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What to eat where in Porto, Portugal’s best place for fine dining on a budget
08.09.2023 - 10:35 / lonelyplanet.com
Porto, a coastal city in the northwest of Portugal, has long been relegated to Lisbon’s shadow, but it’s finally commanding global attention for its culinary offerings.
Gastronomic dexterity and Portugal go hand-in-hand. You might think the food scene is simply cod bakes and pastéis de natas, but dive a little deeper and there’s much more going on in the fine dining scene. Portuguese food draws heavily from its ocean (lamprey, crab, trout, lobster, sardines) and is defined by subtle yet well-paired flavors as well as plenty of innovation.
Along with spoonfuls of pride and passion, what sets the fine dining scene apart from many others around the world is the total lack of pretension. Service is smart but low-key and the servers are well-versed about what’s on the plate and in your glass. Expect knowledgeable waiters, multilingual sommeliers, and chatty chefs, whittling off foodie facts with a smile over your dinner, with plenty of behind-the-scenes kitchen visits, too.
And the prices? They are hard to beat. Set menus at a Michelin-starred spot in the north of Portugal with courses that head into the dozen will rarely set you back over €200 (a similar offering in London or New York is often double that). And at the moment Michelin stars in Portugal are shining bright. The world-famous gastronomy guide awarded five new stars to restaurants in Porto and Lisbon in 2023 and recently commissioned the Michelin Portugal 2024 guide, marking (somewhat unbelievably) the first time ever in which Portugal’s gastronomy has been celebrated in its own right. Previously, Portugal’s restaurants were relegated to the back pages of the Spanish guide.
There’s a lot to uncover in the North. In Porto, the Unesco-listed old town along the waterfront, Riberia, has bars overflowing with patrons clutching porto tonicos (a popular sweet cocktail from the region made up of just white port and tonic), and busy tascas (casual Portuguese eateries which were once for the working-class), on cobbled streets. Porto is also a boundary point for exploring the natural diversity of the region. The lush Douro Valley region, accessible by cruise or train, boasts steep terraced vineyards and fertile mountains on which sheep, cattle and pigs graze. It’s no wonder this region is also known for an array of mouthwatering meats such as the alheira sausage (made from pork and garlic) and sarrabulho (pork and rice cooked in pig blood). And of course there’s the seafood. Portugal boasts some of the best in the world, renowned for freshness, quality and the skilled chefs who know how to bring it to life. Yes there’s cod aplenty, but lots of other well-cooked fish dishes that will excite even the most refined palette.
To first get your foothold on the
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