Alma Restaurant

The story of Alma (which appropriately means “soul” in Portuguese) began in 2018. After a restaurant in the pitoresque Tiradentes village in Brazil, and a three times golden fork award winning restaurant in buzzing Lisbon – João and Márcia choose Galway out of their hearts for a new venture. Apoema Bistro was born in mid 2019, with a focus on the more traditional Portuguese and Brazilian food, and it thrived well enough to become a dearly place among the many restaurants in Galway.

Health problems lead to a temporary retreat, and in 2023 it reopened with a new name, new ideas and the same soul behind our good service and good food. Out of the traditional, more than just a Portuguese or Brazilian restaurant, João and Márcia are firmly at the helm – turning this as a place for new concept: food that speaks Portuguese.

We make use of some great Irish products and delve in to the roots, background and history of Portuguese gastronomy and how it influenced other cultures, and in turn was influenced by them, during centuries of roaming the globe and blending enough flavours to create one of the first modern border-busting cuisines, binding together the traditions of Europe, South America, Africa and Asia.

Such food would not be complete without a good wine. Over the decades Portugal has emerged from complete anonymity to become the proverbial hidden gem of the world’s wine producers, and we are proud to have a 100% Portuguese wine list, with the best choices gathered from our experience and sourced from great suppliers in Ireland.

In a city with so many flavours we are delighted to offer some unique ones, and we are proud to be part of Galway’s food landscape. See you soon.

João & Márcia – from Alma Restaurant.