What to eat in Porto
A sandwich eaten with a fork, sardines grilled outdoors, and port that in Porto is not drunk with dessert.
- Francesinha
- A sandwich with four kinds of meat
- Fish
- Matosinhos
- Salt cod
- Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá
Porto eats more simply than you would expect of a city that gave its name to a wine: grilled fish, salt cod in a dozen forms, and one sandwich so heavy it feeds two. The wine that carries the city's name is drunk before the meal, not after.
White port goes before the meal
In Porto itself, white port is drunk chilled, before the meal, as an aperitif — often with tonic and lemon. Tawny, ruby and vintage come at the end, with cheese or dessert; tawny is the lightest of the three and most often opened with walnuts. Taste white right next to a tawny in a cellar and you feel the difference — not snobbery, just different wines.
Francesinha — once, and at lunch
Bread, ham, linguiça sausage, steak, all under melted cheese and poured over with a hot beer and tomato sauce, an egg on top and chips alongside. It appeared in the 1950s as Porto's answer to the croque-monsieur, and a portion feeds one very hungry person or two normal ones. It is eaten with a knife and fork, and nothing is planned for afterwards.
Fish in Matosinhos
By metro (line A), about half an hour from the centre, or by tram 1 along the river — slower, but the ride itself is the sightseeing. In a former fishing town on the ocean, restaurants grill fish on barbecues set up on the pavement. You choose it off the ice, pay by weight, and it is the best meal in the city for the money. Go for lunch, around one, while the fish is fresh from the morning auction.
What else to try
- Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá — salt cod with potato, onion and olives, the Porto version.
- Tripas à moda do Porto — tripe with beans. It is why people from Porto are called tripeiros, a nickname they are proud of.
- Pastel de nata — a custard tart, best warm and dusted with cinnamon. It comes from Lisbon's Belém district, but has long been made everywhere, Porto included.
- Vinho verde — young, light white wine from the north, faintly sparkling and usually under 11% alcohol. It goes with fish, not heavier dishes.
Two rules
- The couvert is not free. The bread, olives and cheese brought unordered are charged; you may refuse them before touching them.
- A picture-menu restaurant on Ribeira. The waterfront is the loveliest place for a drink and the dearest for a meal; look a street or two uphill.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
When is port drunk?
White chilled before the meal, as an aperitif; tawny, ruby and vintage after the meal, with cheese or dessert. Different wines, not different customs.
What is a francesinha?
A sandwich of four meats under melted cheese and beer sauce, with an egg and chips. One portion feeds two and is eaten with a fork.
Where is the best fish?
In Matosinhos, about half an hour by metro (line A) from the centre, grilled on the pavement in front of the restaurants. Chosen off the ice and paid by weight.
Ready for Porto?
Where to next
Porto in 2 days
→Two banks, one bridge and the cellars on the wrong side of the river — Porto in two days, with a funicular…
Coimbra · 106 km
→A university founded in 1290 and a town arranged around it, on the line between Lisbon and Porto
How well does Porto suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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