Porto Travel Guide
What to Eat in Porto
A guide to the dishes Porto is famous for, how and when locals eat, the Bolhão market, seafood by the sea in Matosinhos, and the wines to drink beyond port.
Porto is a city of hearty food. Northern Portugal's cooking is generous, rich and unpretentious, built on pork, salt cod, potatoes, beans, olive oil and the produce of the Atlantic, and Porto adds its own specialities, including a few legendary sandwiches. Eating well here is easy and good value if you know what to look for.
The francesinha. Porto's most famous dish is a monument to excess: a sandwich of bread layered with cured and fresh meats, typically ham, sausage and steak, covered with melted cheese and bathed in a spicy sauce made with beer and tomato, often topped with a fried egg and served with chips. The name means little Frenchwoman, and it is said to have been inspired by the croque-monsieur. Every local has an opinion on where the best sauce is made, and it is worth trying in a traditional café rather than a tourist restaurant. Share one if you are not very hungry.
Bifanas and other sandwiches. The bifana, a simple roll filled with thin slices of pork marinated and cooked in a garlicky, sometimes spicy sauce, is the classic quick lunch, best washed down with a small beer. The sandes de pernil, roast pork leg in a roll, sometimes with cheese, is another local favourite. Both are cheap and perfect for a break between sights.
Tripas à moda do Porto. The people of Porto are nicknamed tripeiros, tripe eaters, a name that goes back to a legend that the city gave all its meat to provision the fleet that sailed to conquer Ceuta in 1415, keeping only the tripe for itself. The dish of tripe stewed with white beans, chorizo and other meats is still served in traditional restaurants, especially at lunch. It is an acquired taste, but a dish with real history.
Salt cod and the classics. Bacalhau, dried salt cod, is the national fish, and Porto cooks it in many ways, including bacalhau à Gomes de Sá, a baked dish with potatoes, onions, eggs and olives that originated in the city. Other northern classics include caldo verde, a soup of potato and finely shredded kale, and roast kid or veal in the more traditional restaurants. Petiscos, small plates for sharing, are a good way to try several things.
Seafood by the sea. For fish and seafood, head to Matosinhos, just north of Foz, where a cluster of restaurants grill the catch on charcoal grills in the street. Sardines in summer, sea bass, sea bream and octopus are the stars, simply served with potatoes, salad and a glass of vinho verde. Prices depend on the weight and the catch of the day, so ask before you order.
The markets. The Mercado do Bolhão, restored and reopened in 2022, is the place to see and taste local produce: fish, cured meats, cheese, fruit, flowers and tinned fish, with small restaurants and counters on the upper level. Go on a weekday morning for the freshest produce; it is closed on Sundays. Nearby, old grocers on the surrounding streets sell coffee, dried fruit, port and preserves.
Cafés and pastries. Porto has wonderful cafés, from the Art Nouveau splendour of the Café Majestic on Rua de Santa Catarina to tiny neighbourhood counters. Order a café, a short espresso, or a galão, a milky coffee in a glass. Pastries include the pastel de nata, found everywhere, and regional cakes; in the bakeries you will also find bolas and other breads.
Wine beyond port. Port is the city's wine, best enjoyed in the Gaia lodges or as an aperitif with tonic, but the north also produces vinho verde, a fresh, light wine from the Minho region, ideal with seafood, and increasingly fine red and white wines from the Douro Valley, where the same grapes used for port make powerful, structured table wines. Ask for a Douro red with a francesinha or roast meat.
Where to eat by area. The restaurants on the Ribeira quay trade on their setting, and the food is often secondary; walk a street or two back into the old town, or cross to Gaia, for better value. The streets around the Bolhão market and Rua de Santa Catarina have traditional tascas serving set lunches to office workers, which is a good sign. Cedofeita and the Miguel Bombarda district have newer, creative restaurants and brunch cafés, popular with a younger crowd. Foz and Matosinhos are the places for fish. For a splurge, Porto has a growing number of acclaimed fine-dining restaurants, including the two-Michelin-star dining room at The Yeatman in Gaia, which needs booking well ahead.
Eating on a budget. The prato do dia, the dish of the day, is the best-value meal in Porto, usually including a main course and sometimes soup, a drink and coffee, at a fraction of the price of dinner. Bifanas and pastries make cheap, filling snacks, and picnic supplies from the Bolhão market, eaten in the Crystal Palace gardens with a view of the river, make a memorable lunch. Tap water is safe to drink, though most restaurants serve bottled water by default.
How locals eat. Lunch is served from around midday to mid-afternoon and is often the main meal; many restaurants offer a good-value set menu on weekdays, the prato do dia. Dinner starts from around eight. Starters such as bread, butter and olives placed on the table are charged if eaten; send them back if you do not want them. Reservations are wise for popular restaurants at weekends. And do not miss São João in June, when the whole city grills sardines in the streets.