The Guarany History

History 1933

When Guarany Café was established on January 20th 1933, Rogério de Azevedo, the architect responsible for remodeling the place, counted on the sculptor Henrique Moreira to masterly perform the marble high relief featuring an Indian.



Guarany reminds us of the Southern American Indians who once dominated the vast region that today is home to Paraguay, Paraná (Brazil) and Uruguay.

Guarany’s tropical appeal originates from an allusion to the 20th century Brazil as the world’s foremost coffee producer.

During the 1930’s Porto experienced a boom of coffee shops. Some of them were established in Avenida dos Aliados, announcing modern programmes as the Sport Café directed to sports fans or contemporary service proposals like the café-restaurants with musical ambience. These appeared in consequence of the most refined cafés in vogue during the 20’s, being Majestic (1921) the most ravishing as it featured Art Nouveau. The opening of Guarany Café on January 20th 1933 was held in this innovating context emerging at Avenida dos Aliados.

When Guarany Café was being implemented, among other pubs, as a place for business and cultural interactions where political ideals and journalistic sources of information proliferated, it gathered loyal clients from certain liberal professions and ideological factions. Therefore, its localization at Avenida dos Aliados was determining for the definition of its customers as a genre – a prime clientele consisting of intellectual and businessmen.

O Guarany - the marbled high relief masterly performed by Henrique Moreira is a strong figure shaped in detail that reveals a very successful conception. Original is also the light distribution above the piece.

HISTORY 2003

Time passed and 70 years after its opening, there was a need for a new compromise between Guarany and the people of Porto. Today, the success of Majestic’s restoration performed in 1994 by current management is unanimously recognized. This management decided to instill into Guarany (2003) the same ideal: to restore it according to strict quality standards and return the historical places of Porto to its citizens.



The renewal of Guarany Café required a commitment of tradition and quality, which are appanage of this entrepreneurial team, who provided for the restoration of tables and chairs, ceiling and wall-lamps, marbles and ornaments in steel and copper, respecting scrupulously the original space.

Conveying an ideal of cultural space, two paintings by Graça Morais “The Lords of Amazonia”, acrylic paint and pastel on canvas, were highlighted.

The artist captures the modus vivendi of the Guarany tribe, how they organize their daily life, the instruments they use as well as their desires and grieves. The paintings by Graça Morais are undoubtedly some of the most significant pieces in Guarany’s renovated life, which is even more open to culture.