FOLLOW US

World Travel Guide > Guides > Europe > Portugal > Porto

Local time Porto

Currency

Restaurants in Porto

Eating out is a way of life in Portugal, and the wide choice of restaurants in Porto thoroughly reflects this, offering a great choice of dining options at all levels. Fresh and salted fish (bacalhau) are strong points, and for the less squeamish, the local tripe is a speciality.

The Porto restaurants below have been hand-picked by our guide author and are grouped into three pricing categories:
Expensive (over €70)
Moderate (€30 to €70)
Cheap (up to €30)

These Porto restaurant prices are for a three-course meal for one and include tax, service and half a bottle of house wine or equivalent.

Expensive

Book Restaurant & Bar

Cuisine: Contemporary Portuguese

One of Porto's hippest dining choices, this long, modern space is lined by literature reflecting its former incarnation as a bookshop. Keeping up with the theme, menus and the bill appear in books, while the food is innovative variations on Portuguese delicacies. There is also a resident DJ here, plus a bar that serves cocktails inspired by well known works of literature and writers, particularly those who enjoy a tipple (think: Hemingway).

Address: Ribeira, Cais da Ribeira 13-15, Porto, 4050-259
Telephone: (91) 795 3387.
Website: http://www.restaurante-book.com

Dom Tonho

Cuisine: Contemporary Portuguese

The most expensive restaurant on the Porto riverfront, Dom Tonho is also the best. The eatery of choice for prominent guests to the city (from Fidel Castro to Jacques Chirac), this elegant and modern restaurant serves up some of the best food in Porto. The superb cuisine is mainly local and regional, and includes bacalhau (salted fish), Porto-style tripe with beans, and an excellent fish selection. If you don't manage to get a reservation here, there's another branch over on the Gaia side.

Address: Ribeira, Cais da Ribeira 13-15, Porto, 4050-509
Telephone: (22) 200 4307.
Website: http://www.dtonho.com

The Yeatman Restaurant

Cuisine: Contemporary Portuguese

This restaurant on the south bank has only been open since 2013, and has already earned a Michelin star. It has amazing views across the Douro to Porto, which is matched by the fantastic contemporary cuisine created by Ricardo Costa, the chef. There's even some 25,000 bottles of wine in its cellar. Service is proper and discrete, and the setting is cool and comfy, but the real star is the delicious and pristinely plated dishes.

Address: Vila Nova de Gaia, Rua do Choupelo, Porto, 4400-088
Telephone: (22) 013 3100.
Website: http://www.the-yeatman-hotel.com/en/food/restaurant

Moderate

Cafeína

Cuisine: Portuguese

Causing a buzz among those in the know, Cafeína is only a block from the beach, so it concentrates on fish and seafood but does both excellently. Offering Portuguese cuisine with a creative twist, the food is really special. Sample dishes include salmon with fennel mousseline and wok vegetables, and whiting stuffed with spinach and sundried tomatos, served with creamy chive rice. The setting here is serene, chic and full of character, and this is one eating experience that will make it onto the postcard home.

Address: Foz do Douro, Rua do Padrão, 100, Porto,
Telephone: (22) 610 8059.
Website: http://www.cafeina.pt

Chez Lapin

Cuisine: Portuguese

A rustic, if touristy, restaurant on the quayside in Porto, Chez Lapin serves up hearty local fare in a warm, cosy atmosphere. Prices are reasonable and the local dishes are all first-class, if not a little unusual. Try the salt cod cooked with octopus, which is uncommonly good, or the restaurant's take on mixed fish stew. The riverside location is great, and not surprisingly, it is very popular.

Address: Ribeira, Rua dos Canastreiros 40-42, Porto, 4050-149
Telephone: (22) 200 6418.
Website: http://www.douroacima.pt/chezLapin.htm

Solar Moinho de Vento

Cuisine: Portuguese

This is a typical Porto restaurant serving local specialities in the traditional way. The fish soup, baked codfish and the Oporto-style tripe are all delicious and served in generous portions, but lighter meals such as tapas and petiscos (Portuguese tapas) – including the delicious pimentos de padrón (fried green peppers) are also available. According to restaurant folklore, Amalia Rodrigues, the queen of fado music, once performed here.

