Where to eat and drink in Porto: francesinha, port tastings and pastéis

Where to eat and drink in Porto? Over one weekend we grazed round a market, tried the city’s famous sandwich, tasted ports we’d never heard of and ate a custard tart or two. Here’s my guide to where to eat and drink in Porto, what to order, what’s worth the money and what I’d skip.

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Pastel de nata at Sabores da Invicta

We started the weekend the way you should: with a pastel de nata. Ours came from Sabores da Invicta, a short walk uphill from the river, and it had a blistered, caramelised top. The recipe is said to have been created by monks at Lisbon’s Jerónimos Monastery, and you’ll find them on every corner in Portugal. Heading to the capital too? My guide to two days in Lisbon covers the famous tarts at Belém.

Grazing at Mercado do Bolhão

If you only plan one meal in Porto, make it lunch at Mercado do Bolhão. The market opened in 1914, closed in 2018 for a major restoration and reopened in 2022, and it now has food stalls and bars alongside the produce counters. We went hungry and grazed: oysters, cheese and other local produce, with plenty of wine to go with it. It’s also very reasonable. A glass of local vinho verde was 3 or 4 euros, and six oysters came to 11 euros.

The best bit is that you can pick and choose rather than commit to a sit-down meal, so you can try a little of everything. It’s free to walk in, and it’s closed on Sundays, so go on a Saturday as we did.

Francesinha: Porto's famous sandwich

You can’t write about food in Porto without a francesinha. The name means “little French” and the idea is borrowed from the French croque monsieur. It was created in 1953 by Daniel Silva, a Portuguese man who had lived in France, at a restaurant called A Regaleira on Rua do Bonjardim. The original was simpler than today’s version, and the beer sauce was added later.

A modern francesinha is a pile of bread, ham, steak and linguiça sausage, covered in melted cheese and a spiced tomato and beer sauce, usually with a fried egg on top and chips on the side. We had ours at lunchtime on Saturday at Brasão Aliados, with bread and olives to start. Eat it with a knife and fork, and don’t plan to do much walking afterwards.

Brasão is a Porto cervejaria, a restaurant and brewery with several branches around the city, and the Aliados one is a dark, cosy room with a rustic feel. It has a name for its francesinhas, which Time Out has described as “hardcore”, and a long craft beer list, so it’s a good place to wash one down with something other than a standard lager. Reviewers also recommend the fried onion with black garlic mayo as a starter. The portion was big and the price felt reasonable. It’s popular too: we had to queue to get in, but it was worth the wait. If you’d rather not queue, booking is sensible for a weekend lunch.

Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau

One of the most photographed buildings in Porto’s food scene is Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau, with its red staircase. This one is very touristy and the codfish cakes are overpriced, so I wouldn’t come for the food. It’s worth a quick look for the building and the spectacle.

If you do want to try salt cod, you’re in the right country. Portugal is said to have over 1,000 recipes for bacalhau, and before refrigeration the cod was dried and salted so it would keep. It became such a staple that it picked up the nickname “fiel amigo”, or loyal friend. You’ll find it on most menus away from the tourist trail.

Port tastings in Gaia: Quevedo and Sandeman

You can’t visit Porto without tasting port, and the place to do it is Vila Nova de Gaia, on the opposite bank of the Douro. The port lodges are all here because, for centuries, port had to be aged and shipped from this side of the river.

On Saturday we did a tasting at the Quevedo port cellar. It was a highlight because it went beyond the usual styles, with some more unusual options including a 10 year old white port and a rosé port. White port is made from white grapes and, although most is bottled young, some is aged in wood and can taste surprisingly like a tawny. It also makes the classic summer drink, the porto tónico: white port, tonic, a twist of lemon and a sprig of mint.

The rosé port is the baby of the family. Croft launched the first one in 2008, and it’s now often served over ice or in cocktails. We tried another at the Pink Palace in World of Wine, where the ticket included a tasting of rosés at the time of writing.

On Sunday we went to the Sandeman cellars for an aged tawny port tasting. Tawnies spend years in small casks, which slowly fades the colour and gives them nutty, caramel flavours, and the bottles carry an age of 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 years. As guests at the House of Sandeman Hostel we got 10% off tours and tastings, which is worth asking about if you stay there.

Tips for eating and drinking in Porto

• Go to Mercado do Bolhão on a Saturday, because it’s closed on Sundays, and arrive hungry.
• Eat your francesinha at lunch, as we did at Brasão Aliados, and plan a gentle afternoon. The portions are big, and expect to queue at popular spots.
• Try the less common port styles, such as aged white port and rosé port, rather than sticking to ruby and tawny.
• Ask about discounts when you book tastings. Hostel guests at the House of Sandeman get 10% off.
• Skip the codfish cakes at the touristy places and look for salt cod at a local restaurant instead.
• If you’d rather have a guide, GetYourGuide lists food and wine tours in Porto, and readers can get 5% off in the app with the code WEEKENDSANDAWAY5.

Where to eat in Porto FAQs

What is the most famous food in Porto?

The francesinha, a sandwich of bread, ham, steak and sausage covered in melted cheese and a spiced tomato and beer sauce. Pastel de nata and salt cod dishes are also on almost every visitor’s list.

Is Mercado do Bolhão good for lunch?

Yes. You can graze on oysters, cheese and local produce, with a glass of wine, and there are no tickets or set menus. Prices are low: we paid 11 euros for six oysters, and a glass of vinho verde was 3 or 4 euros. It’s closed on Sundays.

What port should I try in Porto?

Start with a tasting in Gaia and include a style you wouldn’t normally choose, such as aged white port, rosé port or a 10 or 20 year old tawny.

Is Porto expensive for food?

It can be good value if you avoid the places aimed squarely at tourists, such as the touristy codfish cake spots. We thought our francesinha at Brasão Aliados was reasonably priced for the size of the portion. Market grazing and local restaurants are the best bets: at Mercado do Bolhão a glass of local vinho verde was 3 or 4 euros and six oysters were 11 euros.

More from Porto and beyond

• A weekend in Porto: a 2-day itinerary
• Where to eat and drink in York
• Two days in Lisbon