What and were to eat in Porto

<![CDATA[ALUSOARE - Portugal]]>Wed, 16 Oct 2024 15:35:54 +0200Weebly<![CDATA[What & Where we ate in Porto]]>Tue, 30 Oct 2018 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/portugal/what-where-we-ate-in-porto

Portuguese food is great and you have a lot of options so, get ready to gain some kilograms even by reading this :)

Pasteis de Nata @Cafe Tijuca

World famous, you can find these wonderful sweets everywhere, but locals do have their preferences so I was sent to try out the ones at Cafe Tijuca. Extremely creamy, the Pasteis de Nata are great to accompany your coffee.

Coffee @Esquires Coffee

The place is very hipster'ish decorated which gives the place nice clean view, but I can't say i was impressed with the cappuccino, though they had some excellent salty bites with spinach and ricotta.

Breakfast @Miss Pavlova

If you like Pavlovas then you should clearly have breakfast or at least a coffee break here. We loved the food over there. The Pavlova's themselves are far too sweet for my taste, but I am sure that any sweet tooth would love them

Lunch @Jimeo Tapas

It was lunch time and so we aimed to find a place in the sun that would offer fish based products. So after researching a little bit I found Jimeo Tapas. The service was super excellent and the food had great potential but the fish was far too salty for my taste, otherwise perfectly cooked.

Snacks @MiraJazz & Xico Queijo

We ordered a mix plate of cheese and meat and it was perfect amount. You can also order other types of food over there and you can relax over a glass of wine or beer in a very friendly and cozy atmosphere.

Xico Queijo

MiraJazz

Dinner @LSD Restaurant

We wanted steak, no idea why, but we aimed to check places which are popular for steak in town. After checking out trip adviser we realized that every top rated place was already booked, but we luckily managed to get a table for 2 at LSD, and the food and service was perfect.

Francisinha @Cervejeria Brasao Coliseu

Oh, the Francisinha. I must say it is not something I can enjoy, still if you never tried it, it is something to consider when in Porto. It is usually served with an egg on top and fries, the secret of the Francisinhia lies in the sauce. As Cervejeria Brasao Coliseu has the Francisinha as a popular dish we order 1 to share between 2. It was so big that we did not manage to finish it .

What it is? Well it is a sandwich, inspired by the Belgian croque monsieur but it has several extra layers of meat inside. This dish is clearly not for people on a diet ;)

If you fancy healthier food, you of course have some salad options in there as well :)

Pop Cereal

I did not try the one in Porto, but I know the one in Lisbon and I love the idea behind it. You can check some details about Lisbon Pop Cereal over here.

]]><![CDATA[Long weekend in Porto]]>Tue, 18 Sep 2018 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/portugal/long-weekend-in-porto

I booked this trip somewhere in December 2017 which in Belgium was the darkest month since 1934 and I needed sun, so with some days left to book from my previous year vacation days, I decided to spend some days in Porto. Here what I've seen & done

1. Getting there

Porto is connected by Metro to the airport and it takes about 30 min to reach the city once in the metro. You can buy a Z4 ticket or at least this is what the people from my accommodation recommended. It's the purple line.

2. Where to stay?

I always spend a lot of time searching for the best accommodation as it needs to be affordable, in the old center if possible as I like to walk, close to restaurants & supermarkets. I general aim for apartments or hostels rather than hotels. This time I booked via booking at City Breaks Apartments - Coliseu, you can normally access it via this LINK

3. What to see?

I always start by creating a route from the location I stay, it makes visiting more efficient and in a hilly city like Porto less stair climbing helps. Anyway, here what I captured

3.1. Capela das Almas

"On Rua Santa Catarina stands the strikingly ornate, azulejo-clad Capela das Almas. Magnificent panels here depict scenes from the lives of various saints, including the death of St Francis and the martyrdom of St Catherine. Interestingly, Eduardo Leite painted the tiles in a classic 18th-century style, though they actually date back only to the early 20th century." (Source)

3.2. Cafe Majestic

I read everywhere that you have to pass by Cafe Majestic as it is one of the most beautiful Cafes in the world and so on, so I passed by as it was on the way to my accommodation and then I thought to myself, I am sure I can do better with my time than queuing to have a coffee in a packed place. I did take a shot on the outside one morning and had a look through the window inside, it looks super classy. Maybe it is something for you, so I added it to the list ;)

