Gourmet Porto: Portugal’s New Dining Destination

If Porto isn’t already on your culinary hotlist, put it there now. Portugal’s second city is not just a pretty seaside getaway – although it is set on a beautiful stretch of the Douro, leading out into the Atlantic. Along with Lisbon, it forms part of Portugal’s gastronomic heart while retaining its identity as one of Europe’s oldest cities, the core of which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. 

Max Graham, founder of London’s award-winning Portuguese restaurant Bar Douro, grew up in Porto – his parents launched the Churchill’s port brand in the Douro Valley in 1981. “The city is renowned for its distinctive dishes,” he says. “People from Porto are known as tripeiros – it means ‘tripe eaters’, a proudly held nickname dating back to the 15th century – and they love francesinhas, a local sandwich made with layers of assorted hot meats, topped with melted cheese and drenched in a near-boiling tomato, beer and whisky sauce. But for me, nothing captures the essence of Porto more than sitting by the ocean, savouring a plate of percebes – gooseneck barnacles – followed by a freshly butterflied, ember-grilled wild sea bass.” 

Why has Porto’s food scene suddenly become so exciting? “Porto has always been home to incredible traditional restaurants, with the best fish found at the docks in Matosinhos,” Graham says. “But the food and drink scene here has exploded in the past five to 10 years, as young chefs and winemakers return home from their travels with new skills and experiences.

“They approach their local terroirs, cuisines and produce with fresh perspectives and ideas, redefining and supercharging the identity of Portuguese food and wine.” On the same street, you will find old-school tascas serving bifanas – traditional pork sandwiches – next to natural wine bars and urban roasteries. 

New to the city is the Time Out Market in Praça de Almeida Garrett, with 16 food outlets – including offerings from talented chefs Ricardo Costa and Rafaela Louzada – all tasted and approved by a panel of food experts. 

Artur Pinto Leite, senior consultant at Savills Porto, notes that increasing numbers of tourists have helped the city to morph into a culinary hotspot. “Porto received almost six million guests in 2023,” he says. “New restaurants, hotels, commerce and all sorts of services appear yearly. If we look back into the past, Porto went from being a local-business-oriented town to an international one.” That hasn’t diluted the city’s charm, Leite says. “You can still find the best traditional restaurants, where you can try the finest regional cooking, as well as some of the best international cuisine.” 

And it’s not just visitors boosting the appeal of the city – people want to live here too, says Leite. “Portuguese gastronomy is one of the main reasons why foreigners want to settle in Portugal, along with the scenery, the climate, the cost of living… I could go on.”

Leite’s favourite places to eat in the old town include the traditional Taberna Santo António, which serves excellent puddings, and O Rápido, for its oven-roasted octopus. He also rates Cozinha das Flores, by London’s favourite superchef Nuno Mendes, which celebrates the food of northern Portugal. 

Portuguese food expert and author Célia Pedroso hosts bespoke gastronomic tours of Porto’s best venues with Culinary Backstreets. “Almeja is a wonderful restaurant close to Bolhão market, led by the young chef João Cura and his wife, Sofia Gomes,” she says. “It serves delicious seasonal produce, with a great-value set lunch menu for €15.” She also recommends Casa Guedes Tradicional in Praça dos Poveiros. “It is a super place for a traditional sandwich – ask for the pork and sheep cheese – with a glass of espadal from the Vinho Verde region.” 

For Max Graham, it’s Porto’s culinary diversity that appeals. “Euskalduna Studio opened in 2016 and I was captivated by Vasco Coelho Santos’s omakase menu. His global culinary experiences, combined with his deep knowledge of northern Portugal’s gastronomy, have resulted in something exceptional.” Another favourite is the two-Michelin-starred Casa de Chá da Boa Nova, a clifftop building designed by renowned architect Álvaro Siza Vieira in the late 1950s. “It’s perched on the rocks in Leça da Palmeira,” Graham says. “The space really immerses you in the wild beauty of the Atlantic.”