Albano Rocha, the restaurant’s owner, ensures that everyone is welcomed into his home

As expected, the neighborhood was painted blue and white on Tuesday, with Porto fans choosing several restaurants in the area for lunch. When deciding where to eat, there were those who did not look at the colour, and chose Casa de Benfica.

Albano Rocha, the restaurant owner who has been in Hamburg since the 1970s, vouches register That everyone is welcome in your home. “I’m a Benfica fan but there’s a place for everyone here. I have friends from Porto who feel very comfortable at Casa do Benfica, we all get along well here,” said Albano Rocha, who will go to the stadium to watch the Dragons’ match with Shakhtar. “I’m a sick Porto fan but I only eat here,” said a Dragons fan at Casa do Benfica.

Albano Rocha was born in the Aveiro area and started calling his restaurant Beira Mar, but had to change the name years later. “In the next street there is a restaurant called Pera Rio, and sometimes people would call to book my restaurant and go to the other one. I had to change the name because of that,” he revealed.

Portugiesenviertel has many restaurants run by Portuguese, a nod to the country’s different regions. From “Olá Lisboa” to “Casa da Madeira”, via “Praça de Coimbra” and “Mar Salgado”.

Remember, FC Porto will face Shakhtar tonight (8pm) in the first round of Champions League Group H, a match that will take place at the Volksparksstationen in Hamburg.

Written by José Miguel Machado