I live in Lisbon, but as a food and travel writer, I frequently find myself in Porto, Portugal’s second city. For me, a visit to the northern Portuguese city typically involves a peek at a new place or two interspersed with return visits to the classics. In particular, I always make a point of going to cafes, bars and restaurants that specialize in the flavors, dishes and drinks of Portugal’s far north – the kind of stuff that’s hard to find in Lisbon.
Although its food and drink scene is tiny, Porto is able to provide the new and the old, the domestic and the foreign, via a small but diverse restaurant and bar scene featuring the work of dedicated locals and newcomers, each with their own culinary panache. And warm northern Portuguese hospitality means that after a visit or two to some of these places, you, like me, may start to feel like a regular.
Breakfast
My favorite place in Porto to start the day is Confeitaria do Bolhão, a Portuguese-style pastry shop/cafe dating back to 1896. It doesn’t necessarily serve the best pastries in town, but I love the art nouveau vibe – the chairs, wall-length mirrors and stucco wall art could have been there since day one. It’s the perfect place to try the uber-Portuguese breakfast of toast – thick slices of bread buttered on both sides, of course – and a galão, coffee supplemented with a generous amount of hot milk.
The café is also in a great location near the Mercado de Matosinhos, a market renowned for its fresh seafood and local produce. It’s the perfect spot to explore after breakfast, where you can find stalls brimming with daily catches, fresh fruit and regional specialties.
Coffee
If I’m looking for something more contemporary, my go-to is Combi. Roasting in-house since 2014, a typical order here might take the form of a flat white and a Swedish cardamom bun.
Lunch
Porto remains home to a handful of old-school bar/restaurants specializing in northern-style smoked meats and other hearty snacks. Casa dos Presuntos “Xico,” located on Rua do Heroismo, is the size of a large closet with hams hanging from the ceiling. Order a sandes de presunto, and you’ll receive a hillock of salty slices of cured ham and sheep’s milk cheese in a Portuguese roll. Hams also feature as interior design at Casa Louro, but are generally served on a plate, paired with broa de Avintes, an almost comically dense, dark bread made with rye and corn flours in the eponymous town outside of Porto.
Indeed, Porto is an excellent place to indulge in various combinations of meat dishes, which range in form from the legendary bifanas, braised slices of pork drizzled with chili oil and served in a Portuguese roll, at Astro, to the francesinha, Porto’s most famous sandwich that combines steak, mortadella, two types of sausage and cheese in a spicy sauce, at A Regaleira.
Snack
If, like me, you’re willing to travel for a snack, consider a side trip to Matosinhos, accessible via a 30-minute ride on Porto’s Metro or by bus. The scruffy port town is home to Conservas Pinhais, a century-old fish canning factory that produces some of the country’s best tins. A tour can be combined with a tasting in a pleasant upstairs café; opt for the sardines in spicy sauce, each tin of which comes equipped with a chili, cloves, peppercorns, a bay leaf and pickles.
Aperitivo
A port tasting is a rite of passage in Porto. There are more than 10 houses to choose from, but Poças in Vila Nova de Gaia feels off the beaten track and is one of the only producers still owned by a Portuguese family. With advance notice, you can arrange a tour of the cellars paired with a tasting or simply jump directly into the latter in their atmospheric tasting room. I liked the 2000 harvest so much I bought a bottle, and they even produce a vermouth, a rarity in Portugal.
Dinner
It doesn’t get any more northern than Stramuntana. The name is a dialect term for Portugal’s northernmost region, and the chef/owners, who hail from that area, oversee a menu of rustic, hearty regional dishes. Opt for just about anything grilled on the hearth that makes up the heart of this restaurant, or try the cuscos, a dish thought to have been brought to northern Portugal’s remote mountains by Jewish people fleeing the inquisition in larger cities. There’s a great selection of quirky regional wines, and the husband-and-wife team here have even created their own dessert that revolves around the bitter greens beloved in this part of the country.
Local favorites
For authentic Portuguese flavors, Cantinho do Avillez in the Ribeira district is a local favorite. Chef José Avillez works hard to showcase the best of Portugal, from the Algarve Coast to the north’s mountains.
Or, for something more rustic, O Buraco serves hearty fare in a relaxed environment. For more than 50 years, diners have enjoyed comforting dishes like caldo verde and roasted meats in this intimate restaurant. Speaking of which, Adega São Nicolau serves some of the best northern Portuguese meat dishes like figado de vitela (calf’s liver) and rabo de vitela à nossa moda (veal tail) that you can enjoy with views of the Douro River.
Fine dining
For those looking for Michelin stars when dining, Antiqvm is a two-star standout, blending modern techniques with Portuguese ingredients. You can also check out Pedro Lemos, an affordable fine dining restaurant where a curated tasting menu showcases the best of the region’s produce and creativity. It was the first restaurant in Porto to ever receive a star from Michelin.
Additionally, dining at the two Michelin-starred Yeatman Hotel offers a luxurious experience where you’ll be treated like royalty in a slow-meal setting that combines fine dining with an unparalleled view over the Douro River.
Best views
Try the open-air Douro Sky Lounge at Del Hotel Vincci for a rooftop bar with direct views of the Ponte da Arrábida bridge, the Atlantic Ocean and Porto’s coastline – it’s especially hot at night when the party scene is turned up a notch with a DJ – or the 360º Terrace Lounge at Torel Avantgarde Hotel, with its panoramic views of the Dom Luis I Bridge and the city center.
Best port wine
For those looking to explore Porto’s rich wine culture, Prova stands out as the best wine bar in the city. The staff at this wine bar are knowledgeable about Portuguese wine, focusing on regional specialties, including rare finds from northern Portugal. Their curated wine list features everything from robust reds from the Douro Valley to subtly fizzy “green” Vinho Verdes white wines for which Portugal is renowned. And their snack pairing is genius: buttery popcorn to provide a savory and sweet combination.
Of course, no visit to Porto would be complete without indulging in Port wine, the city’s most famous export. Port, which comes in Ruby, Tawny and Vintage styles, features grapes grown in the Douro Valley and aged in wooden barrels. The caves lining Vila Nova de Gaia, just across the river, were originally used to produce the wines. Today, visitors can enjoy tastings along with cellar tours. Notable Portuguese port makers with cave tours here include Sandeman, with its iconic black-caped figure featured throughout the city, and Taylor’s, one of the region’s oldest port producers.
Best food tours
Food tours are plentiful in Porto, with one of the tops being Taste Porto Food Tour, which takes guests through the city’s markets, cafes and local restaurants. The company is the longest-operating food tour provider in the city, and you can elect to do a classic tour of Portuguese foods and port, a market tour or even a craft beer tour. They will even ensure vegetarians and pescatarians are well cared for with selections and can create custom tours for you and a group. But if you really want to get to know the food of Portugal, sample one of the company’s cooking classes. Each offering is 3 to 3.5 hours to truly give you a proper taste of the city.
Best foodie neighborhood
When it comes to finding the best foodie neighborhood in Porto, look no further than the Ribeira district, the lively neighborhood filled with narrow, winding streets that date back to medieval times. This historic area is filled with a mix of traditional Portuguese restaurants, taverns and modern eateries. Bachalhau, known for the traditional Portuguese dish bacahlau (salted cod), and Taberna dos Mercadores, located on one of Porto’s oldest streets, are great to try.
Keep planning your trip to Porto:
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