Where to Eat in Porto: Best Restaurants, Cafés, and Wine Bars

Porto, Portugal’s second city, has an excellent culinary scene, offering a great blend of modern takes on traditional food. This guide will help you find the best places to eat and drink your way through the city.

Voltaria

This tiny restaurant usually has a lengthy line, but it’s well worth the wait—in my opinion, it’s the best meal in Porto, offering exquisitely updated takes on classic Portuguese fare. There are many great dishes to choose from, but be sure not to miss the francesinha, the iconic sandwich of Porto, with ham, steak, and sausage stacked between two pieces of toasted bread, covered in melted cheese and drenched in a slightly spicy tomato-beer sauce.

I also recommend trying some bacalhau, dried and salted cod, a staple of Portuguese cuisine that forms the basis of many of the country’s most famous dishes. Voltaria serves up three of the most traditional preparations: à Brás (with shoestring potatoes and onions, bound together with egg), com natas (baked with fried potatoes, onions, bacon, and cream), and à Zé do Pipo (baked with mashed potatoes, pickles, and mayonnaise).

Pair your food with a bottle from their great selection of wines from around Portugal. Their rotating cast of desserts are fantastic as well—many classic Portuguese desserts have quite humorous names, such as baba de camelo (camel slobber) and toucinho do céu (bacon from heaven). For a drink with your dessert, of course, go for a glass of port, the famous fortified wine produced right here in Porto from grapes grown in the nearby Douro Valley. All in all, it will prove a very memorable meal.

Bar Aduela

This charming corner bar is a favorite local hangout, with a cozy interior and a lively patio outside. Order some petiscos (small plates akin to Spanish tapas) and pair them with a drink for a light dinner or afternoon snack. If you’re looking for wine, I recommend a bottle of vinho verde, a crisp white wine produced from young (‘green’) grapes grown in the region around Porto. For a cocktail, try a porto tónico, the Portuguese version of the gin tonic made with dry white port.

Confeitaria do Bolhão

Opened in 1896, this pastry shop is one of the oldest in the city, with an elegant interior and all manner of top-class baked goods. They are famous for both savory and sweet, from the bola rústica (a thin sandwich with ham and cheese) and abóbora e noz (pumpkin-walnut bread) to the tigelinhas do Bolhão (egg custard tart topped with toasted almonds) and the bolo rei (king cake), traditionally eaten during the season of Epiphany.

Order a mix of treats from one of the tables in their lovely seating area, and pair your sweet ones with a cimbalino (espresso).

Café Majestic

Around the corner is another historic cafe, open since 1922, styled after the sophisticated cafes of turn-of-the-century Paris. Though coffee is the dominant hot beverage in Portugal, this cafe is a great place to experience chá das cinco (five o’clock tea), the afternoon tea tradition that is closely associated with England but was in fact popularized there by Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese noblewoman who reigned as Queen of England through her marriage to Charles II. The tea will be accompanied by an elegant presentation of tea sandwiches, scones, and small pastries, making for a delicious and memorable experience.

If you prefer coffee, pair it with a couple of their famous rabanadas, a sort of Portuguese french toast made by dipping baguette-style bread in milk and beaten eggs before frying it in oil and sprinkling it with cinnamon sugar and top. A true delicacy.

Jimão Tapas e Vinhos

For a lovely dinner in the charming hillside neighborhood of Ribeira, look no further than Jimão. Their menu of small plates is quite varied, but I recommend anything with seafood—and be sure to pair it with a bottle of vinho verde and maybe a glass of port with dessert, too.

Looking for more tips on what to see and do around the city? Visit our Porto page here.