On the Atlantic edge, Porto is carved from the granite of its hills, winds through monasteries and millennia-old walls, and lights up with a surprising contemporary architecture and new forms of urban expression. It is a city in full awakening that, without moving from its place, seems to have shifted from the borders of Europe to the heart of the continent.
The same goes for its gastronomy, which dares to rethink the products of the familiar to move away from the traditional – until recently, a taboo for the Portuguese. The city is living a period of explosion: it has crowned several stars of Portuguese haute cuisine and is a testing ground for many other young chefs, who access a growing international audience, more curious and open to creativity.
Here we choose – with no priority other than alphabetical order – the best restaurants in Porto, those that recognize their authenticity and reinforce it, always with flavor first, but also valuing personality, service or ambience. We will hop from neighborhood to neighborhood and we will move toward the neighboring towns Matosinhos, Leça da Palmeira and Vila Nova de Gaia to sample some popular tascas and reach kitchens with international recognition, the ones that justify planning a trip.
A Cave du Bon Vivant
Best restaurant in Porto for: wine and petiscos €
Created by bon vivants – a pair of French – for bon vivants, it is one of those places that seems designed so that the staff share what they love most, which is to have fun, talk, listen to music, and eat and drink well. The wine list is exceptional and the recommendations, even better. The menu, very short and changing, depends on what the season yields and on what the chef comes up with. It only guarantees that it will be with the best product and with the intention to surprise us, because no night here is the same as the next. Located on the upper part of the city, its dining room and its little terrace are always a good meeting point and a lively place. It’s essential to start with their onion hummus and then try the dishes and petiscos (tapas) that go best with the wine.