3.3. Church of Saint Ildefonso

"Completed in 1739, the church was built in a proto-Baroque style and features a retable by the Italian artist Nicolau Nasoni and a facade of azulejo tilework. The church is named in honour of the Visigoth, Ildephonsus of Toledo, bishop of Toledo from 657 until his death in 667" (Source)

"Approximately 11,000 azulejo tiles cover the facade of the church, which were created by artist Jorge Colaco and placed in November 1932. The tiles depict scenes from the life of Saint Ildefonso and figurative imagery from the Gospels" (Source)

I read in Lonely Planet I think, that if there was to visit only one church this should be it, well I beg to differ as I think that Porto Se or even the Clerigos Church seemed to me more special. Anyway here have a look at what you can expect.

3.4. Red telephone box

I am not exactly sure why there are this British telephone boxes in Porto, but in case you are a fan might want to get a picture of them ;)

3.5. Porto Cathedral (Se Cathedral)

Somehow I ended up seeing this cathedral a lot of times at different times of day as it was on my way to everything :).

"Porto's Cathedral, the Se, is an historic landmark in the old center, where the city was born. In fact, Morro da Se is the oldest district in Porto. Its characteristic neighborhood and its residents are the most genuine part of the city." (Source)

"The Cathedral itself is a 12th Romanesque structure. It was built by Bishop Hugh, a French nobleman who came to Porto even before Portugal's independence, and ruled the city from 1113 to 1136. Despite its Romanesque roots, you will see that the cathedral, all over the centuries, has been suffering many changes of different architectonic styles, like the baroque roofs of the turrets next the front door, or even the loggia outside the north wall of the building, designed by Nicolau Nasoni, in the 18th century." (Source)

"Inside the cathedral, you may like to see the silver altar that holds a curious story: in 1809, when Napoleon's Grande Armee entered the city, a local resident painted the altar to hide the silver. The French troops never noticed that and leave the silver alone." (Source)

And you have quite a nice view from up there as well.

3.6. Dom Luis I Bridge

The first proposal of the bridge came from Gustave Eiffel (the architect of the Eiffel Tower in Paris) but it was rejected as it was not in line with the growing population in the city. Later on, the project was won by a Belgian company and they have assigned Theophile Seyrig to be the lead architect of the bridge. Construction took almost 5 years and was it was finally inaugurated 31 October 1886.

"The iron bridge has two decks, of differing heights and widths, between which develop a large 172.5 metres (566 ft) diameter, central arch supporting these upper and lower decks. Both decks are moored to the riverbanks by means of masonry piers. Those in the upper deck, are rectangular with a trimmed cornice finish, consisting of two staggered registers separated by cornice and interlacing struts. The lower deck is based on large foundations supporting molded cornices and wedges linked together by a felled arch, and framed by interlacing beams." (Source)

3.7. The Riviera neighborhood

"Riviera square is a historical square in Porto, Portugal. It is included in the historical center of the city, designated World Heritage by UNESCO." (Source)

3.8. The other side - Villa nova

If you want a perfect picture of the colorful houses from the Riviera neighborhood, just cross Ponte Luis and there you have it

3.9. Stock Exchange Palace

"The Stock Exchange Palace, better known even to foreign visitors as Palacio da Bolsa, is one of the most valuable tourist sights of Porto. The construction works started in 1842, only to be completed some 30 years later, and the reason for building a venue of this kind was, at least as far as Porto was concerned at the time, to boast of its economic power and to draw the European businessmen to make investments in the city." (Source)

"Given both its age and architectural virtues, the palace was declared a national monument and listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Thus, the palace is the expression of a mix of architectural styles, with prominent neoclassical elements which prevail across other influences." (Source)

3.10. Statue of prince Henry The Navigator

"Prince Henry (Infante Dom Henrique)(1394-1460), the third child of King John I of Portugal, was responsible for the early development of European exploration and maritime trade with other continents, reason for which it was called Henry the Navigator." (Source)

3.11. PORTO signs around the city

3.12. Clerigos Church & Tower

"The church was built for the Brotherhood of the Clerigos (Clergy) by Nicolau Nasoni, an Italian architect and painter [...]. Construction [...] began in 1732 and was finished around 1750 [...]. The main facade of the church is heavily decorated with baroque motifs [...] and an indented broken pediment. This was based on an early 17th-century Roman scheme. The central frieze above the windows present symbols of worship and an incense boat." (Source)

The Church

The entrance ticket to climb in the tower is 4 Euro and the visit is structured in such a way that you can also visit the church inside and see it from upper up, interesting view.

