🧁 Must Have — Pastel de Nata
1🍽️ Favorite Restaurants
17
Barro
City Centre
Great Wine
Modern Portuguese kitchen built on local ingredients and serious prep time. Custardy French toast, potato pavé, fresh seafood and beef from Serra do Marão show that patience; the tight list of special wines is always worth asking about.
Go forPrawnsScallopsHappy Cow steak
Café Guarany
City Centre
Regular
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.
Go forClub sandwichInvita omelette
Casa Vasco
Foz & Western Porto
Locals Only
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.
Go forPrego no pão
Coupage 51
City Centre
Casual wine bar with great food. Good wine paired with delicious bites in a relaxed setting.
Lessa
Matosinhos & Leça
Zero Tourists
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.
Go forEverything — the menu turns with the seasons and it all lands
🌊 Beach town🐟 Fresh seafood👥 Intimate🤐 Under radar
Mito Restaurante
City Centre
They have dry aged steak, entrecote and shrimp omelette. Their appetizer, bola de berlim, is the highlight.
Go forDry aged steakBola de berlim
ODE Wine House
Vila Nova de Gaia
Great Wine
Incredible wine list and authentic Portuguese dishes. The interior of this old building is beautifully designed.
Go forPresuntoPão de lóChicken blood rice — seasonal, get it when it's on
Oficina
City Centre
Great WineLocals Only
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.
Go forFoie gras eggRoast goat
Oesters e Coisa
City Centre
Regular
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.
Go forRazor clamsSeafood pasta in tomato broth
Pata Gorda
Greater Porto
Great WineLocals Only
In a residential neighborhood, tasty modernized Portuguese food. Everything is good, menu on a blackboard, need to try everything.
Go forEverything
Peixe no Mercado Porto
City Centre
Convenient in the Bolhão market. Tasty modern seafood dishes in the city.
RAMEN ME !
City Centre
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.
Go forNiboshi ramenGyoza
Zizi Restaurante
Out of Town
Great WineLocals Only
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.
Go forSeafood
🌅 Sunset views🏖️ Beach terrace🦐 Fresh seafood🍚 Seafood rice specialist
💎 World-Class Dining
4
ÉON Restaurante
City Centre
Great Wine
Beautiful and delicious. The dining room is traditional and the building itself is worth the visit — go and see the azulejo-tiled Café Servo as well. A focused wine list and great service.
Go forThe tasting menuThe buildingFocused wine listCafé Servo tiles
Cozinha das Flores
City Centre
Great Wine
Modern Portuguese with a creative edge by chef Nuno Mendes. Expect innovative takes on traditional flavors in an elegant setting.
Go forSmall bitesSeafood riceAged steak
Enoteca 17.56
Vila Nova de Gaia
Great Wine
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.
Go forSushiSteak
Euskalduna Studio
City Centre
SplurgeMy #1Great Wine
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.
Go forTasting menu
🎨 Artful plates👨🍳 Chef's counter🍷 Wine pairings💸 Special occasion
☕ Coffee & Brunch
9
Calma Coffee Room
City Centre
Quiet corner spot that's perfect for working or just enjoying good coffee in peace. Laptop-friendly atmosphere.
Combi Coffee
City Centre
Nice space with good espresso and really cool branding. The kind of place you'll want to buy a tote bag from.
Comum Porto
City Centre
New
New coffee shop opened by Senzu Coffee Roasters. Great coffee, great creative tasty sandwiches and great not so french toast, french toast.
Go forFrench toastSandwiches
☕ Third wave coffee🥪 Creative sandwiches🧇 Unique brunch
Early Cedofeita
City Centre
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!
Go forRabanada (French toast)
Fábrica Coffee Roasters
City Centre
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
City Centre
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.
Go forCardamom bunSemlor
Protest Kitchen
City Centre
Regular
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.
Go forCinnamon bun
So Roasters
City Centre
Minimalist coffee shop where the focus is purely on well-roasted and perfectly prepared coffee. No distractions, just great coffee.
🍣 Japanese
5Omakase
Hikari Omakase
City Centre
At Marques, this is the most authentic Japanese omakase you can get in Porto. The room feels transportive, Chef Wataru crafts the menu masterfully, and the highlights include the extensive sushi course, chawanmushi, and tempura.
Go forSushi courseChawanmushi
Ikigai Omakase
Out of Town
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.
Go forThe omakase — trust the counter
Kaigi Porto
Greater Porto
Omakase using Portuguese ingredients - a brilliant fusion that actually works. Precise, intimate, and uniquely Porto.
Other Japanese
Out to Lunch
City Centre
Great for lunch curry and soba when you want something simple but delicious. A nice change of pace.
Go forCurrySoba
🥪 Casual Eats
3
Mercado Bom Sucesso
City Centre
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.
Go forRoast pigletPrego no pão
TimeOut Market Porto
City Centre
Skip It
A one-stop shop that stops short. To me, eating here is announcing you're a tourist and inviting the tourist price. Many of the chefs run excellent standalone restaurants — but under Time Out Market's management it all feels commercialized, losing the authenticity, hospitality, and character that make the originals worth the trip. Want to experience Porto? Skip the food hall and go straight to the source.
🥐 Pastry & Bakery
2Ogi by Euskalduna
City Centre
Great bakery with the best sourdough and croissants (French style, not Portuguese style). Modern bakery that takes bread seriously.
Go forSourdoughCroissant
🦐 Seafood in Matosinhos
5A Marisqueira de Matosinhos
Matosinhos & Leça
Great Wine
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.
Go forSeafood tower
Meia Nau (Matosinhos)
Matosinhos & Leça
Go to the Matosinhos location specifically - the Porto one is more convenient but not as nice. Excellent quality here.
O Gaveto
Matosinhos & Leça
Great WineLocals Only
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.
Go forCarabineros
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.
Go forWhat's fresh in the window that day, grilled
Sempr'Assar 2
Matosinhos & Leça
Affordable seafood grilled right on the street. No frills, just fresh fish cooked perfectly over open flames.
🍷 Wine & Drinks
7Aguardente
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!
Go forAged aguardente
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.
Gota a Gota Winehouse
City Centre
Wine Pros
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.
🎯 Expert picks💰 Great value🗣️ Ask for recs
Atman Speakeasy
City Centre
Get the password to go to this speakeasy. Their menu is divided into Mind, Body and Soul. They put effort in crafting cocktails that will delight and surprise.
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.
🚗 Day Trips from Porto
4Canastra do Fidalgo
Out of Town
Go to Costa Nova near Aveiro and try their eel dishes. Worth the trip for this specialty.
Go forEel
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.
Go forLeitão
Restaurante Rei dos Leitões
Out of Town
Drive down for Portuguese roast suckling pig (leitão). Literally translates to "King of roast suckling pig". Remember to pair with espumante (sparkling wine).
Go forLeitão
✨ Things To Do
7Private Tours
Private tour operator I use for Porto and Douro wine region. They know the area well and can customize based on your interests.
WOW District
Vila Nova de Gaia
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.