
In and around Porto, the gastronomic offer is increasingly varied, encompassing flavors from (almost) all over the world. From Japanese and Korean restaurants to Italianthe options are truly endless. However, Peruvian cuisine is still little explored. But it has just gained a new dimension with the opening of Cusco.
Open since the end of August, this space is ‘hidden’ on the terrace of the Hilton Porto Gaia. Although it belongs to the hotel, you don’t need to be staying to relax in the evening with a delicious cocktail from the bar or even to dine in the restaurant. This is because the restaurant is open to all locals and visitors.
We recently had the opportunity to visit Cusco, get to know its concept better and, of course, try some of its dishes. However, if you want to go there, there are two things we’d like to point out: the restaurant’s customers have free parking at the Hilton Porto Gaia; and to access the top floor you need to go to the hotel reception and they’ll show you the way.
Cusco: between the Inca citadel and Porto
For those who don’t know, the word “Cusco” is the name of a Peruvian city, located in the Andes region, which was once the epicentre of the Inca civilization. So you’re immediately transported to Latin America. However, this is not the only connection.
Of course, the restaurant and bar menus offer a journey of flavors to Peru, but in a very creative way. In fact, what we found was an (almost) exclusive fusion between Peruvian cuisine and Porto’s gastronomic roots.
What’s more, this symbiosis is even reflected in the decor. The mixture of warm and cold tones is striking throughout. Between reds, yellows and blues, the space is elegant – or it wouldn’t be part of the exquisite Hilton Porto Gaia – but it’s the privileged view of Porto’s Ribeira that dominates the attention.
Our gastronomic experience (and more)
With a positive note for Cusco’s decor, now it’s time to take a look at some of the highlights of the menu, “where Peru meets Portugal”. It’s impossible to try everything – there’s only so much you can stomach. We opted to try a few starters, two main courses and two desserts. That’s because you can never have too many sweets.
To start, we tried two delicious snacks:
- Tacos, mushrooms & white horseradish with salsa verde (12€)
- Slider of sea bream and fried aji amarillo curry (12€) – and this was our favorite.
Then we moved on to the main courses:
- Acém round steak, adobo and sweet potato chips (35€) – we wanted to do it again, but there wasn’t enough room for so much food
- Roast octopus with anticuchera sauce and bean crumbs with cornbread (29€)
When it came to dessert, the choices were as follows:
- Mezcal tiramisu (8€)
- Camel baba mousse with lime granizado (8€) – our favorite because of the mix of textures and flavors.
However, this is just a small sample of Cusco’s gastronomic offer. In fact, you can check out the full menu and quickly identify the fusion between Peruvian and Porto cuisine; the same goes for the drinks, but we’ll get to that.
Cocktails and a magnificent view
After dinner, we took the opportunity to relax in the bar and contemplate the magnificent view of Ribeira do Porto. With a “Pisco Sour à Moda do Porto” (€12) in one hand and the camera in the other, we enjoyed a good evening. After all, there’s no better landscape than the city of Porto!
Where: Rua de Serpa Pinto 124, Hilton Porto Gaia, Vila Nova de Gaia
Hours: every day, from 17h30 to 1h00 (meals from 17h30 to 23h00)
More information: reservas.cusco@hiltonportogaia.com / +351 932 413 089