The best restaurants in Porto, Portugal
Wow, let me just say that Portugal, as a whole, is an absolute dream.
It was so beautiful. The history, the people, the food – I loved it all.
While we were in Portugal for about 1.5 weeks, we were only in Porto for 4 days. Now, I wish we could have stayed longer. While I prefer the colorful look of Lisbon, the food in Porto was some of the best we’ve had. Ever.
The gastronomy was out of this world. The attention to detail, the unique flavors, the presentation – it was all so divine. Not to mention the impeccable guest experience. Wherever we went, the service was above and beyond. The servers were kind and patient and walked us through the menu whenever we requested their take on the food and which dishes they enjoy most.
We went to Portugal and left about 10 pounds heavier. Be prepared. It’s worth it. Though, to be honest, you’re walking quite a bit. AND, if you’re in Lisbon or Porto, those hills are killer.
No joke, I was (very unfortunately) having an asthma attack while in town, which made walking up hill incredibly difficult.
Best Restaurants in Porto
Brick Clérgios
The vibe at Brick Clérgios is fine dining in a community, home-inspired space. There’s minimal seating, so get there early if you want to snag a highly coveted seat. We dined inside at a massive community table and loved every minute of it.
We had spotted Brick on our first evening walk of the trip and knew we’d love it. So, we stopped in for a late lunch and were treated to impressively large portions, which meant we could wait to eat dinner until about 10 which seems to be more of the norm (similar to when we’re in Brasil). Honestly, I’ll never forget their pork cheek sandwich. It’s served open-faced on a charcuterie board with salad in between and a delicious aioli coating the bread. Ugh, it was like heaven.
Mistu
If it’s a beautiful restaurant you’re looking for, Mistu is it.
The fun doesn’t stop there, though. While yes, the restaurant itself is a gorgeous backdrop for a fine meal, the food is also fantastic. They’ve got a great wine list, so I highly recommend grabbing yourself a bottle to enjoy slowly over dinner. And, like any meal in Porto, save room for dessert and a glass of port. Tawny’s my favorite!
Pedro Limão
My only regret in visiting Pedro Limão is that I wish I was hungrier and I wish I wasn’t sick. I had zero taste buds working when we arrived in Porto. I, unfortunately, caught a cold when we were in Ireland, which meant I was sick the ENTIRE time we were in Portugal.
I was not thrilled, to say the very least. But, luckily my taste came back and I was able to enjoy the meal at Pedro Limão. I mentioned being hungrier because the tasting menu is what they’re known for, but we weren’t hungry enough (and I was not feeling great) for the tasting menu, so we ordered a few à la carte items. While I know the full experience is their bread and butter, we still enjoyed the small meal and bottle of wine.
*If they have the pork and marshmallow plate on the menu still, it’s a must. Truly delicious.
Mito
Mito was our first full meal in Porto and wow, they brought it. Despite having a hard time tasting, I could somehow taste everything at Mito. We had the most difficult time narrowing down which items we wanted, because truthfully, if we were hungry enough we could have eaten everything.
Our favorite dish was a beet dish with housemade peanut brittle. RIGHT?! I mean seriously, each bite was divine. The minimal interior design lets the food and wine shine, so arrive hungry.
*This is the restaurant that inspired me to write a post on the best restaurants in Porto, by the way. So….if you get to one, make it this one!
Cantina 32
Cantina 32 was highly awaited. And, not just by us. In fact, we stopped by to make a reservation and found out they were completely booked up for the next 4 days. I was totally bummed! BUT we were able to snag a last-minute reservation. Like really last-minute. We grabbed brunch on our last day there before our afternoon train. We must have looked a little silly arriving with all our luggage, but we did what we had to do for brunch.
And, let me tell you, the wait was worth it. The restaurant is eclectic (in a good way, not in that weird way people use eclectic to describe things they have no other words for) and the food was as impressive as we hoped it would be.
Praia da Luz
Let me preface this by saying while the food at Praia da Luz wasn’t my favorite (don’t worry, it was still tasty!), the views are unparalleled. I highly recommend posting up here for the afternoon with a few glasses of wine and snacks all around. Sit back and listen to the waves crashing on the rocks and beach below – or rather – right in front of you.
Gosh, what I would do to be back there right now enjoying what we think are the best restaurants in Porto (to be fair there are SO many, these are just the ones we made it to and loved!).
What do you think, is a trip to Portugal in your future?
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