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Finding a good meal in Porto is rarely the problem; finding one near where you are, at the price you had in mind, on the day and at the hour you are hungry, is. The city's restaurants cluster unevenly, their price bands vary more than the menus suggest, and many close for part of the afternoon and for a whole day each week.
The numbers below settle those three questions: which areas hold the most well-rated restaurants, taken here as 4.5 out of 5 or more from at least 500 reviews; what each published price band per person buys, with names at each level; and which places open early, close late, or shut on Sundays and Mondays. For what to order, see local dishes.
Two guided food walks for anyone who would rather let a local choose the places.
EveningPorto: Evening Local Food Crawl with Drink Pairings
An evening of four places, 10 to 12 petiscos and drink pairings
DaytimePorto: Delicious Food and Wine Walking Tour
A daytime walk of ten tastings and three drinks in the old town
Where the good restaurants are
The common mistake is to eat where the sights are. The Ribeira, the riverfront at the heart of the old town, has the fewest well-rated restaurants of the central areas, while the streets a short walk inland have many.
The Baixa, around the Avenida dos Aliados, leads by far: 108 restaurants within 650 m of the avenue, 45 of them well rated. The most reviewed include the two Casa Guedes sandwich houses and Lareira.
Bonfim, east of the centre, comes second, with 97 restaurants within 750 m of the Campo 24 de Agosto and 29 well rated, among them Oficina dos Rissóis at 4.9 and Grill it and Shahi Dawat at 4.8.
Cedofeita, the gallery quarter, has 36 restaurants within 600 m of Rua de Miguel Bombarda, 16 of them well rated, including Xau Laura at 4.9 and CURB at 4.7.
Along the riverside west of the Ribeira, Miragaia and Massarelos hold 22, with 10 well rated, led by Ocaso at 4.9. Within 450 m of the Praça da Ribeira, only Mariscar reaches the bar, at 4.7 from 909 reviews.
Outside the centre, the coast north of the city, around Matosinhos, has 53 restaurants, many of them fish and seafood houses.
The Ribeira has the fewest well-rated kitchens of the central areas.Eating well under 10 euros
The mistake is to assume a cheap meal means a tourist snack bar. Thirty-seven restaurants publish a price band under 10 euros per person, and several are among the city's well-reviewed places.
Almada Café, 120 m from the Aliados, is rated 4.5 from 4,299 reviews in the 5 to 10 euro band and opens from 8 AM to 10 PM; it was listed as closed on Sundays. Supernova Café, 4.4 from 945, opens on Sundays and Mondays too.
Tasquinha Zé Povinho, rated 4.7 from 770 reviews, opens from 9 AM to 7 PM, and Casa Padrão, 4.7 from 140, from 9:30 AM to 5 PM; both close on Sundays.
My Coffee Porto near the Bolhão, rated 4.7 from 655, and Mila, 4.4 from 221, are coffee-and-lunch stops open on Sundays and Mondays as well.
Restaurante Portas de São Roque, 4.6 from 332, is a lunch place open from 10 AM to 4 PM.
Several cheap places close in the late afternoon, so they suit breakfast and lunch rather than dinner.
Porto's restaurants by price band per person
- Under 10 EUR
- 37 restaurants
- 10 to 20 EUR
- 88 restaurants
- 20 to 50 EUR
- 81 restaurants
- 50 EUR and over
- 9 restaurants
- Restaurants with a published band
- About 4 in 10
- Well-rated in the Baixa
- 45 of 108
The middle bands and the splurge
The mistake is to expect price to track quality closely. The most reviewed places in the middle bands rate as highly as the expensive ones.
From 10 to 20 euros, 88 restaurants publish a band. The Casa Guedes houses, O Buraco, the Negra Café, Cult of Pita at 4.7 and Grill it at 4.8 are all here.
From 20 to 50 euros, 81 do. Uma Marisqueira, the seafood house near the Aliados, is rated 4.7 in the 20 to 40 band; The Door, 100 m from the Aliados, 4.8 from 2,401 in the 20 to 50 band; Salve Simpatia, 4.6, in 15 to 25; and Brasão Antas, 4.7, in 15 to 30. In Matosinhos, Tito 2 sits in 15 to 35.
Only nine restaurants publish 50 euros and over. Four are on the coast: A Marisqueira de Matosinhos, O Gaveto and 5 Oceanos in Matosinhos, and Cafeína in Foz. In the city, InDiferente is rated 4.9 from 680 and Euskalduna Studio 4.7 from 630; both were listed as closed on Sundays and Mondays.
