The best restaurants in Porto
The citizens of Porto like their food, so if you have an appetite you’ll never be short on company. Fish features heavily in the local diet, with salted bacalhau (cod) a particular favourite. Every visitor to the city needs to try a Francesinha at least once. This meat-based, cheese-soaked, beer-sauced sandwich will send your cholesterol levels off the richter scale, but it’s a Porto rite of passage. Cafés are ubiquitous and, for the most part, cheap. Despite Portugal’s colonial history, options for international cuisine are limited, but innovative local chefs, such as Pedro Barreiros, are making their mark.
Ribeira
Cantinho do Avillez
Cantinho do Avillez is owned by well-known Portuguese chef José Avillez, and it is one of Porto’s top contemporary restaurant. Yes, in very hip style, it does have retro kitchenware and wooden chopping boards hanging on the walls. But it’s actually more down-to-earth and homely than it sounds. Before you get to the menu, there are important choices to be made about seating: stools at the bar, chairs at the bistro tables, or red leather seats in the diner-style section. Most of what you’ll find on the menu is Portuguese fare, with a characteristically inventive Avillez twist. Everything comes recommended, particularly the deep fried green beans with tartar sauce and the sautéed chicken livers with onion and port marmalade. It's well suited to foodies on the hunt for something genuinely distinctive.
Contact: 00 351 223 227 879; cantinhodoavillez.pt
Prices: ££
Opening times: Mon-Fri, 12.30-3pm, 7pm-12am
Reservations: Recommended
Baixa
Crêperie Le Gwenn Ha Du
Tucked away on a side street near the City Hall, you’ll find an understated spot serving authentic Breton crepes. When husband and wife team Philippe and Anne-Laure decided to swap Brittany for southern climes, they packed old family photos, wooden clogs and folksy dresses, all of which now adorn the walls and bring a familiar feel to the place. Working from traditional, regional recipe books, they bring home-cooked simplicity to the table. The salted caramel crepe is a must, and be sure to try the cider, imported from Brittany and served in porcelain cups.
Contact: 00 351 916 677 527; facebook.com/legwennhadu
Prices: ££
Opening times: Tues-Thurs, 12-3pm, 7pm-10.30pm; Fri-Sat, 12pm-3pm, 7pm-11.30pm
Best table: Upstairs
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Miss‘Opo
Miss’Opo is perfectly located. That’s to say, it’s half way up one of the steepest alleyways in downtown Porto, just at the point where your legs are saying "enough", "rest", "stop". And there, as if by magic, is the front door. Once you’ve got your breath back, you’ll find it as relaxing a spot as you could hope for. Housed in a large, airy space, its polished concrete floors, book-lined shelves and mismatched furniture combine to give it a hip, higgledy-piggledy vibe. The food is tasty, hearty, no-nonsense fare: soups, toasted sandwiches with sides, grilled meat and fish, and cheese platters make up the bulk of the menu. In the carob pie with yogurt, almonds and honey, you’ll find a dish worthy of the walk. Oh, and if your legs still ache, then there’s a guesthouse upstairs.
Contact: 00 351 22 208 2179; missopo.com
Prices: ££
Opening times: Tue-Sat, 8pm-12am; Sun, 12pm-4pm, 8pm-12pm
O Piolho
This café opened in 1909 and has been a meeting place for students of the University of Porto for decades. Plastering the walls are commemorative plaques donated by successive generations of grateful undergraduates. Don’t be put off by the name, which literally means 'the louse'. This isn’t a reference to its levels of hygiene or its moral turpitude (the café’s student heritage, notwithstanding). Instead, it’s a testimony to its popularity, the name being a tribute to the 'infestation' of punters squeezing through the door. It's less formal than Majestic Café and Guarany, Porto’s two other famous cafés, and remains a popular haunt to this day. If you’re going to brave a Francesinha, Porto’s classic sandwich, this is probably the place to do it.
Contact: 00 351 222 00 374; cafepiolho.com
Prices: £
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 7am-4am
Reservations: Walk-ins only
Bonfim
Pedro Limão
Architect-turned-chef, Pedro Barreiros is one of Porto’s hottest talents. Don’t be put off by the modest premises or its location in the up and coming district of Bonfim. Rest assured: culinary wonders are performed within the tiny confines of the restaurant’s open kitchen. What’s more, the courses just keep coming. The tasting menu runs to 10 separate dishes, every one of which provides a mouthwatering modernist take on a Portuguese classic. Think chestnut cream and mushroom foam; masala-spiced tuna tartare; squid risotto. Only don’t think too hard: the menu at Pedro Limão changes every month. A rare treat.
