Restaurants in Porto: these are the places that will make your taste buds go wild
Oh oh Portugal... You are so fantastic, and how beautiful you are with all your blue and white tiling that you can stare at for hours, and how good you are for the inner person. Lisbon stole our hearts before and now we came, we saw, and, er... we conquered (?) too Porto. Where it says 'we also conquered', it should actually say 'we ate our way through'. Stop time. These are the restaurants in Porto that you absolutely should not miss. Just sit down for a moment:
No no no, this is not a tourist shop Slash museum where the colorful cans are displayed (highly recommended to go, this one: Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau, R. Campo dos Mártires da Pátria 108, pasteisdebacalhau.com). No, this is a small business on the water that you have to look carefully for. Behind it 1872 River House Hotel (highly recommended! More about that in the upcoming Porto hotel list), recognizable by the walkway, where you will find the business. With a bit of luck, not much later you will be sitting at one of the terrace tables with a classic Portodish: a mash-up of potato, onion and cod. Sounds like poor people's food, and that's what it originally was, but delicious! If you're a little more daring, go for the sweet potato and squid tentacle stew.
At Zenith they say: Brunch is just the most important meal of the day! So fancy pancakes? Or would you rather have a healthy smoothie bowl or a salad? With a rich menu with the tastiest dishes, you can enjoy brunch all day long at Zenith. And in addition to these delicious brunch dishes, you shouldn't forget the cocktails.
Secretly our favorite place to spend the night (ooh, look here for more tips for the nicest and most beautiful apartments in Porto). But Rosa et al Townhouse can also be included in this list because the business provides a delicious brunch on weekend days. You sit inside, which is a relief on hot days, but something to take into account if you expect sun and waving leaves. Although there is also a beautiful garden.
For really good food and a tasteful address at all levels, you often have to go around the block, and that is not only the case in the Netherlands. If you have time for that block, reserve a table in advance at Esquina do ave's, a picture of a restaurant on the water in the Matosinhos district (or is it Leça da Palmeira here yet?), southwest of Porto's city center. Here, small portions for sharing are prepared almost perfectly, and the combinations are surprising, to say the least. Foie gras with popcorn for example (which we don't eat! On principle... But still, it's there), and 'beet's datatoto', which is like risotto made from potato.
There is also a great tent to be found on the water, in the most touristy, busy part of downtown Porto. At the price, yes, not the very best level, no, but you can sit on one of the benches by the water and sometimes that is exactly what you want.
Small, superette and right next to the beach – that is The Bird, perfect for lunch, brunch or a late breakfast. Girly, yes, and oh so delicious. Think scones, tea, toasted sandwiches and more.
Portugal may be known for its delicious fish dishes, but it also has a meat culture! Steak restaurant Bo 457 is located in the Matosinhos district, outside the center of Porto and where you might not visit as a passing tourist. That's a shame (a number of restaurants in this list can be found here in Matosinhos, and to be honest they are the better ones). The canteen-style restaurant was filled with old materials, vintage furniture and a motorcycle was installed on the wall (something different from a racing bike) - so rough in look, just like the food: the restaurant is especially known for its great steak.
Puro 32 is from the same owners as Cantina 4050. Just as dark, just as beautifully decorated, just as tasty and just as friendly, just slightly different and somewhere different. The menu is small but nice and the black pasta with shrimp is rightly the pride of the place - so tasty. Although the small pizzas and fresh burrata are also there. The terrace in front of the door on the square beckons, that's not surprising, but if it's full, don't walk away: there is a super nice (although covered) terrace at the back of the shop! With a group? There is a lovely room downstairs where you go to use the toilet.
Ha! There's the boho cocktail bar in the city center you've been looking for.
Car at hand? No? Well, then you rent one anyway. This remote beach bar is truly worth it! At the end of the afternoon, sit down for sardines from the 'front garden' and watch the sun set into the sea over the typical fishing boats that float in the water - right in front of the terrace. Holiday.
Admittedly, we only peeked in on this one – a person can only eat so much in a day, but the reviews don't lie: 'Best dining experience after one week in Portugal. Stunning food. Unparalleled service, you can feel the love invested in this place' and 'The careful preparation of the dishes immerses you in the delicious flavors of their ingredients brought from Italy, Portugal and Spain. This distinct place in the center of Porto is in continuous search for perfection, produces its own high-quality products and offers a small wine list selected to not disappoint anyone. Well.
In the shopping street of Porto, not in the touristy part, but the street where the locals shop, there is a spot where the locals do their bao cravings satisfy. Because anyone who lives in Portugal does not always feel like having bacalau, of which note. The tastiest no-fish-but Taiwanese sticky You can eat burgers here, in this sleek little place, and the best ones locals (for the best tips!) can also be found here.
ha, the one that you really (REALLY) shouldn't miss, when in Porto. The dark (very dark!) restaurant in the (touristy, but pleasant) main street of Porto is not necessarily very noticeable, but if you see a busy terrace at the end of the street, towards the sea, then you are in the right place. Fill your table with small Portuguese dishes (don't miss the cod croquettes, just like the octopus with sweet potato, caramelized onion and grilled tomato and the salmon with tartar sauce, yes please) and the day is good.
Restaurant Vinum at Grahams is the latest addition to the impressive portfolio of Graham's, Portugal's most prestigious port brand. It is located on the harbor, which makes a table on the terrace even more attractive on summer days. But when the weather is bad, it is no less beautiful inside, with a view of the old wine barrels.
Next to The Bird the most cute address of Porto, there is no other option. The colorful thing seems like one old school grocery store, and that's what it is, except you can also go there for breakfast or lunch/brunch. And you must do that! Casa Diogo serves a delicious selection of regional products (fresh figs! sardine pate! wine!), everything homemade and everything to lick off your brightly colored plate. Real. Go.
Restaurante O Comercial – Palácio da Bolsa, the name says it all: a commercial restaurant.
Okay, that's not how the name is meant of course, but it owes it to the fact that the restaurant is near the Porto market. Outside on the terrace you have a fantastic view of the city and the sea behind it. Inside it is classic, the kind of address that is always good. A bit too familiar to tourists, but let's not forget that we are too.
A reasonable one new kid on the block, especially by Portuguese standards, in a residential area. Lots of locals, and that's always good. Homemade cake, coffee, snacks and more. You do have to choose where you sit: the large café has different rooms: the entrance is the coffee bar, at the back is a beautiful living (the most fun!), one floor lower is a more private area for a group of friends (and there is a kids corner) and finally: the backyard. Enough corners and nooks so to explore.
Hi ! Porto for all our vegan friends! This is one of the first addresses in Porto where everything is vegan. To reach the small, slightly crazy restaurant, you have to go down a flight of stairs. Then you enter a dark cellar restaurant that looks most like a cave, but with a bit of luck you will find one of the two small terrace tables available in front of the door.
You will find the restaurant right opposite the tram stop, near the water, and next to a small square where there is a party every evening. Prime location.
At times like this I always hope that you read on to the end... Because Pisca really shouldn't be missed. Just outside the center of Porto, on the water and with a view of the typical Portuguese fishing boats. In the Granja de Baixo district, Baixo for intimates.
A Casa Guedes is a tiny, thoroughly Portuguese eatery (read: a bit unsightly), very out of the way (east of the city center) but oh so worth it and recognizable by the line in front of the door around lunchtime. That in itself says enough. Order one sandes de pernil com queijo da serra with a plate of fries and the house wine – with a bit of luck there will still be a table available on the terrace.
