.png)
Just off of Porto’s central square and around the corner from the legendary Mercado do Bolhão lies the serene oasis of Village by BOA. This apartment-style hotel is perfect for a short or long stay in Porto with each room containing a full kitchen and spacious living area.
We especially love all of the shared outdoor areas to soak in the Portuguese sun and the Market by BOA in the lobby to grab local natural wines and tinned fish. If that’s not enough, they’ve also got a full suite of luxe services like in-room massages and (our favorite) a breakfast basket delivered to your door each day of the stay!
Sometimes you have a casual meal and think, this does not have to be this good. Soma is that kind of place. A simple breakfast of eggs over toast and a flat white are handled with the sort of care usually reserved for Michelin-starred restaurants, all within a fun, modern, and welcoming interior. If you’re stopping by for a coffee or a glass of natural wine, don’t miss out on their small Brazilian cheese breads which are super dense, chewy, and of course cheesy.
Porto is a city of sandwiches, and far and away the best one is Conga’s Bifana sandwich. Thinly sliced strips of pork tenderloin are poached in a spicy piri-piri and paprika broth, placed upon a crusty bun, and dunked back into the broth. All of this done in front of you in seconds and served standing at a counter with the locals. All you need for a perfect snack or lunch is a tiny Portuguese beer and you’re well on your way to a great afternoon!
For something a little more upscale, but still with a distinct air of Porto, duck down winding old streets to hit Fauno. This tasting menu restaurant opened by brothers (one is the chef and the other the restaurant's sommelier) focuses on bringing local produce and seafood to the plate in ways that are extremely satisfying and delicious. To us, the most impressive dish was the banana and coffee mille feuille dessert which nodded to the chef’s classical background while highlighting flavors of Portugal and Brazil.
From a little takeout window in trendy Cedofeita comes truly fantastic pizza. Mostly in a neapolitan style, but some of the most sought after slices are the thick topped pieces of focaccia which will make you very sad to miss…speaking from experience.
Behind Porto’s central station there are a number of restaurants serving cheap food hot and quick. One of them is Gazela, a beer hall that is known for their Portuguese hot dog. A salty, crispy, and cheese-topped affair that is best accompanied by a glass of Super Bock. Given this is a beer bar, expect sports on TVs and a lot of dudes.
One of our favorite meals in Porto was lunch at Protest Kitchen, a restaurant which totally sells itself short by claiming, “average vibe, ordinary food, drinkable coffee.” Instead, what we found were great vibes, a delicious meal full of Turkish flavors and very very drinkable coffee. And if you see something you want to try, don’t skip it! Protest Kitchen routinely phases out menu items to keep things interesting for the chefs, no matter how beloved a dish may be.
On Sundays, many restaurants in Porto are closed, however one of the few that remains open is also the best place to be for a long weekend lunch. Pedro dos Frangos serves classic Portuguese fare, think delectable rotisserie chickens, well marinated steaks, tons of sides, and lots of wine. This was our last meal before a longhaul flight and we were so full that we skipped the gnarly inflight food – another benefit of eating well!
Hard to place on this list, because Genuíno has a fantastic food program. However, in our hearts and minds, this little bar next door to Generos Pão e Pizza is Porto’s hub for the large natural wine community. On any given night you’ll find locals and wine makers mingling over many bottles, sharing tasting notes, and most importantly having fun. The best part of this wine-first attitude is that the staff will INSIST you taste any wine you’re interested in, and genuinely want you to sip a glass that you love.
This classically European bar is bustling. Given its interior is small, you’ll find most of the crowd grabs their small beers or fernet shots and enjoys them on Bar Aduela’s sprawling terrace, or even onto the surrounding streets and sidewalks. In other words, this place is a VIBE.
For a similar but more downtempo flavor to Bar Aduela, check out Candelabro. Here you’ll find the same bustling euro bar vibe, but with a higher likelihood of enjoying a solid glass of wine and better luck with getting a table.
A newcomer to the scene on Rua do Almada, a block known for its bars and restaurants, FUNQ is a great wine bar opened by American expats. One of the most fun parts of this spot is that there is a different food pop-up EVERY DAY.
Did you know that you can walk from Porto’s city center and hit a beautiful beach in less than 45 minutes? Now you do, and when you do, make a stop at Praia da Luz. Along this beach there’s a fantastic cafe which has many tables set up on its duneside dock. Skip the food, but enjoy a cocktail or a coffee alongside surprisingly good indie tunes (when we visited they were playing Black Country, New Road as beach music.)
Porto’s got a lot of things going for it, but if you’re craving a strong cup of coffee, you’d be somewhat hard pressed to find one. When the craving calls, Combi, a local coffee roaster, is the best place to grab one. For specialty coffee heads, they hover in the 2017ish zone of coffee trends meaning you’re not going to find the funkiest cup of your life BUT you will enjoy a coffee that is crafted to perfection.
