Oporto - Eating and Drinking

4 July 2011

Compiled by John Laidlar

Oporto

Although the focus of these pages is Oporto's variety of transport, here are a few suggestions for eating and drinking in the city. The choices are completely subjective and there will be many other excellent restaurants and cafés to be found.

Restaurants

Below are a few traditional Portuguese restaurants - a declining phenomenon as McDonalds and more trendy "fusion" establishments take over...

A REGALEIRA, Rua do Bonjardim 87, Porto
A Regaleira is also both a restaurant and café. It lies almost directly opposite the Maria Rita used by locals as well as visitors. Service is friendly and efficient and the food is good value and well-cooked. The house wine is good value at around six euros and main courses are typically nine to twelve euros (2011). This restuarant also has snack bar, famous for its invention of a Porto speciality, the "francesinha"; a sort of meat bun topped by melted cheese.

AQUÁRIO MARISQUEIRO, Rua Rodrigues Sampaio 163-179, Porto
Similar in price to A Regaleira but by no means expensive, this restaurant lies on the road which joins the Avenida dos Aliados near the main post office. As its name suggests, fish dishes are its speciality but it also offers a good range of meat dishes. Despite superb cooking it is often under used, a situation not helped by a passive approach to attracting custom.

Cafés

O EMBAIXADOR, Rua do Bonjardim
Sited close to the Regaleira (see above), this large café offers a range of more substantial dishes in addition to sandwiches and pastries. The seating area is located behind the bar at a lower level. It has an innovative ordering system; each customer is given a barcoded card; the waiter takes this and keys your order into a computer. The card is returned to you with your order and its cost printed on it. You pay by presenting the card at the exit till.
O GUARANY, Avenida dos Aliados
Closed on Saturdays and on Sunday mornings, this centrally located café lies about half-way between the Praça da Liberade and the Town Hall, on the left side near the Rua Eli´seo de Melo. It has recently gone more up market than it used to be but offers a good range of meals and snacks, both hot and cold, as well as cakes and a wide assortment of drinks. It is a large facility with traditional fittings which have changed little in recent years.
CONFEITARIA FLOR DE SÃO BENTO, Praça de Almeida Garrett
Located opposite the main S. Bento railway station, this fine little café is very conveniently located.
RESTAURANTE PALÁCIO, Palácio de Cristal
The Palácio de Cristal lies a mile or so the west of the city centre and this café/restaurant lies next to the Rosa Mota pavilion and the pond.

Port Wine Cellars

The city of Vila Nova de Gaia, opposite Oporto, across the D. Luís bridge, is packed with port-wine company premises, many of which are on the waterfront. Until fairly recently many of these premises offered free tours and tastings but now many of them make a charge e.g. Cálem, by the bridge, charge 4 euros (2011). Others on the quayside include Sandeman, Real Companhia and Kopke. Further back from the quayside are other firms, notably Taylor's, which still has a free tour and tasting. If on foot, Taylor's is most easily reached by going up the road at the right hand side of Sandeman's, past Offley's uphill; Taylor's is a small entrance on the right of the Rua do Choupelo, where the modern Yeatman hotel complex is on the left.

Left: The view back towards Oporto from the road near Taylor's lodge in VN de Gaia.

Right: Cálem's riverfront premises lie under the cable-car's trajectory.

Taylor's also give you two free samples to taste but their premises, with an interesting English language exhibition around their reception area, are worth the visit alone.

Compiled by John Laidlar