Contact:00 351 966 454 599; facebook.com/restaurantepedrolimao
Prices: £££
Opening times: Tues-Sat, 8pm-12am
Reservations: Recommended
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Cedofeita
Mondo Deli
Mondo Deli’s cool but understated vibe makes it one of the best-kept secrets in downtown Porto. The warm, cosy décor gives it an immediate at-home, kind of feel. Masterminding the interior is owner Cristian Haas, a German designer whose own creations fill the space: from the leather-cushioned benches to honey wood tables. The menu is a paean to all things wholesome. So the grilled squid comes not with one type of quinoa, but three (red, white and black). And the beetroot-marinated salmon is accompanied not with any old roll, but with biological bread. It’s not all goodie-two-shoes, though. London-trained sommelier and mixologist William has filled the cellar with fabulous finds from little-known Portuguese vineyards, as well as cooking up his own gin-infused cocktail list. Snacks and cheese boards are available for early birds – best enjoyed on the sun-drenched terrace out back.
Contact: 00 351 222 033 084; mondo-deli.com
Prices: ££
Opening times: Tues-Sat, 4pm-12am
Reservations: Recommended
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Vogue Café
Porto’s Vogue Café is everything you would expect from one of the world’s top fashion publications: light, airy and super chic. Before you even think about food, the limo-length bar shouts "cocktails, cocktails". Heed the call. Options include port-based concoctions such as the Herringbone (with tequila and Cointreau) and Filigree (with rum and lime) – a nod to Taylor Fladgate, one of Porto’s oldest port wine houses and the restaurant’s owner. If you’re after an early evening snack, pick two or three options to share from the small plates (the salmon poke bowl is especially good). For serious diners, don’t miss the succulent pork loin, served with wild morel mushrooms and – yes, you’ve guessed it – Tawny Port. It's a great option for vegans too, with not just one but three plant-based dishes to choose from.
Contact: 00 351 223 398 550; voguecafe.pt
Opening times: 11am-11.30pm
Nearest metro: Aliados
Price: £££
Reservations: Recommended
Miragaia
Casa D’Oro
When the departing engineers finished the 270-metre-long Arrábida Bridge, they also left behind their operational headquarters, which is now home to the popular Casa D’Oro. Suspended from the bank over the estuarine flow of the River Douro, the three-storey building boasts one of the most spectacular settings of any restaurant in Porto. Depending on your mood and your company, the floors vary from business-like (ground), to relaxed (read: pizzeria) through to properly playful (rooftop bar: say no more). The pizzeria is a good option for groups, but arrive early as they don’t take bookings and it gets busy. If you're feeling adventurous, opt for the shrimp or salmon pizza. As a starter, the parmesan and pear salad is recommended, and the panna cotta dessert is also excellent.
Contact: 00 351 223 227 879; casadoro.pt
Prices: ££
Opening times: Fri-Sun, 12.30pm-12am; Mon-Thurs, 12.30pm-2.30pm, 8-11pm
Reservations: Walk-ins only
Best table: If the weather is good, the roof terrace
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Vitória
Zenith Brunch & Cocktails
Every city needs its go-to Sunday brunch hang-out. For Porto, it’s Zenith Brunch & Cocktails. This city-centre restaurant is a hit with the hipsters but is not (yet) too cool for school. Located on the edge of an attractive square, there’s space inside and out. As you’d expect, the menu is bulging with brunch-time classics such as eggs Benedict and French toast. But there’s much else besides, most of which has a healthy-sounding zestiness to it. For a mid-morning pick-me-up, try the açaí bowl or the shakshuka, washed down with a nutella tapioca dessert. The fresh juices are to die for, but the mojitos also go down a treat. To avoid queues, think twice about coming on weekends around noon.
Contact: 00 351 220 171 557; zenithcaffe.pt
Prices: ££
Opening times: Sun-Thur, 10am-7pm; Fri-Sat, 10am-2am
