As the festive season approaches , attention turns to themed events, light displays and Christmas markets. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other initiatives taking place in Greater Porto, especially in the gastronomic sector.
Although it has already started (on November 21), it is still possible to take part in Porto Restaurant Week until November 30, which covers eight restaurants in Invicta ,Vila Nova de Gaia and Matosinhos, an initiative promoted by AHM – Ace Hospitality Management, with exclusive menus at €25 per person.
Cais-me Bem, L’Égoïste Bar & Restaurant, BIss U, Café Arts, Casa da Companhia, Fontinha Pizzeria, Roast and The Loby Gastrobar are the restaurants taking part in this initiative, whose offer includes: a starter of your choice, a main course (meat, fish or vegetarian), dessert and drinks (waters, selected wines, coffees and teas). But let’s get to know each of the proposals better, shall we?
Restaurants in the city of Porto
At Porto Restaurant Week, most of the venues are located in the city of Porto, with an offer that allows you to try a bit of everything, from Italian flavors to the best recipes baked in the Rotisserie.
For starters, in the Boavista area, Roast is synonymous with comfort food, with chickpea salad with cod or the house croquettes. As for the main course, you can choose between sea bass with mash and roast carrots, roast chicken with rustic potatoes or mushroom rice, followed by chocobrownie or roast pineapple.
On a trip to Italy without leaving Invicta, Porto Restaurant Week invites you to explore the flavors of authentic Neapolitan pizzas at Fontinha Pizzeria. The meal starts with the “Fontinhanella” salad or the suppa di verdura with vegetables from the garden and rosemary croutons. Then there are the capricciosa and margherita pizzas or the spaghetti alla bolognese. To finish on a high note, you can indulge in the traditional tiramisù.
From simplicity to innovation
At Porto Restaurant Week, if there’s room for transalpine flavors, then there’s also room for an illustrious representative of Portuguese cuisine, such as Casa da Companhia. Located in the bustling Rua das Flores, the menu includes: shrimp niçoise salad, grilled squid with tomato rice, Marrare steak or asparagus risotto with dried tomatoes. For dessert, you can choose between pineapple carpaccio and toucinho do céu.
Not far away, in Rua de Chã, Blss U has established itself as one of Porto’s liveliest gastroclubs. For this initiative, it offers options ranging from roast chicken with lemon thyme risotto to mushroom rice and island cheese, rounded off with papo de ano or caramelized banana.
In Lapa, L’Égoïste Bar & Restaurant – which we visited during its opening – promises tradition and creativity. Among other options, the menu includes duck risotto with pumpkin or creamy Sicilian lemon rice with burrata. To finish, there’s white chocolate crème brûlée with strawberries and almonds
Porto Restaurant Week also includes Café Arts, a meeting place for artists and the curious. In this space in the historic center of Invicta, the highlights include salmon puff pastry, ham risotto and the irresistible drunken pear with vanilla mousse, among other dishes.
Initiative extends to Gaia and Matosinhos
Porto Restaurant Week isn’t just about Invicta. As we mentioned, the gastronomic initiative extends to the neighboring municipalities of Vila Nova de Gaia and Matosinhos.
On the other side of the Douro , at Cais-me Bem, the starters available are a vichyssoise with cabbage, chorizo crumble and Avintes bread, or a tomato tarte tatin and crème fraîche. For main courses, you can choose from: bacalhau à brás, a confit dish with shallots and truffles, or cevadoto with mushrooms and asparagus; not forgetting, of course, dessert.
In Matosinhos, despite the cold weather, the proximity to the beach makes The Lobby Gastrobar a restaurant to consider for this initiative, including on the menu a choice of: mini beef tartare with horseradish mayonnaise or pork piano croquettes; meat, fish or vegetarian options for main courses; and homemade tiramisù or seasonal fruit for dessert.
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