Porto is a city where you eat well. The city, known for its hearty dishes prepared for hours, is nowadays also the place to go for those seeking creative, designer food with influences from around the world. And almost everything is located within a relatively small area: from traditional restaurants to tasting menus.
Text: Teresa Castro Viana
Euskalduna Studio
The history of Euskalduna Studio is intertwined with that of its mentor, Vasco Coelho Santos. Starting with its name. In a tribute to the Basque Country, where he worked in emblematic places like Mugaritz and Arzak, Euskalduna (it means “Basque” in the Basque language) was the name chosen for his contemporary food restaurant, which has been open since December 2016.
Inside, the seats at the counter, with a privileged view of the open kitchen, are the most requested. The concept of proximity and interaction with the public, one of the house’s flagships, revolves around it. “The counter helps our guests feel more comfortable and at ease throughout the meal. I think this informality is very important in fine dining,” the chef emphasizes.
The menu, consisting of 10 instances and a few surprises, varies depending on the season and the availability of ingredients, but it is always surprising and creative.
In addition to Euskalduna, the group also includes Semea by Euskalduna, which has just moved from Rua das Flores to Cais das Pedras, with a markedly maritime influence; Peixaria by Euskalduna, with fresh seafood and line- or net-caught fish; Ogi, a natural fermentation bakery; and Private Cooking, a private dining project that the chef has managed since the beginning of his career.
Rua de Santo Ildefonso, 404 (Porto)
+351 935 335 301
Tue–Sat 7:00–11:30 p.m.
Mito
Mito, a restaurant for friends run by chef Pedro Braga, with a youthful atmosphere and original food, follows a less traditional gastronomic vein. What you most see there are happy people, sharing food and toasting, most recently with low-intervention wines. “Natural wines were an old desire and the general idea of the new menu was sustainability, respect for the product,” he says.
There’s an unbeatable weekly menu for lunch from Tuesday to Friday, the best in the city, with starter, main course (or a rice dish in the oven, for two) and dessert.
For dinner, there’s a menu full of cute and well-made dishes: beef croquettes with chorizo mayonnaise, Berlin doughnut balls with Pata Negra ham and bacon cream, two of the restaurant’s emblematic dishes, rump tartar with meat and marrow gravy and Aveiro estuary sea bass with beurre blanc and seaweed caviar, among other dishes. There are also more substantial portions, like 40-day matured ribs and monkfish rice with prawns, curry and sriracha chili sauce, a comfortable, spicy and gluttonous dish, perfect to soothe body and soul on a cold day.
Contrary to what the dictionary says, Mito [myth] cannot be a “thing only possible by chance”. And it’s easy to understand why.
Rua José Falcão, 183 (Porto)
+351 22 208 1059
Tue–Thu 12:30–3:00 p.m. / 7:00–10:30 p.m.
Fri 12:30–3:00 p.m. / 7:00–11:30 p.m.
Sat 7:00–11:30 p.m.
Fava Tonka
Long gone are the days when vegetarian dishes were just a stopgap solution on restaurant menus, often based on eggs or salads. Vegetable eating is a trend and haute cuisine can apply to a carabinieri, a loin of venison or celery root.
Nuno Castro, chef at Grupo do Avesso (which also owns Esquina do Avesso, Terminal 4450 and Sushiaria, all in Leça da Palmeira), the brains behind the menu at Fava Tonka, a high-profile vegetarian restaurant, works with seasonal and local ingredients. “At this point it no longer makes sense to use out-of-season produce, not only in terms of ecological footprint but also in terms of taste. Besides, the idea is to promote a circular economy and buy the best and most local possible,” he explains.
The décor, very organic and in earthy tones — the central element of the restaurant is a century-old tree trunk that served as inspiration for the construction of the space — and the natural light invite you in.
The beetroot with stracciatella and black garlic, mushroom and eucalyptus soup, corn textures with chilli and ginger, cabbage with celery root and ras al hanout and parsnip with hay and salted caramel make it hard to leave.
Rua de Santa Catarina, 86 (Leça da Palmeira)
+351 915 343 494
Thur–Mon 12:30–3:00 p.m. / 7:30–11:00 p.m.
Adega São Nicolau
You can’t talk about Porto’s gastronomy without mentioning classics such as Adega São Nicolau, a mecca of good eating in the middle of the Ribeira area. It has been in the ownership of the same family for 20 years; the family also owns Taberna dos Mercadores and Terreiro, neighbours of Adega São Nicolau.
There, the cooking is done as if you were at grandmother’s house, with time, knowledge and flavour, and you are welcomed with the typical friendliness of the people of North Portugal. There are crispy cod fritters to start the meal, sardine cutlets with bean rice, octopus fillets with octopus rice (one of the city’s most emblematic dishes) various types of cod dishes, veal tail, Porto-style tripe, Aroquesa veal steak, Bordeaux-style cockerel and a finger-licking coconut quindim dessert. All homemade, well-seasoned and served in generous portions, just like at grandmother’s house.
Perhaps this is why there are queues of locals and tourists forming, come rain or shine, when the terrace on the steps of São Nicolau is at its busiest. If you have to wait, ask for a glass of wine — there are reference wines from all over the country, “but mostly from the Douro region”, says Renata Coelho, the owner — and take in the view of the river before enjoying your meal.
You can’t talk about Porto’s gastronomy without mentioning classics such as Adega São Nicolau, a mecca of good eating in the middle of the Ribeira area. It has been in the ownership of the same family for 20 years; the family also owns Taberna dos Mercadores and Terreiro, neighbours of Adega São Nicolau.
There, the cooking is done as if you were at grandmother’s house, with time, knowledge and flavour, and you are welcomed with the typical friendliness of the people of North Portugal. There are crispy cod fritters to start the meal, sardine cutlets with bean rice, octopus fillets with octopus rice (one of the city’s most emblematic dishes) various types of cod dishes, veal tail, Porto-style tripe, Aroquesa veal steak, Bordeaux-style cockerel and a finger-licking coconut quindim dessert. All homemade, well-seasoned and served in generous portions, just like at grandmother’s house.
Perhaps this is why there are queues of locals and tourists forming, come rain or shine, when the terrace on the steps of São Nicolau is at its busiest. If you have to wait, ask for a glass of wine — there are reference wines from all over the country, “but mostly from the Douro region”, says Renata Coelho, the owner — and take in the view of the river before enjoying your meal.
Rua de São Nicolau, 1 (Porto)
+351 22 200 8232
Mon-Sat 12:30-11:00 p.m.