Matcha girlies, this one is for you. Rosi. is a trendy and delicious cafe that also serves up specialty lattes and brunch. Located on Rua do Rosário, there is plenty of shopping around, meaning this is a great place for a mid spending spree pick-me-up!
Located just around the corner from Village by BOA, the legendary Mercado do Bolhão is perhaps one of the nicest markets we’ve ever visited. The historic stalls have seen renovation in recent years, but there is still so much tradition and heart behind the food and wines served here. Some of the favorites include the tinned fish stands where true artists will dress and prepare an assortment of canned creatures into a stunning dish in mere minutes. You also can’t miss out on trying Portuguese cheeses or enjoying a nice afternoon glass of port.
Imagine Portuguese Dover Street market, but less avant garde? LOT (Labels Of Tomorrow) is a fascinating multibrand store that focuses on new and upcoming designers, including many from Portugal. They’ve also got a great upstairs cafe and terrace!
If you’re on the hunt for a super special bottle of port, say from your birthyear, Casa Januario is the place. They’re also the place if you’re looking for candies, or tinned fish, or salt, or honey, or just about anything edible that is special, unique, and local.
Surfy menswear label La Paz is perhaps best known for their shirts (all made in Portugal) but their flagship showroom right on the water is extremely special. Walk in through a 19th century cabinet of curiosities to end up on the other side feeling like you’re at a cool beach-side shack.
One of Porto’s most famous brands is the longtime soapmaker, Claus. While you can readily find their products here in NYC at places like Union Market or C.O Bigelow, we highly recommend visiting the beautiful flagship in Porto. Not only does it look great, the line is WAY more expansive than what you can find in the states!
In case you didn’t know, Loja in Portuguese means store…and this one is really special. With a curated mix of mid century desk finds and new, affordable design stapes, LOJA has a mix of something for everyone AND a stunning picture window overlooking the city.
This Cedofeita duo of shops are just around the corner from one another and are ground zero for local artists in Porto. The former is a small shop in front of a ceramic studio offering a huge collection of handmade and one-of-a-kind pieces from tiles to vessels to sculpture. At Ó!Galería, you can find endless colorful prints as well as original works on paper ranging in size from large to teeny-tiny. Keep in mind that something paper would be a GREAT thing to bring back in one piece!
If you’re into niche fashion labels like Studio Nicholson or Universal Works, EARLYMADE is the place to shop for lifetime pieces in Porto. Arranged not by gender or brand, but entirely by color, the buying and selection is completely on point. They even have a small line of knitted pieces made by the founder!
Just outside of the Market do Bolhão is a small wine and grocery shop that remains unchanged by time. Not only can you find the perfect ingredients for an apertivo, but you can actually have the staff slice up some sausages and uncork a bottle to enjoy standing over a barrel right in the center of the tiny shop!
Part shop, part cafe, part co-working space, CRU serves as a creative homebase for Cedofeita. Many of the brands sold in the shop actually have space in the studios behind the counter making this a great way to shop as locally as possible!
We don’t want to spoil the surprise for you…but there are PEACOCKS roaming this garden. Among the panoramic views of Porto and the Douro River below, are perfectly manicured roses and shrubbery that is available for guests to gawk at for free. There is so much surprise and delight in this magical tiered garden and all of the chickens, peacocks, ducks etc etc are worth the visit alone.
This 20th century railway station (that is still fully operational) is a jewel box of hand painted tiles that deserve a visit - even if it’s just a quick pass through on your way to dinner!
The origin of Serralves Park dates back to 1923 when Carlos Alberto Cabral, the 2nd Count of Vizela, inherited the Quinta do Lordelo estate, the family’s summer residence in the Rua de Serralves.
The Serralves Garden, as designed by Jacques Gréber, was considered to be one of the first examples of gardening art in Portugal of the first half of the twentieth century, and was the only garden built during this period by a private individual in Portugal, on the basis of a landscape architecture project.
Serralves is now considered a cultural institution and includes a contemporary art museum, a park, and a villa, with each one of these being an example of contemporary architecture, Modernism, and Art Deco architecture.
The Chapel of Santa Catarina is one of many beautifully tiled landmarks in Porto. Though the blue azulejo tiles here have every right to be a landmark in itself! Mark this spot on your map and make sure you don’t miss it on your visit.
On the west side of the city lies Porto's beautiful beaches. Ingleses Beach is extremely peaceful, easily accessible, and worth a visit for either a simple beach walk or an entire sun-filled day. And it just so happens to be where our favorite beach bar is…
During your visit to Ingleses Beach, walk up the pedestrian path to Pergola da Foz - a great spot to capture a nice vista of the beach below.
One gallery we loved popping into (or peaking into…) was Galeria Fernando Santos. You can find rotating contemporary painting sculptures & installations in two gallery spaces on the same block.
If we were to recommend ONE “touristy” thing to do in Poro, it’s to walk across the Ponte Luis I bridge. The walkway on the bridge goes over the Douro River with perfect views of Porto from all directions. Do it!