Inside the Church

The Tower

"The monumental tower of the church, located at the back of the building, was only built between 1754 and 1763. The baroque decoration here also shows influence from the Roman Baroque, while the whole design was inspired by Tuscan campaniles. The tower is 75.6 metres high, dominating the city. There are 240 steps to be climbed to reach the top of its six floors. This great structure has become the symbol of the city." (Source)

3.13. Lello Bookstore

They say that this library is the one that inspired the Harry Potter Hogwarts...and if it is the case, i can actually what made J.K. Rowling use this bookstore as inspiration.

Since the moment you open the door you enter a magic world, this place is absolutely gorgeous. Offering books in several languages (but mainly Portuguese) it is hard to leave the place without buying at least one book. I ended up buying my first book in French "Le petit prince" Lello Bookstore edition (just started studying).

I have to add some pictures of the beautiful staircase & ceiling, it's GORGEOUS!

And of course you can find all the Harry Potter Books

Note: the entrance is not free anymore, you can get the tickets from up the street at the corner shop. The price of the ticket you can deduct for the price of a book if you decide to buy.

3.14. Sao Bento Train Station

The most beautiful entry hall i saw in a train station. It's covered in azulejos.

"There are approximately 20,000 azulejo tiles, dating from 1905-1916, and were composed by Jorge Colaco, an important painter of azulejo of the time. The first tiles were placed on 13 August 1905." (Source)

The walls show different scenes but I will not go into the details, sharing though some pictures.

3.15. Plaza de los Aliados

"The square has its origins in the beginning of the 18th century. It was in 1718 that a project for the urbanisation of the area begun, which resulted in the creation of new streets and an ample square, known as Praca Nova (New Square). The square was initially limited by the medieval walls of the city and by urban palaces, all of which are now lost." (Source)

"In 1866 a monument dedicated to King Peter IV, a monarch closely linked to Porto, was inaugurated in the middle of the square. The monument, by French sculptor Anatole Calmels, consists of a statue of Peter IV riding a horse and holding the Constitution that he had fought to protect during the Liberal Wars." (Source)

"Porto City Hall is an imposing building that dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. Also note worthy is the solid 70m high tower with a carillon clock." (Source)

"You won't need to do much research to agree with this statement: this is the most beautiful McDonald's restaurant in the world!" [...] This McDonald's restaurant in Porto was inaugurated in 1995. [...] The final restoration work is a result of a cooperation between two architects ateliers: Archange and A. Burmester. The idea was to give it a fresh look, maintaining the iconic features and recovering the social gathering spirit once so lively here." (Source)

"Ardina" (newspaper seller) or "The Paper boy" done in 1990 by Manuel Dias. It represents the old times in Porto when there was no television or internet.

4. What to do?

4.1. Go to the beach

Hop on the bus 500 leaving from across the train station. It's a 30-40 min drive. You'll know when to go off the bus.

We went till Matosinhos and then walks back on the beach.

And we got to see a super amazing sunset in the ocean

4.2. Listen to Jazz

MiraJazz organizing Jazz afternoons on their terrace. Hope for good weather as it's the perfect way to spend the second part of the day., their wine and snacks are also very good. There are for sure other places that organize similar events.

The views from this place are also pretty cool

4.3. Eat

You can have wonderful food it Porto, so make sure you schedule in your busy itinerary some time to explore the local cuisine. I'll share of course my experience in a separate post about food in Porto.

4.4. Go out

Porto seems to have a great nightlife. We went to this place called Plan B Club which has 2 separated rooms downstairs with 2 different music styles (pop/disco and electronic). You can get cocktails at the ground floor, which clearly don't lack alcohol ;). We had a great time over there and fully recommend it.

