Edmund's Porto Guide

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Modern Portuguese with clean design and inventive dishes. Hip and busy. Food is great, garden bar has a super nice view.

Brasão

Best Francesinha in Porto. Massive sandwich loaded with meat and melted cheese, swimming in spicy beer sauce. Come hungry - it's a meal for two disguised as one.

Sister restaurant of the famous Harry Potter café (Majestic Café), but with lower prices, fewer crowds, and great food. Love their club sandwich and Invita omelette (Porto's omelette). The building's history is richer than any Harry Potter connection.

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Casa Vasco

Near the beach where locals go instead of tourists. Their steak sandwich (prego no pão) is thick, juicy, and properly seasoned. No pretense, just good food.

Coupage 51

Casual wine bar with great food. Good wine paired with delicious bites in a relaxed setting.

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Emotivo

€65 for two plus wine. They use a simple game to choose your menu based on Portuguese regions. Like a blind tasting menu but more interactive.

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Secretly located in Leca de Palmeira, almost no tourists. A high-calibre chef opened this small seafood-focused restaurant with ultra delicious food. Everything is full of umami and great textures.

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Mito Restaurante

They have dry aged steak, entrecote and shrimp omelette. Their appetizer, bola de berlim, is the highlight.

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Incredible wine list and authentic Portuguese dishes. The interior of this old building is beautifully designed.

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Contemporary Portuguese from famous chef Marco Gomes (who also has TV shows) in a modern industrial art-filled space. Excellent wine list and creative dishes. Get their foie gras white chocolate egg appetizer if they have it - the roast lamb is also superb.

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Great seafood in city center. Quite busy, book in advance. Their two versions of scallops are always tasty. If they have razor clams, that's super delicious. Great seafood without going to Matosinhos.

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In a residential neighborhood, tasty modernized Portuguese food. Everything is good, menu on a blackboard, need to try everything.

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Peixe no Mercado Porto

Convenient in the Bolhão market. Tasty modern seafood dishes in the city.

RAMEN ME !

The only ramen worth trying. Super high quality niboshi ramen full of flavor and umami. They make their noodles and soup from scratch, not the usual MSG pre-made stuff.

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Great steakhouse upstairs - it's very small so book ahead. Downstairs serves excellent focaccia sandwiches and deli-style food in a stylish, easygoing setting.

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30-minute ride south to this beachside gem with a terrace right on the sand. Barnacles, sardines, local shrimp - everything from the sea here is fantastic. Ask the friendly staff what's seasonal and fresh today. Their seafood rice and tomato rice hit different with sunset views.

Experimental tasting menu that's theatrical and creative. Prepare for surprises - some wonderful, some weird, all memorable.

Modern Portuguese with a creative edge by chef Nuno Mendes. Expect innovative takes on traditional flavors in an elegant setting.

Amazing view with a strange but successful combination of sushi, steaks, and cheese. They pulled together good chefs for each type of food. Be careful with wine recommendations - prices can go way up.

Modern Portuguese, very difficult to get reservation. I like this one the most and have been there multiple times already. Tasting menu only - small but absolutely excellent.

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7groaster

In Gaia, this one has very good coffee as well as great brunch food. Worth crossing the river for the full experience.

Calma Coffee Room

Quiet corner spot that's perfect for working or just enjoying good coffee in peace. Laptop-friendly atmosphere.

Combi Coffee

Nice space with good espresso and really cool branding. The kind of place you'll want to buy a tote bag from.

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New coffee shop opened by Senzu Coffee Roasters. Great coffee, great creative tasty sandwiches and great not so french toast, french toast.

Early Cedofeita

They have rabanada (French toast) that's super tasty. Remember to add a fried egg on top. The bacon and chutney on it makes it one of the best French toast ever!

Fábrica Coffee Roasters

Reliable coffee in central Porto. Nothing fancy, just consistently good espresso and a cozy spot to sit. My go-to for a proper caffeine fix.

Hakko House

Scandinavian-style coffee shop doing pastries the Nordic way. Great coffee, good cardamom buns, and they even have semlor (Swedish cream buns). Worth checking out.

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Coffee nerds who actually know how to cook and understand flavor. Turkish-influenced menu changes weekly, but catch their pop-ups - they do Mexican tacos, Thai curry, kebabs, whatever they're into. Sometimes here, sometimes they take over other spots. Their cinnamon bun is super good.

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So Roasters

Minimalist coffee shop where the focus is purely on well-roasted and perfectly prepared coffee. No distractions, just great coffee.

Ikigai Omakase

The owner's original day job was architecture. They now have this authentic omakase spot that serves the best fish from Porto and Japan. Highly recommended. It's located north of Porto, you'll need to take an Uber or Bolt there.

Izakaya

Small, cozy spot for more casual Japanese food when you want quality without the full omakase commitment.

Kaigi Porto

Omakase using Portuguese ingredients - a brilliant fusion that actually works. Precise, intimate, and uniquely Porto.

