Santos + Co will open in Dorchester today, Saturday, May 3, breathing new life back into a Brewery Square building.
The restaurant has taken over 1 Dray Horse Yard, which was formerly occupied by the Merchant House, Lucciano’s and Carluccio’s. It has been vacant since last summer.
The new venture has provided a jobs boost for the town and will offer a fusion of Portuguese and British food, described as ‘Dorset’s most unexpected new fusion’.
Diners can expect seafood, grilled meats, and classic Portuguese dishes paired with top-quality brews.
It will offer house specialities such as bacalhau, a salt cod dish thought to be part of Portugal’s cultural identity, with the country consuming 20 per cent of the world’s supply.
Also expected to be popular on the menu are flame roasted chorizo, and a Madagascan-style Goan curry.
Nick Illes and Elayna Dos Santos are behind the new venture, which has come to life as a collaboration between two families in Portugal and the UK.
Elayna said the idea for Santos + Co originated from Quinta Dos Santos, a boutique family vineyard, craft brewery and restaurant in the coastal hills of the Algarve.
“We want this to be a little piece of Portugal,” Nick said. “It will be that individual experience we are trying to disseminate down.”
He added: “We offer something different to the big chains.
“Nothing on the market at the moment is Portuguese-focused, everything we do here has that focus and we are not going to compromise on that.
“We’re really pleased with the location, we think it’s the best on Brewery Square.”
The opening has attracted a lot of interest from passers-by at Brewery Square while work has been ongoing, the pair said,
Nick said: “People seem really interested in what’s going on.
“The opening has attracted so much interest on social media with the bacalhau dish referenced several times.”
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The building is the old bond stores for Eldridge Pope brewers and Nick and Elayna wish to honour the heritage with their own unique offering – wine and beer from the family brewery and vineyard in Portugal, which will be supplemented with local British selections.
Santos + Co seats 72 covers inside and 30 outside on its south-facing patio.