4.5. Walk the streets

And trust me, at the end you'll feel almost like after a HIIT workout ;)

]]><![CDATA[Lisbon out, what restaurants we tried]]>Mon, 18 Jul 2016 11:50:15 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/portugal/lisbon-out-what-restaurants-we-tried

We love eating so it happens quite often to take a break and stop for a snack or something to eat.
what did we try in Lisbon here an overview :)

Meson andaluz

Address: Travessa do Alecrim,4
It attracted us by the way it was decorated. It was late in the evening so we only wanted some tapas and some beer. We ordered some pimientos de padron and patatas bravas, to be honest, not impressed, they could be much better in different places :)
This little guy was the reason why we actually stopped to eat here ;)

O Adriano

Address: Calcada do Carmo 35, Lisboa, Portugal
we actually had a great break here, tapas were good and the view definitely not bad.

O Minhoto

Address: Trav. da Boa Hora, 19/21/23, 1200-063 Lisboa, Portugal
Dinner was at a local restaurant in Barrio Alto, we did get a bit upset as they did not have pimientos de padron anymore, but the rest of the dishes were good.

Restaurante Caminho Da Ronda

Address: Rua do recolhimento 13 - Castelo de Sao Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
We stopped here for lunch and had an excellent Dorada and some Germany like size beers ;)

Bairrices

Address: Rua da Barroca, 110 | Bairro Alto, Lisbon 1200-051, Portugal
One of the biggest disappointments was the restaurant Bairrices. The food was not necessary bad but the quantity was very little for for the price.

Sophia La Loca

Address: R. do Gremio Lusitano 20, 1200-212 Lisboa, Portugal
We enjoyed a lot the stay for a small snack. I am sure the dinner would have been great as well. We will for sure keep it on our list for next time we go there

Floresta da Cidade

Address: Travessa Poco da Cidade, 10, 1200-334 Lisbon, Portugal
We were searching for a place to eat octopus and we stopped here as everything was quite full. I did not like it as it was too oily but it depends a bit on the taste.

this is what we managed to try out in a long weekend, but we would definitely go for more, it's an interesting cuisine based on a lot of seafood.

]]><![CDATA[Pop Cereal Cafe, Lisbon]]>Mon, 18 Jul 2016 11:49:53 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/portugal/pop-cereal-cafe-lisbon

Meet Marco, a guy that decided to start his own business and brought the first cereal bar in Lisbon.

you need to have breakfast here, I mean the place is great, decoration like in a cereal museum and the mixes are awesome

you can take a pre-built menu or mix your own

if you like cereals, you'll love this place and even if you don't (like my friend Dana) you'll think again

check more things out on the website.
Address: R. do Norte 64, 1200-365 Lisboa, Portugal
Hours: 10AM-12AM

]]><![CDATA[Day Trip to Sintra]]>Mon, 18 Jul 2016 11:37:44 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/portugal/day-trip-to-sintra

sometimes crazy leads to beautiful and you realize that Disney fairy-tale castles are real.

We left Lisbon Rosario station with the 9:01 train. You can check the schedule here. The price is cheap if not mistaken 4.30 Euro return ticket. I bought my card at the metro from the airport that includes the train (make sure it mentions cp)

Once in Sintra you can either walk or take a bus (434). The walk is about 5km through the woods. Make sure you have good outdoor shoes and enough water.

You get the chance for some excellent views from the road up.

The price for the gardens + the palace de Pena is 14 Euro for adults. I think it is worth it as it is really beautiful and the gardens are very well maintained.

from here we went towards the Moors Castle but not before stopping for some short pictures breaks

and on a hot day, what is the best way to refresh? .. a break

Entering the Moors Castle, gives you great views over Pena castle. the entrance price is 8 Euro.

on the way back to the city we stopped for some traditional sweets at Piriquita recommended by a Portuguese friends, very tasty

Travesseiro (with nutela)

Tradicional Almond

Queijadas

By the time we were back to the train station it was 5 PM. Long day but totally worth it. Sintra has much more to offer, but you need for sure to stay longer.

