Hi and welcome! This is Porto speaking (again!). Looking for the best food experiences in Porto? Today I’m taking on the hard mission to find out the home cooking meals you might only experience if raised by a Portuguese mother.

“If Porto was a culinary dish what would it be?”, you asked… Here is the answer!

FOOD EXPERIENCES IN PORTO YOU SIMPLY CAN’T-MISS

Tripas à Moda do Porto

It’s almost a foodie crime to visit a city and not taste its namesake dish, so go to Abadia restaurant, order “Tripas à Moda do Porto” (the tripe stew Porto is very famous for) and eat the city’s most traditional dish the proper way: sitting around the table, surrounded by loved ones.

This dish comes from our earliest origins back in the time when the Iberian Peninsula was occupied by Suevian and other tribes, which were used to eating what is now considered to be inferior cuts of meat (tongue, heart, blood).

“Tripas à Moda do Porto” is part of our rich cultural heritage, and in Portugal, we take pride in this and even call ourselves “Tripeiros” (nickname for locals from Porto that literally translates to “Tripe Eaters”). Yum!

Arroz de cabidela

A classic! Arroz de Cabidela is too-good-to-be-true and there’s a restaurant in Porto that has the best recipe: Taberna de Santo António. This is a little tavern in downtown Porto and it doesn’t get more authentic than this, believe me. Very informal obviously, kind service, traditional dishes.

Mrs. Hermínia, the cook of this traditional tavern, was kind enough to share with me her recipe of Arroz de Cabidela, which she has been improving throughout the years with the suggestions of some loyal clients and her own amazing talent for cooking. But I’m not telling you her secrets! Go there and find for yourself!

At the end of your meal, you should have a shot of xiripiti – and then, you’ll be a local. Simple as that!

Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo

Codfish, oh codfish… There is no way for you to escape the king of Portuguese cuisine. And why would you? It’s fantastic. People often say that there are 365 different ways to cook bacalhau but, to be honest with you, I think there are more.

My favorite? Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo, a very traditional Portuguese dish, but even more specifically from Porto. This recipe owes its name to its creator José Valentim who was the author of the recipe and the owner of a restaurant in Porto in the 1940s.

This is a very typical dish for “tripeiros” like us and it is usually paired with “vinho verde” (wine from Minho region in Portugal) or Douro red wine.

Francesinha

What food do you most want to try after setting foot in Porto? Let me guess… is it the belly-busting Francesinha? A visit to our beloved city is never complete without tasting Porto’s legendary dish. As with most food items in Porto, it is difficult to select just one as the best francesinha in the city, so I give you the top 5 francesinhas in Porto that will definitely satisfy the pickiest of palates (but I wouldn’t recommend you eat 5 Francesinhas in a row).

• Yuco
  The place has a medieval vibe and it feels like you are eating inside an old tavern.
• O Golfinho
  If you want fancy, go elsewhere. This spot is as local and original as it gets in our city.
• Lado B
  They claim to have the best francesinha in the world. You should go there and find out if it is true!
• Bufete fase
  Here you will find a smoother Francesinha sauce, which is a good fit for everyone (kids, included).
• Em Carne Viva
  Vegetarians should head to Em Carne Viva for the vegetarian version of this dish.

I’ve been told that Francesinha is the first Porto dish that you miss first after going back home! I suggest you take an online cooking class and learn how to make Francesinha by yourself to prevent the post-vacation blues.

Portuguese Bean Stew

“We believe that the inventions and the discoveries that have changed our lives depend on complex machines. But the fact is, we are still here (…) because of beans”, wrote Umberto Eco in April 1999. That’s right! The cultivation of legumes, back in the 10th century, had a profound effect on Europe: finally the poor, the working people, were able to eat more protein and, therefore, lived longer. By that time, beans were “the meats of the poor” and that was how they managed to repopulate a continent that had been devasted by diseases. Gotta love beans! And what goes well with beans? You got it: pork!

This leads us to the Portuguese bean stew, also called “Feijoada à Transmontana. Along with “Tripas à Moda do Porto”, “Feijoada à Transmontana” is part of Portugal’s impressive leguminosas repertoire. It is from the region of Trás-os-Montes, with the coldest winters in the country, that the recipe comes from. If you want to give it a try (highly recommended), head to O Rápido restaurant.

Grilled octopus

Travesso is my favorite place downtown to eat grilled octopus – it’s unbelievably tender! They have a modern touch but they are cooking classics. They also have a cool approach to cocktails which they make using mostly Portuguese spirits. I really like the Cosmóbidos, the Oporto Smash and the Passion Porto. Definitely one of the best food experiences in Porto. The octopus salad is also a must-eat!

Seafood bonanza

Porto is a mecca for world-class fish. My peeps love a good seafood bonanza and usually go to the neighboring city of Matosinhos, where the docks are located, to a restaurant called Marisqueira Antiga. Some people will say this restaurant is a more formal place but, in my opinion, if you’re expected to use your hands on your food, formality goes out the window. Shrimp, barnacles, stuffed brown crab (sapateira), arroz de marisco (seafood rice), and grilled fresh fish are some of their specialties. I particularly like their filetes com arroz de berbigão (fish fritters with cockle rice).

Here you have it: the best food experiences in Porto. You can thank me later! Now it’s time to enjoy!

Cheers!
Your foodie friend in Porto