Quiosque do Marquês

Quiosque do Marquês is a small kiosk in Porto’s Praça do Marquês de Pombal. Stone tables surround it, forming an open setting for afternoons of conversation and card games. Mostly retired residents gather after lunch to play sueca and copas for company, never for money. The first four arrivals prepare a table, bring out cards and cushions, and begin without arranging the meeting beforehand. Other familiar faces join throughout the day, including people who travel from Maia or Ermesinde.

Carla Mendes has run the kiosk for about twenty-five years and stores the group’s cards, cloths, and cushions inside. She also sells decks, tobacco, sweets, and scratch cards to people she has known for years. Municipal recognition came in 1996, while the card-playing tradition probably began after Portugal’s April Revolution. Earlier players used benches as improvised tables before the square gained proper stone ones. Today, a small monthly contribution covers new decks and shared expenses, with leftover money supporting a Christmas lunch. The group’s rules keep the tables moving: losing pairs step aside, and anyone winning three rounds leaves space for others.