Address: Ribeira, Rua Sá de Noronha (Largo do Moinho de Vento) 81, Porto, 4050
Telephone: (22) 205 1158.
Website: http://www.solarmoinhodevento.com

Cheap

O Buraco

Cuisine: Portuguese

This longstanding restaurant feels a little lost in time with its colourful patterned tablecloths and curious 1970s styling. It's a friendly, homely place that's full of locals enjoying great traditional cuisine. Particularly good is tripas à moda do Porto (pork bowel with white beans and meat), but if you don't fancy tripe, there are lots of other delicious options as well, such bacalhau (dried cod) dishes and fish with potatoes.

Address: Bolhao, Rua do Bolhao 95, Porto, 40000-112
Telephone: (22) 200 6717.

Restaurante Bibóporto

Cuisine: Portuguese

While Restaurante Bibóporto is nothing fancy and won't win any awards for décor, it serves up good hearty local cuisine for very little loot. It's a great spot for a filling meal of typical Portuguese specialities such as bacalhau (salted fish) to a range of meats and poultry. It's conveniently central and the large outdoor eating area is a great choice on a sunny day. Staff are friendly and the welcome is warm too.

Address: , Rua José Falcão 114, Porto, 4050-315
Telephone: (22) 208 8199.
Website: http://www.restaurante-biboporto.com

Taberna São Pedro

Cuisine: Portuguese

A local favourite, the green azulejo-tiled Taberna São Pedro has heaps of atmosphere and lashings of simple, yet excellent seafood roasted on the outside barbecue. Wash it all down with a crisp vinho verde (young wine) or local red. You can sit inside or out, but choose the latter on a sunny day where the scent of sardines grilling on the coals whets the appetite.

Address: Vila Nova da Gaia, Rua Agostinho Albãno, Porto, 4400
Telephone:
A digital image at https://illuminoto.com

Book Accommodation

Featured Hotels

SEE MORE

Hotel America

With 22 basic but comfortable rooms, the Hotel América is ideal for those seeking cheap hotels in Porto. It is situated in the heart of the main shopping district in the city centre, and despite its low prices, offers extras such as air conditioning, a mini bar in the room, security safes, a snack bar and pool room.

Hotel Ibis Centro Porto

Following the French chain's successful formula as applied over the whole of Europe, the Hotel Ibis Centro Porto is exactly what it says on the tin: a modern, budget hotel offering basic but clean and comfortable accommodation without the frills of luxury. It's a good choice either if you're on a budget, or simply don't intend to spend a lot of time in the room.

Grande Hotel do Porto

The Grande Hotel do Porto was designed by the architect Silva Sardina and opened in 1880. The hotel has 99 rooms, and they all have air-conditioning, broadband Internet access and beautifully tiled bathrooms. The hotel, and particularly the restaurant, has a distinct old world charm and atmosphere. It is located on Porto's main shopping street in the city centre.

The Yeatman

Opened in 2010, the 82-room Yeatman is something of a new departure for hotels in Porto because it is situated in Vila Nova de Gaia, on the south side of the river. However, its location across the water affords excellent views of the old city. The emphasis is solidly on luxury, fine dining and high quality relaxation – there is an extensive spa area to complement the accommodation, and the rooftop swimming pool and terrace are perfect for sun lovers.

Hotel Nave

A basic, but comfortable, cheap hotel in Porto located not far from the Campanha railway station, Hotel Nave is a friendly, convenient place to stay in Porto. It has a restaurant and a bar with internet access points. All guest rooms have individual air conditioning with remote control.

Pestana Porto

One of the most popular boutique hotels in Porto, the Pestana Porto has a fantastic location down by the riverfront, overlooking the river and with a view across to the port wine cellars of Vila Gaia di Nova. There are 63 rooms, a restaurant offering a wide range of regional and national dishes and a bar with live music. The hotel also has several meeting and conference rooms. Bicycle hire is also available.