Out to Lunch

Great for lunch curry and soba when you want something simple but delicious. A nice change of pace.

Conga

Bifanas is the thing to order here. Best tasting pork sandwich Portuguese style. Better than the famous Lisbon version.

Mercado Bom Sucesso

Very nice food court with lots of choices and super reasonable prices. Try O FORNO DO LEITÃO DO ZÉ for roast piglet (500-600g good for 2) and FORNO DO MERCADO for their steak sandwich (prego no pão) - not the pizza.

TimeOut Market Porto

Most stalls are owned by famous chefs in the area. Upscale food hall where you can try dishes from Porto's best restaurants in a casual setting.

MiBa Bakery

Great pastry, great croissant, great sourdough.

Ogi by Euskalduna

Great bakery with the best sourdough and croissants (French style, not Portuguese style). Modern bakery that takes bread seriously.

A place you can get a seafood tower with almost all sorts of seafood. A shellfish and seafood lover's heaven. On the pricey side but they also have an extensive wine list.

Meia Nau (Matosinhos)

Go to the Matosinhos location specifically - the Porto one is more convenient but not as nice. Excellent quality here.

A calm and formal Portuguese seafood restaurant. Sometimes they have the Carabineros (Scarlet Prawns), and it's a must have. Their preparation is top-notch. All seafood on the menu is tasty and they also have a wine club, so their wine choices are excellent. Wine makers frequent here.

R. Heróis de França

Walk along this street (200-300 blocks) and follow the smoke - there are 2-3 blocks of only seafood restaurants grilling outside. They're all quite nice and the atmosphere is perfect.

Sempr'Assar 2

Affordable seafood grilled right on the street. No frills, just fresh fish cooked perfectly over open flames.

Aguardente

You need to try an aged aguardente here - it's basically Portuguese brandy. I find them tastier than any French brandy. Stronger than it looks though!

Wine shop run by Diogo - food and wine runs in the family. Great bottle selection of Portuguese wines tourists never find, all at retail prices. Fresh oysters and snacks that overdeliver. Outdoor seating only on Porto's original shopping street - perfect for people watching on old Cedofeita.

Port Wine 101

Can't leave Porto without trying Port. Ruby vs Tawny - learn the difference. LBV isn't Vintage Port (don't be fooled). Tawny ages are averages, won't improve in your cellar. But real Vintage Port and Colheita? They age beautifully. Find out if your birth year was good enough for Vintage - if not, there's always Colheita.

My go-to wine shop for buying wines. Amazing value and personal recommendations - you can ask them for suggestions and most are very good quality and value.

Graham's

Best Port wine tour - they explain things well and the place has a nice view from the tasting room. Perfect introduction to port wines.

Poças

Best port value. The space is smaller but they focus on vintage and colheita port. Vintage looks like red wine (Ruby type) and tastes better as it ages. Colheita is single varietals and single year production.

Beyond Port - Pick Portuguese Wine

Portugal makes incredible wine besides Port. Douro kills it with reds and whites. For vinho verde, Soalheiro is solid, but Élio Lara View is next level. Douro reds? Can't go wrong - compare a 20€ vs 70€ bottle. Dão does lighter reds (think Burgundy). Want bubbles? Bairrada espumante.

Canastra do Fidalgo

Go to Costa Nova near Aveiro and try their eel dishes. Worth the trip for this specialty.

Douro Wine Tasting

Exceptional wines from this region. Book a private wine tour with Sara at Portoalities.com. She brings you to the best non-touristy wine houses and you might meet some of the best wine makers. Don't forget to get bottles of high quality olive oil from these wine houses.

Filhos de Moura

Go north for a more family restaurant, traditional style suckling pig. Great alternative for a more authentic experience. Pair with espumante.

Restaurante Rei dos Leitões

Drive down for Portuguese roast suckling pig (leitão). Literally translates to "King of roast suckling pig". Remember to pair with espumante (sparkling wine).

Jardim do Morro

Best sunset in town - watch sunset at this park in Gaia. Grab a bottle of wine and join the locals. Perfect way to end any day in Porto.

Private Tours

Private tour operator I use for Porto and Douro wine region. They know the area well and can customize based on your interests.

Ribeira Walk

Walk around the river area - it's touristy but beautiful. Then walk over the Ponte Luis bridge, both lower level (currently in renovation but walkable) and top level where the metro runs.

Tram to Foz

You can take the tram from near the McDonald's in ribeira to Foz - Tram Linha 1. Scenic ride along the river to the beach area. Spend a day strolling through Foz afterward.

WOW District

They have some museums, but I've never been to any. I tried their restaurants - mostly expensive. But they have a nice free square with incredible views. Great at sunset, and their Portuguese restaurant is decent.

Serralves

Contemporary art museum with a mid-century modern house, massive park with outdoor art, and a tree top walk. Perfect spot to spend a sunny day - it's art, architecture, and nature all rolled into one.