Inside Maria Celeste, an intimate 36-seat Portuguese eatery

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As I sat down to eat at Maria Celeste on its second night open to the public, I asked Justin Isidro how the soft opening of his new restaurant — one he opened with his brother, Cristian — had gone. The brothers’ hardest crowd yet, he joked, had already come through the door. Not critics, not even strangers: The people who raised them.

Friends and family were the first to get a seat at 4181 Fraser Street. The eatery’s entry, framed by gold cursive signage and pastel tiles, invited a crowd steeped in Portugal’s tasca culture to pull up a chair and taste what the duo had built in their 36-seat space.

Named for their mãe, Portuguese for mother, Maria Celeste is Vancouver’s new gathering spot and aims to make every visitor feel like family.

“It kept coming back to mom, grandma and those people being the conduit to all the beautiful food experiences we had growing up,” Justin says, explaining how he and Cristian landed on the restaurant name. “In Portugal, mom is everything. So we were like, well, why don’t we call it after mom? And it just felt right.”

Serving family recipes back to the people who introduced them to you could be a mildly nerve-racking experiance, but Justin and Cristian are seasoned vets.

Justin, the former longtime director of operations at Kissa Tanto, Meo and Bao Bei, also took home the Michelin Guide Vancouver’s first service award in 2022. Cristian, a chef with Michelin-calibre training and experience in kitchens from Vancouver to London to Porto, says there is only one word for the feeling of greeting his loved ones into the restaurant that first night: Saudade.

“It means that which is, like, a longing of missing something. For me, it kind of felt like that, but like roles reversed. Usually it’d be me and my brother sitting at the table with our cousins, running around,” Cristian says. “Now we are hosting and giving out the food and giving out the hospitality. So it felt really good. It felt like a dream come true.”

That role reversal means Cristian was tasked with creating an array of dishes that pay homage to his family’s culinary traditions while putting his own, modern spin on things.

“Everything on this menu starts with memories of the way our mãe cooked and the way Portugal eats,” Cristian says in the restaurant’s opening release. During our chat, he puts it more simply:

“I never want to deviate from the flavours of tradition at all.”

The 1,300-square-foot room represents a lifelong dream for the brothers, and they teamed up with Studio Roslyn to design it. Stepping in, you’ll be greeted with faces you probably don’t know but make you feel instantly at home, as family photos of Justin and Cristian’s relatives are at the heart of the space’s atmosphere. The room is soaked in nostalgia, just as they intended. Think wooden built-in shelves with glassware and stacks of patterned plates, a woven roll-up bamboo blind over a window and devotional nooks and crannies you’d expect to find at a grandparent’s house.

“We did a little baptism shrine in the corner near the restrooms,” Justin shares. “If you go to grandma’s house, there’s always going to be this crazy shrine of the grandchildren getting baptized, their first communion. It’s just very, very Portuguese to be having those celebratory photos up on the wall and just kind of showcasing your family or being proud of your family. And that always again comes from mom and grandma too.”

But it’s not just the decor that’s family-style; it’s also central to the dining format here, which is all about Portuguese flavours using seasonal B.C. ingredients. During my visit, I opted for the chef’s tasting, Come e Cala-te, which is $95 per person and an additional $85 for a 3-oz wine pairing per course.

“Eat, and be quiet — we’ll do the talking” is typed in small writing underneath the housekeeping details for this multi-course spread. Sounds like a plan. Judging by the joyful buzz filling the room, no one was taking the direction seriously.

The margins of the menu are dotted with sayings like this throughout, the kind of lines a certain relative repeats so often it becomes an unofficial family motto.

A note on the wine — there are plenty of fantastic places in Vancouver to drink wine, but none with a bottle collection like Maria Celeste’s. It’s not a surprise really, when you remember that Justin is also the founder of Vìnicola Portugal, an annual boutique Portuguese Wine Festival in Vancouver (set for September 26 this year, by the way).

Curated exclusively from Portugal, Justin’s wine list takes guests on a journey across the European country, showcasing everything from small-scale growers to historic producers.

“There’s definitely something for everyone. For more affordable wines, there’s some amazing options — someone can come in and have a bottle for $74 to $80,” Justin says. “But there’s also really high-end wines, icons from Portugal, in the $300 to $500 range. These are wines that compare to any of the top producers in France and Italy. So a big variety.”

Chef Cristian’s Come e Cala-te menu kicked off with bread from Bâtard Bakery, which is situated a three-minute walk down the street. It arrived perfectly charred and dangerously warm, brushed with olive oil. I tried to pace myself but ultimately failed, devouring my portion more swiftly than I’d prefer to admit.

Luckily, a second round hit the table, but this time it was accompanied by some other distractions that slowed down my bread intake, namely the Portuguese pickled carrots, which delivered the perfect crunch and brightness, and Pica-Pau, or tartare “woodpecker bites,” made with Carrara Wagyu rump, a tasca classic served Maria Celeste-style.

Then came the Bacalhau à Brás, a combo of shredded salt cod, egg and straw potatoes, followed by the unforgettable Pluma de Porco Ibérico. The latter is a mouth-watering take on a dish famous for its union of fresh clams and pork from the Alentejo region. If you’re like me and you’ve never had pork like this, prepare your tastebuds for the delightful textural contrast and a stunning smoky, rich flavour.

“My dad would always ask my mom to make that dish,” Cristian says. “It was also one of the first dishes I remember my dad making for us as kids. And traditionally it’s a stew and finished with fries and the clams are put in with the shells.”

The chef says that one has become a personal favourite. But as much of a knockout as the Portuguese surf and turf was, I’m not sure how he chose — not a single miss landed on my corner table.

From sides like the tender Batatas a Murro (Punched Potatoes) with crackling edges in olive oil, to the equally crispy and golden-brown Rissóis de Camarão (Prawn Rissoles), all the savories led to the finale of a Pastel de Nata, a Portuguese custard tart, sprinkled with Sri Lankan cinnamon.

“My mom was always more of a baker as well. And so the inspiration for desserts comes a lot from her as well,” Cristian adds.

The spirit of family is woven into every dish and flavour at Maria Celeste. It’s unpretentious, generous and built around the table. From the recipes on the menu to the family photos on the wall, this restaurant shows it has heart before you even take a bite.

Where: 4181 Fraser Street, Vancouver
When: Tuesday to Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m.
Order This: Pluma de Porco Ibérico ($64)