Northern Portuguese cooking is richer and heartier than the south's: pork and veal, smoked sausages, salt cod, soups, cornbread and fresh Atlantic fish. In Porto you eat very well at some of western Europe's lowest prices. It is part of the Porto guide; see also Portuguese food.
Typical dishes
| Dish | What it is |
|---|---|
| Francesinha | Porto's signature dish: a sandwich of sliced bread with sausage, ham and meat, covered in melted cheese and soaked in a spicy beer-and-tomato sauce, often topped with an egg and served with chips |
| Tripas à moda do Porto | Tripe stewed with white beans, sausage and meats, the dish that gave locals the nickname tripeiros |
| Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá | Salt cod with potatoes, onions, boiled eggs and olives, a recipe born in Porto |
| Polvo à lagareiro | Roast octopus with olive oil and crushed potatoes |
| Cabrito assado | Roast kid, a festive dish |
| Sandes de pernil | Roast pork leg sandwich, often with Serra da Estrela cheese |
| Bifana | Pork slices in sauce in a roll |
| Caldo verde | Potato and kale soup with a slice of chouriço |
| Rojões à moda do Minho | Fried pork chunks with black pudding and potatoes |
| Arroz de pato | Baked duck rice with chouriço |
The francesinha
The francesinha, "little Frenchie", was created in the 1950s by an emigrant back from France who reinvented the croque-monsieur with Portuguese flavours. Every restaurant guards its secret sauce recipe. It is very heavy: share it or eat it as a single meal, with a cold beer.
Fish and seafood
For grilled fish the best place is Matosinhos, the fishing port, where restaurants on Rua Heróis de França grill sardines, sea bream, sea bass, turbot and octopus in the street. Foz and the Ribeira also have good marisqueiras for seafood.
Sweets and coffee
Northern pastries have convent roots, made with egg yolks and sugar: Ovar pão de ló, cavacas, papos de anjo, toucinho do céu. There are excellent pastéis de nata too. Breakfast or an afternoon snack at Café Majestic on Rua de Santa Catarina is a small ritual, though pricey. In Porto an espresso is called a cimbalino, after the Italian La Cimbali machine.
What to drink
- Vinho verde, a young, slightly sparkling white from the Minho region north of the city, perfect with fish.
- Douro red and white wines, increasingly acclaimed worldwide.
- Port wine: tawny, ruby, vintage, and Porto tónico, white port with tonic and ice, the summer aperitif (see the Gaia lodges).
- Super Bock beer, born in Porto and rival to Lisbon's Sagres.
Where to eat
- Traditional tascas and restaurantes in the Baixa, the Sé and Bonfim, with a prato do dia at 9-12 euros.
- The restored Bolhão market, with stalls and small restaurants.
- Cervejarias and francesinha bars.
- The Ribeira and Cais de Gaia, lovely but more touristy and expensive.
- Matosinhos for fish.
- A new generation of chefs in Porto and Matosinhos has brought northern cooking into the Michelin guide.
Hours and rules
- Lunch is 12.30-2.30pm and dinner 7.30-10pm.
- The couvert (bread, butter, olives) brought to the table is charged only if eaten.
- Tipping is optional, 5-10% for good service.
For the evening see nightlife.