Rooted in Portuguese soul
Beyond food and gatherings lies a commitment to genuine human connection, cultural preservation, and shared hospitality that brings people together in Amsterdam.
Core Purpose
Our Why
To create nourishing moments for the body & soul through food — so that people feel a sense of belonging, joy, and cultural connection in a new place.
Long-term Vision
Our Just Cause
We imagine a world where most people from all backgrounds come together around the table — to connect, feel rooted, and grow through shared experiences.
Our story
A missed Sunday lunch is what started all this. We know, small thing to build a company around... But it did. Here's why.
Growing up in Portugal, the table was never really about the food. It was about who sat around it. I used to call my grandfather on Sunday mornings and ask him to come for lunch, no real reason needed — that was reason enough.
Then I moved to Amsterdam. I had everything you're supposed to have — a job, an apartment, a bike. What I didn't have was a table like that. No calling someone up for no reason. I didn't realize how much I'd miss it until it was gone.
So I started organizing small things: a food night, a get-together, nothing planned much further than that. I just wanted to find people who understood the reference without me explaining it.
Turns out, a lot of people did. People weren't just curious about Portuguese food. They were craving a reason to sit down with strangers and leave as something else.
In Portugal, receiving people well is just part of our culture. You watch your grandmother do it your whole life, and one day you're doing it too. You feed people before you ask why they came. That's the part of home I missed most, and the part I most wanted to share — not just the food itself, but the pleasure of pulling up a chair and saying there's always room for one more.
I wasn't trying to solve anyone's loneliness. I just wanted to connect with other people the way I grew up knowing how to. Today, the reason hasn't changed.
And we're so happy you're at our table too!
It's what Portuguese people call each other. Half nickname, half inside joke, 100% affectionate. If you know, you know. If you don't: welcome, you're about to.
The problem: Algorithms show you people who already agree with you. Loneliness in a new city is an epidemic nobody admits to.
The pillar: Definitely Tuga exists because moving abroad is disorienting, and belonging doesn't happen overnight — you build it with strangers who become regulars.
The problem: In a rushed digital area, we text or send voice messages to friends and family instead of real talk. Group chats replaced Sunday lunch.
The pillar: Food is the excuse to sit down and not look at your phone for two hours. Every event starts and ends at a table — that's non-negotiable.
The problem: Food today is optimized for speed — delivery apps, 15-minute recipes, meals designed to be photographed, not made.
The pillar: We do it the slow way on purpose. Traditional dishes cooked from scratch, honoring recipes passed through generations of Portuguese — not because it's efficient, but because the time is the respect.
The Heart of Definitety Tuga
Founder-Hosted Gatherings
"Definitely Tuga was born in my own kitchen as a small dinner table for fellow expats craving delicious flavors and genuine human connection."
Rooted in Portugal, Powered by Connection
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