Help to preserve a business that is part of Lisbon's historic restaurant heritage.
More than a restaurant, Faz Figura is a meeting point, a guardian of stories and memories shared at the table. For over 50 years, FF has welcomed generations of customers, neighbors, visitors, and friends, serving not only food but also identity, tradition, and hospitality. Each table, each wall, carries stories that are part of the city's life. Today, this heritage is at risk.
The COVID pandemic had a TRIPLE IMPACT:
A SUDDEN DROP in REVENUE, with effects between 2020 and 2022. The only alternative to closure was to take out lines of credit. In other words, DEBT, incurred out of absolute necessity, but also based on expectations legitimately created at the time, based on public statements by relevant authorities, that these amounts could be converted into capital, which did not happen (it should also be emphasized that the banks profited - and still profit today - from saving many companies, charging unjustifiable interest. At the time, it should be remembered, there were negative interest rates).
Changes in consumption habits, with a decrease in the average ticket price.
INFLATION: The international situation led to an inflationary spiral which, although it has since been mitigated, has left its mark to this day (for example, fish and meat prices are increasing at a rate three to four times higher than average inflation).
Additionally, for about seven years Faz Figura has been surrounded by construction and access limitations. First, there was the transformation of the former Navy Hospital into a hotel and residential complex. Precisely when the public began to overcome the Covid trauma, Faz Figura was right next to a huge construction site, which forced several partial closures of the restaurant and dragged on for more than 3 years beyond the planned date (and is still not completely finished).
More recently (and with greater impact), the Lisbon City Council began work on the Lisbon General Drainage Plan. Regardless of its importance, the impact was enormous: the main access road to Faz Figura was cut off (and turned into a construction site) at the beginning of 2023, and remains so and will continue to be so until 2026 (at least).
At the only alternative access point (via Feira da Ladra), an absurd traffic sign indicates that traffic is prohibited (which is not actually the case).
Repeated appeals to the Lisbon City Council have been to no avail. To make matters worse, the works will now lead to the closure of the Santa Apolónia Metro station for several months (although, once again, the City Council is not providing accurate information).
The City Council is also slow to decide on Faz Figura's application for "Shop with History" status. The application was submitted in January 2025 (it is normal to have two decision points each year – April and November), but preliminary approval was only given on May 7, 2026, followed by a period of public consultation until final approval.
This is, in fact, an absurd paradox: the entity that is on the verge of recognizing the historical significance of Faz Figura is the same one that creates the most problems for it.
A small business can hardly survive all of this. As such, we had to implement a company restructuring plan. Our goal is clear: to preserve Faz Figura, ensuring that it remains open, true to its history and to the people who made it special.
Over the years, the city and our neighborhood have changed before our eyes (and not necessarily for the better). Faz Figura is one of the few remaining landmarks in this area. Progress and change are positive, but not at the cost of the disappearance of collective memory.
The eventual closure of a historic restaurant is a loss for everyone. It means one less place of memory, one less meeting point, one less living culture.
We are part of many lives. Some have gotten married here and have even had three children baptized here; some have held their wedding reception at FF and then their divorce ceremony. Not a week goes by without a customer telling us stories from the past. That's what happens when you've had a door open for over 50 years. We believe that FF deserves to continue being part of the city's present and future, with the same spirit as always.
