In Beco do Forno, where narrow walls still hold echoes of decades of stories, a new chapter in Coimbra’s gastronomic scene is about to begin: Rui Manuel dos Ossos. The project belongs to Rui Ferreira, who for many years worked next door at the iconic Zé Manel dos Ossos — a beloved local landmark and a must-visit spot for students, tourists, and locals searching for bold flavors and memories written in pen across its walls.
After years mastering the art of the stove, the pots, the sauces, and the refined home-style cooking in that almost legendary setting, Rui decided it was time to launch a project of his own. He carries with him the heritage that shaped him, but now adds his own personal touch, time, and style. In this way, a restaurant is born that honors the tradition where he grew as a cook, while reinterpreting it in his own voice.
The new space has been lovingly renovated, with every detail reflecting the simplicity and authenticity that has always given life to Coimbra’s downtown. The kitchen is larger, the layout more functional, but the spirit remains true to the roots that shaped both the chef and the team by his side.
The menu brings back the signature flavors Rui carries with him: loaded bones, pork ribs in “special sauce”, brothy “malandro” bean rice with pork belly, grilled octopus, wild boar loin, and classic homemade desserts. There will also be a few small new additions — always within the realm of comforting, traditional, soul-warming cooking that defines spaces like this.
More than opening a restaurant, Rui continues a way of cooking and welcoming others that was learned over many years. It is a project grounded in experience, purpose, and the desire to tread his own path, while preserving at the table what so many still seek: flavor, simplicity, and authenticity.
Beco do Forno now holds both the old and the new, in a natural dialogue between neighboring spaces that share roots, yet grow in different directions. Coimbra, a city that treasures its traditions, will see in this new restaurant not a repetition, but a continuation: another voice within the same shared language of local cuisine.
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