Love is in the air and in the recipes for a new Fishtown cafe opened by husband team Chef Brian Oliveira and Chef Brian Mattera.
Gilda opened its doors this past Friday in Philly, and the Portuguese-inspired cafe and market will offer pastéis de nata, plus other house-made pastries, breakfast, lunch, and custom blend coffee in partnership with Elixr Roasters. On top of the freshly made goods, a retail variety of specialty food products, both imported and local goods, plus prepared foods will also be available.
Along with the ingredients that made the Portuguese inspired fare, Gilda was opened with some history and connection. The venue is inspired by Brian Oliveira’s experience as the American-born son of a Portuguese immigrant. Oliveira’s family emigrated from Portugal in 1980 and settled in Newark, New Jersey, a city that still to this day has a large Portuguese presence — Gilda will be getting their bread daily from Teixiera’s Portuguese Bakery in Newark as well as many of their featured Portuguese imports, which are sourced from Triunfo Foods in the city— a release states.
Spending his summers surrounded by food, specifically with his grandparents, Gilda now holds a lot of inspiration born from that time through ingredients and recipes. The cafe, however, is named after Mattera’s grandmother, Gilda Mattera, who went by the Italian and Portuguese pronunciation of the name [aka Jil-da]—and the duo chose to keep the same pronunciation for the cafe.
Gilda, an Italian immigrant, may have passed on over three decades ago, but her love of cooking and family lives on through the new venue, as well as her 50+ year-old cookbook that is now displayed in the new cafe. On top of the meaningful fare, name and partnerships, Gilda’s venue also holds a lot of sentiment for the couple.
As a release states, the location is meaningful to Brian Mattera and Brian Oliveira because it’s the same space as Girard, where the duo first met and began cooking together in 2017. Brian Oliveira was the former chef/owner at Girard, and Brian Mattera was a regular at the restaurant working a bartender at a nearby eatery. They ended up working together at Girard, launching their catering brand, Happy Hour Hospitality, together (as well as their Portuguese side project, Cozinha), getting married in May 2021, and now they’re back in the same space where it all began.
“We’re so excited to share this space with our friends, family, and the community,” they said in a joint statement. “It feels great to be opening back up in the same neighborhood we love so dearly.”
And what can you find fare-wise at this new hotspot? Think Pastéis deNata ($4 each | $20 half dozen | $35 full dozen), which are traditional Portuguese custard tarts in a cinnamon infused custard in a flaky pastry shell baked at 500 degrees, with traditional and rotating flavors such as lemon raspberry, dark chocolate and sea salt, coconut almond, strawberry-rhubarb and basil.
Savory-wise, The Antonio ($10) is made with housemade linguiça patty, a fried egg, and Cooper sharp with breakfast sauce on a Portuguese roll. The Bifana ($12) boasts white wine and garlic marinated pork cutlet on a Portuguese roll with dijon and cabbage slaw. The Pastéis de Bacalhau ( $12) on the other hand, is made up of salt cod fritters with potato, lemon, and herbs, And last, but certainly not least, the Char Grilled Piri Piri Chicken ($16) is made with chili-garlic marinated chicken, saffron rice, and shoestring fries.
As mentioned before, the venue’s coffee program will feature Elixr Coffee. The brand has made a custom blend for the space: Bica (long shot of espresso with sugar in the raw) and Mazagran (cold brew and fresh squeezed lemon with honey and mint) will be two of the signature coffee beverages available.
Local, imported, and house-made goods offered will include chouriço, cheeses, fresh breads, pantry staples, snacks, and chocolates. They’ll also carry a small variety of Portuguese-crafted housewares, cookbooks, and branded merch. As a release finishes, Gilda will be open select evenings for private events, chef collaborations, and a seasonal dinner series. Philadelphians can email [email protected] to inquire about a private event.
For more information on Gilda (300 E. Girard Ave.) visit gildaphilly.com. The venue will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Tuesday.
