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🍽️

Porto Restaurant Guide

A complete guide to Porto's food scene — budget eats, mid-range gems, and special occasion restaurants. All personally verified by our team.

🏷️ Budget Eats (Under 10 EUR)

Porto is a paradise for students and budget travelers. Great food doesn't have to be expensive!

1. Casa Guedes (Ribeira)

Specialty: Pernil (roasted pork shoulder sandwich)
Price: 3-5 EUR
Why go: Iconic spot since 1987. The queue is long but worth it. Order pernil com queijo (with cheese) and a Super Bock. Eat at the bar or take away to the riverside.

2. Café Santiago (Marquês)

Specialty: Francesinha
Price: 8-10 EUR
Why go: Best francesinha in Porto according to locals. It's a sandwich with cold cuts, steak, and sausage, smothered in beer sauce and cheese. For the brave: Francesinha Special (with egg and fries).

3. Conga - Restaurante Chinês (Cedofeita)

Specialty: Chinese fusion cuisine
Price: 6-9 EUR per main
Why go: When you've had enough bacalhau. Real Chinese food, not the European version. Pad Thai (7€), Chow Mein (6€). Big portions, authentic flavors.

4. O Diplomata (Cedofeita)

Specialty: Bifana and prego
Price: 3-6 EUR
Why go: Locals' favorite lunch spot. Bifana is marinated pork in a bun. Prego is beef steak in a bun. Add fries for 1€ extra.

5. Mercado do Bolhão (Centro)

Specialty: Market with takeaway food
Price: 4-8 EUR
Why go: Renovated in 2022, now has a food court upstairs. Buy fresh fruit, cheese, and bread downstairs, eat Portuguese lunch upstairs (steaks, fish, salads). Authentic atmosphere, zero tourists.

🍷 Mid-Range (10-25 EUR)

Here you start feeling Porto — local flavors, wine, quality.

6. Taberna dos Mercadores (Ribeira)

Specialty: Portuguese tapas
Price: 15-20 EUR per person
Why go: Small tavern in a narrow Ribeira alley. Order 3-4 tapas per person: polvo à lagareiro (octopus with garlic), alheira (smoked sausage), queijo de cabra (goat cheese with honey). House wine (vinho da casa) only 8€/bottle.

7. Cantinho do Avillez (Centro)

Specialty: Modern Portuguese cuisine
Price: 18-25 EUR per main
Why go: Restaurant by José Avillez (Michelin star chef). Try bacalhau à Avillez (tempura cod with chickpea hummus) or secretos de porco preto (Iberian pork). Reservation required!

8. DOP (Palácio das Artes)

Specialty: Fine dining in a palace
Price: 20-30 EUR per dish
Why go: Michelin restaurant in an 18th-century palace. Lunch menu (12-15€) is the best deal. Much pricier at dinner. Minimalist presentation, premium Portuguese products.

9. Adega São Nicolau (Ribeira)

Specialty: Traditional Portuguese cuisine
Price: 12-18 EUR
Why go: Zero tourists despite Ribeira location. Order arroz de pato (duck rice) or cabrito assado (roasted kid goat). Huge portions — you can share.

10. Cantina 32 (Baixa)

Specialty: Breakfasts and brunches
Price: 10-15 EUR
Why go: Best brunch in Porto. Pancakes with fruit, avocado toast, benedicts. Menu in English. Perfect for hungover travelers.

🌟 Special Occasions (25+ EUR)

When you want to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or just splurge.

11. The Yeatman (Vila Nova de Gaia)

Specialty: 2 Michelin stars
Price: 45-80 EUR per dish (tasting menu 120€)
Why go: Best restaurant in Porto. View of the entire city from the terrace. Portuguese chefs, local products, perfect presentation. Tasting menu is 8 courses + wines. Reserve 2-3 weeks in advance.

12. Pedro Lemos (Foz do Douro)

Specialty: 1 Michelin star
Price: 35-60 EUR per dish (tasting menu 90€)
Why go: Small, intimate spot by the ocean. Pedro Lemos is a legend of Portuguese cuisine. Seasonal menu, Atlantic fish, local vegetables. Lunch menu (45€) is a great deal.

13. Antiqvvm (Vila Nova de Gaia)

Specialty: Contemporary Portuguese cuisine
Price: 30-55 EUR per dish
Why go: Romantic garden with fountains. Menu changes seasonally. Great Portuguese wine list. I recommend the black Iberian pork tenderloin with truffles.

