where to eat in Porto

Porto’s Matriarca

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It is always a pleasure to discover a new restaurant in an old city. So, when viticulturist António Magalhães recommended Matriarca, we decided to give it a try. The restaurant opened in September 2025 in Porto’s Praça de Carlos Alberto, not far from the celebrated Lello bookstore.

Owned by the Symington family, Matriarca takes its name from Beatriz Leitão de Carvalhosa Atkinson, the Luso-British matriarch whose marriage to Andrew James Symington in 1891 helped establish the family’s enduring place in the Port wine trade. Remembered for the warmth and generosity of her hospitality, Beatriz inspired not only the restaurant’s name but also its convivial spirit.

Matriarca occupies a beautifully restored three-storey building, each floor with a character of its own. On the ground floor, a lively wine bar serves oysters and petiscos, Portugal’s delicious answer to tapas. One flight above is the elegant dining room, where attentive service complements carefully prepared food. The top floor is reserved for private gatherings.

Our sommelier, Tina, was born in Georgia, widely regarded as the birthplace of wine. After studying enology in Portugal, she decided to make the country her home. Portuguese may be her second language, but she speaks about Portuguese wine with remarkable fluency. We entrusted the pairings to her, and it proved an excellent decision.

The meal began, as so many memorable meals do in Portugal, with good bread, fragrant olive oil, and salted butter. Port tonics soon arrived, garnished with curls of lemon peel and sprigs of mint, giving the evening a festive air.

Our first course was a striking ajo blanco, served with garlic chantilly, grapes, and Douro almonds. It was accompanied by Contacto Loureiro, an exuberant Vinho Verde made from the Loureiro grape in a collaboration between Anselmo Mendes, one of the region’s most celebrated winemakers, and the Symington family.

Next came delicate ribbons of steamed squid with peas, accompanied by Casa de Rodas Alvarinho 2023. Vibrant and precise, the wine is another result of the partnership between Anselmo Mendes and the Symingtons.

The spinach agnolotti with goat cheese and hazelnuts was as pleasing to the eye as it was delightful on the palate. Pequeno Dilema, an elegant Douro white made from grapes grown at an altitude of 520 metres in the Vale do Pinhão, proved an inspired match.

The star of the meal was the beef Wellington, a dish long cherished by Porto’s British families. Beneath its crisp, golden puff pastry lay perfectly cooked medium-rare beef. Its richness found an ideal companion in Quinta do Ataíde Vinha do Arco, a poised and harmonious Douro red.

Dessert brought together green apple and basil with lemon curd and white chocolate. It was served with a stunning Warre’s 10-Year-Old White Port, whose freshness and complexity brought the evening to a graceful and thoroughly satisfying close.

Matriarca is the kind of restaurant that gives an old city something new to celebrate.

Matriarca is located at Praça de Carlos Alberto 98, 4050-310 Porto. Click here to visit its website.

Casario

~ saltofportugal ~ 2 Comments

Porto’s Ribeira district is always bustling with tourists snapping selfies and street performers vying for attention. Yet amid this lively chaos, there is a haven: a restaurant called Casario. This cozy space, with its terrace overlooking the river, is a collaboration between Granvinhos, the port wine company behind Quinta de Ventozelo, and two virtuoso chefs: Miguel Castro e Silva and José Guedes. 

We strolled to Casario under ultramarine blue skies. The dining room, bathed in a warm glow, offered a welcoming ambiance. As soon as we settled at our table, the waiter presented a basket of enticing dark wheat bread. It was accompanied by velvety butter from the Azores and Ventozelo’s piquant olive oil. A refreshing rosé from Ventozelo filled our glasses, setting a playful mood for the meal.

Like Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, dinner began with unforgettable notes: smoked eel seasoned with mustard and honey, served atop flatbread with a vinaigrette-dressed lettuce, and fried salted skate paired with pickled fennel and a celery and hazelnut purée.

This impressive start was followed by a harmonious sequence of courses. First came a moist and flavorful robalo, cooked at low temperature and served with a surprising yet felicitous combination of yellow peppers, turnip, and bok choy. Next was a whimsical shrimp and squid lollipop and chickpeas with two mushroom varieties: nutty boletos and earthy trompetas. The meal continued with a squid stuffed with spinach and sausage, bursting with flavor. Then came a briny turbot, paired beautifully with asparagus and a cockle called berbigão.

Dinner concluded on a sweet note with cinnamon ice cream, crème brûlée, and toasted pine nuts. A glass of 1994 Dalva port served as the perfect coda to this delicious meal.

It takes a lifetime to master the art of preparing a symphonic culinary experience like this one. Bravo, Miguel and José!

Casario is located at Praça da Ribeira, Viela do Buraco, 19, Porto, tel. 227-662-270. Click here for their website. 

Days like this at Gaveto

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Gaveto is a restaurant in Matosinhos where winemakers from the Douro Valley and the Vinho Verde regions often gather. It is easy for regulars to take for granted the meticulous selection of ingredients, the flawless execution of each dish, and the impeccable service. But this restaurant took a lifetime to build. 

Its founder, Manuel Pinheiro, began his culinary journey at age 12, working in Porto at the home of the banker António Borges. At age 18, Manuel got a job in a restaurant owned by the Borges family. He started by hauling coal for the stove and washing countless pots and pans. Over time, he learned to cook, to run the kitchen, and to manage the dining room. Ten years later, Manuel put all this knowledge to use by buying a small restaurant in Porto and turning it into a popular spot.

In 1984, while shopping for fish at the Matosinhos market, Manuel learned that a spacious restaurant called Gaveto was up for sale. Tempted by the opportunity to attract a larger clientele, he purchased the place. The investment was so large that his wife Margarida cried for two weeks, worrying that they might soon be ruined. 

Manuel involved his two sons, João Carlos (in the photo with his father) and José Manuel, in the business. Together, they turned Gaveto into a gastronomic landmark and built one of Portugal’s most impressive wine collections. Whenever they serve a rare wine from their cellar, João posts a photo of the bottle on Instagram captioned with his signature phrase: “There are days like this.” 

The menu includes only traditional Portuguese fare, yet the offerings are so tempting that we always struggle with our choices. During our last visit, we hesitated about whether to get the iconic lobster rice, the legendary lamprey, the exquisite tiger shrimp, the perfectly grilled fresh fish, or the tripe with beans, which former President Mário Soares considered the best in the country. 

When dessert time came, we debated whether to opt for one of the many puddings and tarts, get the traditional pão de ló, or taste the fine cheese that Manuel procures in the Estrela Mountain. These were not easy decisions. And at Gaveto, every day is like this.