Brazilian Café

Brazilian Café, known in Arabic as مقهى البرازيلية, was a historic coffeehouse on Al-Rashid Street in Baghdad, Iraq. It officially opened in 1937 near the Aladdin Cinema and became one of the city’s best-known meeting places for writers, poets, artists, students, and members of the educated public. Unlike many traditional Baghdadi coffeehouses, it used a European-style interior and social atmosphere, making it particularly distinctive in the cultural landscape of mid-twentieth-century Baghdad. The café’s name reflected its use of Brazilian coffee beans, which were imported into Iraq from the 1940s onward. Turkish coffee prepared with Brazilian beans was among its characteristic offerings. The establishment also imported Nescafé and used specialized equipment and workers to prepare steamed coffee. Its role extended beyond serving drinks: Brazilian Café supplied newspapers and magazines and became a place where visitors could follow political, literary, and cultural news. An outdoor seating area along Al-Rashid Street expanded its visibility and connected it to the street life of central Baghdad. Brazilian Café formed part of a broader network of cafés that supported Baghdad’s modern cultural movements. It was more traditional in character than the nearby Swiss Café, yet both establishments attracted artists and writers who had studied or traveled in European artistic centers such as Rome and Paris. The café also stood near a clubhouse associated with the singer Afifa Iskandar, adding to the area’s artistic character. The café is particularly remembered for its connection to the emergence of modern Iraqi visual art and organized literary activity. The young artist Jawad Seleem later recalled an important encounter with Polish artists at the café, describing it as a moment that deepened his understanding of color and drawing. Young poets also gathered there to exchange ideas and establish an independent intellectual presence. Brazilian Café was associated with figures including the poet Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati, Kazem Jawad, Rushdi al-Amil, and Nizar Abbas. These visitors and literary figures were involved in efforts that contributed to the establishment of the Union of Iraqi Writers. The café’s cultural importance developed during a politically sensitive period. Iraqi authorities reportedly monitored some poets and writers, and concern grew around the formation of independent literary organizations. The arrest of the artist Hussein Mardan over images connected with his controversial collection Nude Poems, followed by the dismissal of several writers from their jobs, illustrated the political pressure surrounding Baghdad’s intellectual circles. Brazilian Café therefore functioned not only as a commercial venue but also as an informal public forum where artistic and literary identities were formed. The coffeehouse closed after the Iraq War, as did many traditional Baghdadi cafés. Its building was subsequently converted into a commercial fabric store. Brazilian Café is consequently remembered as a defunct local institution whose significance rests less on corporate expansion than on its role in Baghdad’s urban, culinary, artistic, and literary history.

Brazilian Café was officially opened in 1937 on Al-Rashid Street in Baghdad. Its European-style appearance distinguished it from the predominantly traditional Baghdadi coffeehouses of the period. The café was located near the Aladdin Cinema and close to a clubhouse associated with the singer Afifa Iskandar, placing it within a busy cultural and entertainment district. From the 1940s, the establishment served coffee made with beans imported from Brazil. Turkish coffee prepared with Brazilian beans became one of its defining offerings, while imported Nescafé and mechanically prepared steamed coffee broadened its beverage selection. A specialized worker operated coffee-preparation equipment, an unusual feature in the local café environment. The café also provided newspapers and magazines and served as an informal source of political, literary, and cultural news. Brazilian Café became a regular gathering place for college students, writers, poets, artists, and other educated Baghdadis. It had a more traditional atmosphere than the nearby Swiss Café, but both venues attracted artists and writers with experience of European art institutions and cultural centers. The café’s outdoor seating along Al-Rashid Street further integrated it into the public life of central Baghdad. Its historical importance is closely connected with the growth of modern Iraqi art and literary organization. The young Jawad Seleem recalled meeting Polish artists at the café and described the encounter as formative for his understanding of color and drawing. Poets and artists used the venue to exchange ideas and to develop an independent cultural identity. The café was associated with Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati, Kazem Jawad, Rushdi al-Amil, and Nizar Abbas, among others. These literary figures applied for a license and worked toward the establishment of the Union of Iraqi Writers, making the coffeehouse one of the places linked to the beginnings of organized Iraqi literary life. The café’s cultural community operated under political pressure. Iraqi authorities reportedly monitored a number of poets and writers and became concerned about independent literary activity. The arrest of Hussein Mardan after images connected with his controversial poetic collection Nude Poems resurfaced, together with the dismissal of several writers from their employment, reflected the tensions affecting Baghdad’s intellectual circles. Brazilian Café provided a physical setting for this exchange of ideas even though it was not itself a political organization. After the Iraq War, Brazilian Café closed, in line with the disappearance or interruption of many established Baghdadi coffeehouses. The building was later repurposed as a fabric shop. The café survives in historical accounts as a notable example of Baghdad’s coffeehouse culture and as a meeting place associated with the development of modern Iraqi art, poetry, and literary institutions.

1. 1940Brazilian coffee and imported Nescafé become part of the café’s identity

   From the 1940s, the café used coffee imported from Brazil and also supplied imported Nescafé, helping distinguish its beverage service from that of conventional local coffeehouses.

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2. 1937Official opening in Baghdad

   Brazilian Café officially opened on Al-Rashid Street, introducing a European-style coffeehouse presence into a district otherwise dominated by more traditional Baghdadi cafés.

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3. Meeting place for Iraqi artists and writers

   Brazilian Café became a gathering place for students, poets, artists, and intellectuals and was associated with the development of modern Iraqi visual art and literary activity.

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4. Connection with the Union of Iraqi Writers

   Figures associated with the café participated in applications and efforts that contributed to establishing the Union of Iraqi Writers.

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5. Closure after the Iraq War

   The coffeehouse closed after the Iraq War, and its building was later converted into a fabric store.

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A culturally prominent Baghdad coffeehouse combining European-style surroundings with traditional coffee service and a literary, artistic, and intellectual social role.

• Turkish coffee with Brazilian beansCoffee beverage

  The café’s signature identity came from serving Turkish coffee prepared with Brazilian coffee beans imported into Iraq. This combination linked a familiar regional preparation method with an imported ingredient and gave the coffeehouse its name.

• Steamed coffeeCoffee beverage

  Brazilian Café used specialized equipment and a trained worker to prepare steamed coffee. The method helped give the establishment a distinctive service model within Baghdad’s traditional coffeehouse culture.

• NescaféInstant coffee

  The coffeehouse imported Nescafé from abroad from the 1940s, adding an internationally distributed coffee product to its traditional Turkish coffee service.

• Brazilian Café closes after the Iraq War

  The historic Baghdad coffeehouse shut down after the Iraq War, following the decline or closure of many traditional Baghdadi cafés. Its former building was later converted into a fabric store.

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1. Brazilian Café