An even bigger bumper guide to Porto
Updated for 2025
People who think Porto’s wine and food scene is “over” don’t know what they’re talking about.
I hear it sometimes. Porto culinary scene is oversaturated. It’s too touristy. It’s done.
I see it differently. I think Porto is only just getting started.
My adopted home is an incredibly dynamic city with the potential to become one of the very best places for food and wine in the country. Because it’s so dynamic, new places open all the time, which means my 2024 bumper guide to Porto is a little out of date.
Time to change that.
This week, I added 17 new bars and restaurants to the guide. Some of them are new additions to the city, some are places I’ve recently discovered. As with all my guides, all of them are solid recommendations that I truly believe in and spend a lot of time in myself.
Read the updated guide with all — count them — fifty-one recommendations here:
The guide is split into two sections. The first is for everyone and includes an introduction to the most classic Portuense food and, maybe even more importantly, how to order beers here (you need to know some lingo to do it properly!)
The second half — including most recommendations — is for my wonderful and expanding cohort of paid subscribers.
The Sauce is a 100% reader-supported publication, which means no ads, no affiliate links, no sponsored content. The only way I get paid is via paid subs.
To join the party — and get access to everything, including travel guides, recipes, food and wine articles, and personal essays - costs $5 a month or $50 a year.
Speaking of Porto restaurants, I recently started to work with travel tour and guide company Culinary Backstreets, covering in-depth profiles on some of the best restaurants in the city. My first profile launched yesterday, and it’s about one of the best restaurants in town, O Fernando.
An old-school restaurant walking distance from the airport, I’ve lost countless hours in the comfort of their dining room. They are famous for their roasted goat and also happen to have one of the best wine lists in town.
You can read the full profile here:
Finally another quick reminder about my newly relaunched Substack pub, This much I know (formerly Simple and Straightforward). This is a home for all my non-food and drink writing covering everything from pop culture to women focused issues to what it’s like to live abroad.
It’s just one mailout a week, normally on a Monday. Next week is an essay called “What Happens When You Can’t Answer the Question Where Are You From?” which was shortlisted for a Welsh-based literary magazine.
Just give me your email and click the big blue button to get on the list:
See you all next week, bom fim de semana — have a great weekend!
Charlie