The 5 Best Restaurants in Porto You Don’t Want to Miss

There is an annual discussion about the best places to eat in Porto in order to structure the year’s guide. Then the Time Out critics face the hardest choice of them all: the year’s top five.

It is not just about the food; we think about the service, the atmosphere, the experience. These are the places that have it all. Do yourself a favour and book a table at one (or all) of them. We are sure, you will not regret it!

Adega São Nicolau

We do not hold back about the stuff we love, and when it comes to Adega São Nicolau, we love everything. There is a menu full of great dishes – chicken bordelaise, octopus fillets with rice, or the perfect appetiser, cod cakes.

Then there are the desserts (all homemade) or the outdoor tables, overlooking the Douro river. Then there is a great service – António Coelho has been doing this since he was 11 (in a legally okay way, we are sure).

Cafeína

This Foz restaurant has survived for more than 20 years, so it probably deserves a statue or something. Its reputation is based on classics like duck magret or the wellington tournedos, both signature dishes of chef Camilo Jaña. The menu also includes steak and eggs, plus some creative starters such as tuna tartar with avocado and spicy radish mayo.

O Paparico

We do not often dish out five-star reviews, but O Paparico really earned one. It is a paean to Portuguese cuisine, with creative use of produce that cries out for the tasting menu.

The experience is organised into five courses, involving more than ten different plates, such as lobster rissoles with fish roe, Setúbal-style red mullet or veal with quince. Save room for dessert.

Pedro Lemos

Pedro Lemos’s eponymous restaurant is off the tourist trail: up a quaint Old Foz street. It specialises in fresh produce, much of it straight from the chef’s garden on the terrace.

There are two tasting menus (either five or seven courses) or you can order à la carte. The staff are friendly and the mood is relaxed – very much like the chef himself.

Puro 4050

Portugal’s first mozzarella bar was opened in Porto’s city centre by chef Luís Américo. There are several varieties of the cheese on offer: fresh, bocconcini (ball-shaped, with a little more texture) and affumicata (smoked).

You are encouraged to mix and match mozzarella varieties with vegetables such as purple leaf lettuce, Italian chicory or green lollo lettuce, and Italian deli stuff like Parma ham.

If that sounds like a lot of hard work, there are also set dishes, such as chilled tomato cream with burrata, olive oil and basil, or the layered courgette with affumicata mozzarella, pepper jam and boiled pear.

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