]]><![CDATA[3 full days in Lisbon]]>Mon, 18 Jul 2016 11:37:20 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/portugal/3-full-days-in-lisbon

It's been a while now that I wanted to go to Lisbon and somehow I never had the time. Finally I managed and here what we did:

Accomodation

We stayed at BA Hostel and it is a great place, not the perfect one overall but it depends a lot what you are looking for.
Cleanness: excellent
Location: excellent*
Staff: super friendly
Room: a bit too basic
Breakfast: Free but very basic
________
* the hostel is located right in the Erasmus corner, thus expect very crowded places, a lot of noise and dirt in the early morning. but the hostel is very well is isolated so you can't really hear from outside, but just for you to know where you go :)

Day 1

on the way towards the center we stopped in a shop where we saw they had some orange juice for some vitamin C boost too help fight the heat, but they also had some very cute local products

From the shop we slowly directed ourselves towards the metro station.

houses decoration

I love the small streets, one of the things I mostly enjoyed was just walking around.

for who does not know it already, Inditex has lower prices in ES & PT than elsewhere in the world and on top of this sales are quite nice in this part of Europe. So visiting Lisbon in July we reserved the first part of the day for....yeap you have it right...shopping :). If interested go to the Metro stop Baixa Chiado and follow the street down till the end. you'll have shops left and right then turn left there are some more over there.

Breaks are the best part of every trip so you will see us doing a lot

From here we went back to the hostel to drop all our shopping and the towards place do comercio

I liked the square a lot as it is big and not crowded. You also have the sea to take some moments to just enjoy. of course we had to pee at some point and we found worlds sexiest toilette (that's debatable)

It's not what I would except from sexy but it is at least colorful for the 1 Euro you have to pay. Anyway, then we could enjoy some beer with a view :)

From here direction Bario Alto to grab something to eat.

Rossio square

After so much walking around it was time to eat something. We stopped at Restaurante O Minhoto for some tapas.
Address: Trav. da Boa Hora, 19/21/23, 1200-063 Lisboa, Portugal

Before going to sleep, a bit of dancing at Cuba a la Vista; btw excellent Mojitos ;)

Day 2

New day, new plan, new adventures, but first things first, breakfast. Although we have free breakfast at the hostel, we decided to try the newly opened Pop cereal cafe in Bario Alto , where you can feel like a kid again and have milk with cereals in the morning

from here we went towards the St George castle. As we love walking we took advantage to enjoy the lovely streets around.

we all know that Lisbon is famous for yellow tram28 and I decided to chase all the 3 colorful trams around the city. Yellow, Red & Green :)

now you have them all, I was a bit worried I won't get the green one and at the end I ended up taking so many pictures that the tram driver even told me I have more pictures with him than his wife...oooooops :)

The walk up to the castle is very very nice. cute street decoration, a lot of street-art and some special views.

and further down the road we met Mr. Cat relaxing in the shadow without carrying for anything or anyone

on the way to the caste you'll also find a lot of people selling different things, some handmade jewelry, some selling pictures, some were singing for money, some selling fruits, all in all it make is very colorful and easy to stop everywhere to see what they offer.

creating mandals

painting with coffee

fresh fruits

we did not enter the castle as we have been told it is not really worth the money, of course it might a bit depend on your budget & interests also. so as you probably expect by now, we decided to take a break for lunch.

Restaurante Caminho Da Ronda

and right on the corner there was a national heritage house

you might think that we are done, but no!

we went back to the placa do commercio and from there garbed an Uber and went to Tower of Belen

just before heading for dinner we stopped for a coffee with something local sweets ;)

pasteis de nata

we finished our day with dinner at a tapas place, not really worth mentioning it as quality price ratio was not the best.....you can see my review on TripAdvisor if interested

Day 3

Good Morning Good Morning! all ready, we go to Sintra today...and no worries this part of the post is short as you can read the full story in a separate post.

on the way to the train station we spotted some street art so small detour for pictures

ok, now ready in the train and Sintra here we come.

you can rent a bike cute decoration

Pena Castle below

Pena Castle

and after also exploring the Moor Castle

and after a tiring day the only thing left to finish a great long weekend is to seat, relax and grab some tapas. BREAK! :)

and there you have it, an amazing weekend in Lisbon.

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