For a special dinner, book ahead, and check the closing days before planning the evening around one address.
Porto: 3-Hour Food Tour
★ 4.9 · 1,040 reviewsA three-hour small-group food tour in the morning, with 10 to 12 portions and drink pairings.
Hours: early, late and closed days
The mistake is to plan dinner for Sunday or Monday without checking. Of the 506 restaurants with published hours, 176 close on Sundays and 132 on Mondays, and many close between lunch and dinner.
For an early start, 34 places rated 4.4 or more open by 8:30 AM on a Tuesday. Almada Café and the Negra Café in the Baixa open at 8 AM, Confeitaria Império, 4.4 from 2,970, at 7:30 AM, and Casa Expresso, 4.7 from 2,214, at 8:30 AM. The House of Coffee, rated 4.9, and Casa das Ostras, 4.8, open at 8 AM too.
For a late meal on a Friday, 60 places rated 4.4 or more stay open until midnight or later. The Casa Guedes houses and Lareira serve until midnight, Yuko Tavern and Flow until 1 AM, and Museu d'Avó until 2 AM.
The quietest hours are mid-afternoon. Many kitchens close from about 3 PM and reopen at 7 PM, so a late lunch is easier at the sandwich houses and cafés that stay open all day.
Opening hours change, and holidays change them further. Check on the day before walking across the city for one table.
Where to eat, by need
| Need | Where | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Most choice in the centre | Baixa | Casa Guedes, Lareira, Antunes |
| Local restaurants east of the centre | Bonfim | Oficina dos Rissóis, Grill it |
| Seafood | Matosinhos and the Aliados | Tito 2, Uma Marisqueira |
| Under 10 EUR | Baixa | Almada Café, My Coffee Porto |
| Late on a Friday | Baixa | Museu d'Avó, Flow, Yuko Tavern |
| Vegetarian | Across the city | Espécie, Cult of Pita |
- Where
- Baixa
- Examples
- Casa Guedes, Lareira, Antunes
- Where
- Bonfim
- Examples
- Oficina dos Rissóis, Grill it
- Where
- Matosinhos and the Aliados
- Examples
- Tito 2, Uma Marisqueira
- Where
- Baixa
- Examples
- Almada Café, My Coffee Porto
- Where
- Baixa
- Examples
- Museu d'Avó, Flow, Yuko Tavern
- Where
- Across the city
- Examples
- Espécie, Cult of Pita
Special diets and a few practical notes
The mistake is to think Porto's hearty cooking leaves nothing for vegetarians. Twenty-three restaurants are listed as vegetarian or vegan. Espécie, a vegetarian restaurant rated 4.7 from 1,193 reviews, and Cult of Pita, 4.7 from 2,036 and open from 11 AM to 11 PM even on Sundays and Mondays, are among the most reviewed.
Pay attention to the location of a restaurant before booking a hotel around it. The Baixa and Bonfim have the most choice, while the Ribeira and Foz have fewer well-rated places close by.
For Matosinhos, the metro line to Senhor de Matosinhos reaches the town, and its routes are on the Metro do Porto network.
The Mercado do Bolhão is for buying rather than eating, and its opening hours exclude Sunday.
Every restaurant named here has its own page in the best restaurants in Porto directory, with hours, ratings and a map.
Porto Wine Tasting Experience with Portuguese Tapas Plate
★ 4.7 · 510 reviewsA 90-minute Port wine tasting with a plate of Portuguese tapas.
Common questions
Which area of Porto has the best restaurants?
The Baixa, around the Avenida dos Aliados, has the most well-rated restaurants in the centre: 45 of 108 within 650 m score 4.5 or more from at least 500 reviews. Bonfim, to the east, comes second.
Are restaurants in Porto open on Sundays and Mondays?
Many are not. Of the restaurants with published hours, 176 close on Sundays and 132 on Mondays, so check before planning a meal on either day.
Where can I eat cheaply in Porto?
Thirty-seven restaurants publish a band under 10 euros per person, among them Almada Café, Supernova Café, Tasquinha Zé Povinho and Mila.
Where can I eat late in Porto?
On a Friday, the Casa Guedes houses and Lareira serve until midnight, Yuko Tavern and Flow until 1 AM, and Museu d'Avó until 2 AM.