📖 What to Order — Portuguese Menu Decoder

Fish and Seafood

  • Bacalhau à Brás: cod with onions, fried potatoes, and egg
  • Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá: baked cod with potatoes and onions
  • Polvo à lagareiro: octopus roasted with garlic and olive oil
  • Sardinhas assadas: grilled sardines (season: May-October)
  • Ameijoas à Bulhão Pato: clams in garlic, white wine, and coriander sauce

Meat

  • Francesinha: Porto's iconic sandwich (cold cuts, steak, sausage, cheese, beer sauce)
  • Cozido à Portuguesa: Portuguese stew (meat, sausage, vegetables cooked together)
  • Arroz de pato: duck rice with chorizo, baked
  • Leitão assado: roasted suckling pig (specialty of central Portugal)
  • Bifana: marinated pork in a bun

Desserts

  • Pastel de nata: Portuguese custard tart (MUST try)
  • Toucinho do céu: almond cake (lit. "bacon from heaven")
  • Arroz doce: sweet rice with cinnamon
  • Pudim flan: Portuguese flan (like crème caramel)

💰 Tipping and Customs

Tipping

Standard: 5-10% in restaurants (not mandatory but appreciated)
Cafés/bars: Round up to full euro
Bistros/cheap places: No tip expected
Fine dining: 10-15%

Customs

  • Lunch is the main meal (13:00-15:00) — most Portuguese eat lunch at restaurants
  • Dinner is late (21:00-22:00) — if you come at 19:00, you'll be alone
  • "Couvert" = starters (bread, olives, butter, pâté) — you pay for these! You can refuse.
  • Tap water is drinkable, but Portuguese always order bottled
  • House wine (vinho da casa) is always a good choice and cheap

🇵🇱 For Polish Palates

What Will Feel Familiar?

  • Cozido à Portuguesa = similar to our bigos
  • Caldo verde (cabbage and sausage soup) = Portuguese version of kapuśniak
  • Arroz de pato = a bit like our duck with rice
  • Alheira (smoked sausage) = Portuguese sausage, but lighter than Polish

What Will Be Different?

  • Portuguese eat A LOT of cod (bacalhau) — 365 recipes, one for each day of the year
  • Olive oil instead of butter (everywhere)
  • Dishes less spicy than in Poland — Portuguese don't like heat
  • Coriander (coentro) in everything — if you don't like it, ask for "sem coentro"
  • Small portions of starters (tapas), but mains are huge

If You Miss Polish Food

Biedronka and Lidl: Have Polish products (buckwheat, sour cream, sometimes even żurek powder)
Pingo Doce: Portuguese chain, but has international section with Eastern European products

💡 Insider Tips

  1. Avoid Ribeira after 19:00 — tourist traps, prices 2x higher. Eat lunch in Ribeira, dinner in other neighborhoods.
  2. Book in advance — Porto is a small city, good restaurants fill up fast (especially weekends)
  3. Ask for "prato do dia" (dish of the day) — always cheaper and fresh
  4. Lunch instead of dinner — same restaurants are 30-40% cheaper at lunch
  5. Continente supermarket — best for groceries (bigger selection than Pingo Doce)
  6. Order half portion (meia dose) — portions in Portugal are huge, meia dose is enough
  7. Try Super Bock and Sagres — Portuguese beers, every Porto fan has their favorite
  8. Coffee "bica" = espresso, "meia de leite" = coffee with milk (like our białe)

📱 Useful Polish Phrases

  • "Pode trazer a conta, por favor?" = "Can I have the bill?" (pode trazér a conta por fawór)
  • "Não quero couvert" = "I don't want starters" (nau keru kuwért)
  • "Que recomenda?" = "What do you recommend?" (ke Rekomenda)
  • "É picante?" = "Is it spicy?" (e pikante)
  • "Sem coentro, por favor" = "No coriander, please" (sem koentro por fawór)

🎯 Summary: Our Top 3

  1. Budget: Casa Guedes (pernil 3€) + Café Santiago (francesinha 9€)
  2. Mid-range: Taberna dos Mercadores (tapas 15€) + Adega São Nicolau (lunch 15€)
  3. Special: The Yeatman (Michelin 120€) or Pedro Lemos (menu 90€)

💬 Questions? Message us on WhatsApp — we live in Porto and know these places personally!