The 7 things you must experience in Porto
If you don’t do anything else on this list, you must at least you go to Aduela.
1. Aduela: If you were following my Porto Instagram posts, you already know about my obsession with Aduela. I went there five times in four days and probably spent as much time there as I did at my hostel. It’s the kind of place where people go in the morning to grab a cappuccino and read the paper, after work to hang out with friends, and on the weekends for… well, everything. I showed up at 6pm on a Monday and found it completely packed with people spilling out onto the neighboring sidewalks and door ledges. They serve yummy toasts (the sardine toast is actually amazing), glasses of wine for around 2.5 euros, and cappuccinos for 1.5 euro.
2. TapaBento: In Porto, I met this German guy who decided he wanted to tag along for dinner at TapaBento. After waiting for 30 minutes, he told me that he would be down to leave if we didn’t get seated in 10 minutes – apparently, waiting for a table in Germany is not a thing. But after the meal, he told me that it’s the second best restaurant that he’s ever been to. It definitely lives up to the hype. Get the risotto.
3. Quay Wine Bar: Everything along the river in Porto is super touristy and things I tried to steer clear of. From Quay, you’ll get beautiful views of the Duoro River while seated on the second story, so you won’t have to deal with all the tourists walking along the river. However, you will be pestered by the seagulls flying around. They’ll give you water guns to shoot them with but tbd on their effectiveness. When I was there, a seagull decided to attack a group sitting by me, knocking over a few glasses of wine. So many aggressive little seagulls in Porto.
4. Port Wine Tasting: Port wine originates from Porto, so I feel like this is one of those experiences you need to have because you’re their already. Across the Duoro River is where all the port wineries are located where you can have an actual tasting experience. In all honesty, I think you’re fine just ordering a glass or two of port and seeing if it’s up your alley.
5. Terylene sandwich from Restaurante Flor Dos Congregados: They make a roasted pork loin and smoked ham sandwich that takes over 24 hours to be prepared. It’s an amazing sandwich. I especially liked the little crunchy bits! It’s also one of the cheapest items on the menu – I ordered a glass of wine, the Terylene, and a bowl of soup and it was a solid meal for me.
6. Going Out: I had such a blast on my night out in Porto (yes, I just had one bc I’m getting #old). We spent the first few hours bar hopping (there’s three popular streets where all the bars are) and when all the bars closed at 2am, we made our way to a club. We danced until 5am in the morning to a mixture of American, Spanish, and Portuguese music, at which point we decided to call it a night. Our walking tour guide earlier that day told us that we would never see a fight break out in a Portuguese club. Never say never because, sure enough, a fight broke out.
7. Francesinha: Warning: do not consume if you have seriously high blood pressure. The francesinha is not good for anyone. It’s a sandwich composed of sausage, ham, steak, and linguiça, covered in melted cheese, an egg on top, tomato sauce, and often served with fries. It doesn’t taste bad, but I’ll likely never eat it again. Again, it’s a Porto thing so have one, have half, have a bite. Whatever you think you can handle.