Gastronomy and culinary specialities in Porto

Coming to Porto is to excite all your senses, starting with taste! Porto is an attractive city for foodies. It offers a wide and diverse culinary range, borrowing from Portuguese culture of course, through seafood specialties, charcuterie, tasty and dairy cheeses and delicious pastries. Open your taste buds wide to welcome the invigorating, tasty and original dishes of Porto, a real gastronomic journey for gourmets!

Eating out in Porto

In Porto, eating out is a real pleasure. You will be received well and with courtesy in the majority of establishments. The Portuguese are warm and friendly and you will be seated at a table as quickly as possible. It is possible that small aperitifs to snack on (olives, bread, sometimes cold meats) are placed on the tables. Be aware that almost everything consumed (including sometimes when you ask for a glass of water) is charged. For ridiculous prices of course, but it's better to be in the know. This is how! The price of meals in Porto is generally 1/3 cheaper than in France. Sometimes in certain popular and less touristy areas, you can eat for prices up to half the price of France. The products in Portuguese restaurants are generally of high quality, even in the busy places in Ribeira, you will often eat your fill, good and of good quality. Opt for the daily specials, you will not be disappointed, because the products are extra fresh.

Portuguese charcuterie

Portuguese charcuterie is full of taste promises:

• Cured Iberian ham, sliced with precision to reveal its aromatic bouquet,
• Spicy Chorizo which awakens the taste buds with its traditional spices,
• La Morcela, a dark black sausage, rich in robust flavors of character,
• La Paleta, a thin slice of salted and dried pork,
• But also Salpicão, the most traditional of sausages, Presunto, thinly sliced dry-cured ham or Chouriços, smoked sausage flambeed in brandy, the pleasures are varied in Porto!
  
  

Porto Cheeses

Creamy, soft, made from raw or pasteurized milk, the cheeses in Portugal are numerous, but still very different from those in France. They are often eaten sweet and sour, or melted. They are milkier and fresher than in France. Queijo de Cabra Transmontano made with goat's milk in the north, Queijo de Castelo Branco with sheep's milk in the center or Queijo de São Jorge with cow's milk in the Azores, you will find all the cheeses of Portugal in the covered markets of Porto and in restaurant.

Porto’s dishes and specialties

What to eat in Porto? Here are some dishes and specialties that you will find in Porto, in restaurants. If you like to eat late or early (with the kids?) you will always find something satisfying to eat in one of the many bakeries found throughout the city. The street food is tempting and mainly composed of small, delicious filled sandwiches (the Prego). Takeaway bites, gourmet pastries…

Savory specialties to taste in Porto

• Francesinha - An emblematic dish of Porto, unmissable and absolutely worth trying! A slice of bread (sandwich type), different types of meat (usually ham, sausage and beef, yes all 3 at the same time!), covered with melted cheese and accompanied by a spicy sauce, orange and tomato-based fluid. Served with fries (if you're still hungry).
• Tripas à Moda do Porto - A traditional Porto dish, made with pork tripe cooked with white beans, vegetables and spices.
• Caldo Verde - A popular soup in Portugal, prepared with finely sliced kale, potatoes, onions and olive oil. Usually served with slices of sausage.
• Frango de Churrasco - Spit-grilled chicken, marinated in spices and herbs.
• Bacalhau in Gomes de Sá - A dish made from cod, one of the most popular fish in Portugal. The cod is cooked with potatoes, onions, garlic, hard-boiled eggs and olives, all baked in the oven.
  
  

Sweet delights to eat at any time

• Pastel de Nata, the most popular and absolutely delicious Portuguese dessert. Crispy on the outside with its golden puff pastry and creamy on the inside with a flan heart flavored with vanilla, lemon or cinnamon, it is an icon not to be missed.
• Pão de Ló, a very simple, but delicious pastry made with egg, sugar and flour. With vanilla or lemon, this soft and light cake is perfect for a snack.
• Fogaça, a soft bread almost like a brioche to enjoy at any time of the day.
• Ovos Moles, an egg yolk dough surrounded in a sweet shell. Produced in the Aveiro region south of Porto, it is a typically Portuguese dessert.
• Bolos de Arroz, a Portuguese pastry made from rice, which is presented as a pretty cylinder in a paper. Easy to eat, filling and delicious.

The Portuguese are also fond of French pastries, such as croissants and pain au chocolat, which are often found in cafes and bakeries. It's a somewhat special version, with a more compact puff pastry and often cream inside.