Youssef(37)

In Rotterdam I had a food truck with Moroccan street food for three years. It went well, but permits, weather and competition made it tough. When I saw how the food scene in Lisbon was exploding during a vacation, I decided to take the leap.

I opened "Tagine do Tejo" in the Mouraria neighborhood — an area with Moroccan, Indian and Portuguese influences. The concept: Moroccan-Portuguese fusion cuisine. Tajine with bacalhau, harira with chourico, couscous with polvo. The Portuguese and tourists were sold.

Opening a restaurant in Portugal is a bureaucratic adventure. You need: a Lda or empresario em nome individual at the Financas, an alvara de restauracao (restaurant license) from the Camara Municipal, HACCP certification, and registration with ASAE (food authority). It cost me four months and €3,000 in permits.

The rent for my 60m² restaurant with 30 seats is €1,800 per month — in Mouraria, one of the most authentic neighborhoods of Lisbon. In Rotterdam a comparable location would cost double. Staff is also more affordable: my two chefs earn €1,100 net each.

After two years I have a turnover of €180,000 per year. After costs and taxes I keep €30,000. Not rich, but comfortable. And I do what I love most: cooking and making people happy. TripAdvisor reviews help enormously — we are in the top 15% of Lisbon restaurants.

My advice to entrepreneurs with a migration background: Portugal is open and curious. My Moroccan roots are celebrated here, not tolerated. Mouraria has traditionally been the multicultural neighborhood of Lisbon, and my neighbors — Portuguese, Indian, Chinese — are my biggest fans.