new Portuguese restaurant and café has opened in Warwick, making the short move across from Leamington Spa.

Lina's Place opened on Coten End in March, bringing a range of Portuguese classics, and Iberian twists on English dishes to the town.

Run by husband and wife Idalina and Elias Sarmento, the business used to be based at Avenue Road in Leamington, but following a month-long refurbishment of the unit in Warwick, has made the short move down the road.

But son Helder Neves says it will still be the same Lina's that local people have grown so fond of.

Lina's Place is a family-run Portuguese cafe and restaurant (image by James Smith)

"We have a mixture of Portuguese and English food, there is a lot of traditional Portuguese food that anyone from Portugal will recognise," he told Nub News. 

"But then even the more English food - like the half roast chicken - is done in a Portuguese style.

"Come to Lina's - you'll find what you need here. The food is so tasty. There is nothing quite like Lina's around here."

Alongside a range of Portuguese staples, the Coten End eatery also serves a very popular breakfast offering, and is also introducing roasts on Sundays.

advertisement

And for Lina, the new venue in Warwick is the latest chapter in a lifetime of working with food.

Lina's Place does a range of Portuguese classics and English dishes (image by James Smith)

"I have been a chef for a long time, I used to be a chef at Piccolinos," she explained. 

"The food here I have been making for a long time. 

"We used to have a café and restaurant in Portugal, which we had a lot of success with, before we sold the business and moved to the UK."

The family first moved to England from Porto in the late 1990's and say they love living in Warwickshire, describing Warwick as a "really special place".

They first opened their business in Leamington during the pandemic, and despite having to grapple with the national lockdowns, have not looked back since.

The breakfast at Lina's is very popular! (image by James Smith)

"We first opened in Leamington during Covid, so it was difficult to start," Helder added. 

"She took over from Simon who was there before, it used to be 'Simon's Place', and prior to that it was 'Alfonso's Place' - so we kept the tradition and made it 'Lina's Place'.

advertisement

"She is a hell of a good chef. It gives me goosebumps though when they come here especially for her food."

And just a month after opening, the family said they have already received a very warm reception from locals.

Lina explained: "We had a customer come in the other day for the first time and he said he loved the fresh Portuguese coffee, he loved the food. 

"And he said he will come back. A lot of people say that, and it's great."

Helder added: "A lot of the regular customers were from Warwick anyway, so they are pleased we are now round the corner. 

"The day before there was a party before we opened for 30 people. 

"They all wanted to come here to Lina's, they couldn't wait for the opening!"

To find out more about Lina's Place, head to the Facebook page here.

advertisement