You already had a good night of sleep at your hotel / apartment in Porto, and now it is time for breakfast.
Before reading this list of the best places for breakfast in Porto, there are a couple of things you should know:
- Unlike other European countries, we don’t eat a lot for breakfast. We don’t eat savoury things in the mornings, like sausages or beans or other weird stuff, so don’t expect to find that in these breakfast cafés. Therefore, if you are looking for a continental breakfast or something of the sort, you should check my article about the best brunch places in Porto.
- Personally I don’t fancy pretentious places, which is why most of the places on this list are down to Earth, traditional Portuguese pastry shops. But trust me, they are all damn good! 🙂
- If you reaaally want to understand Portuguese food, join this Food tour in Porto. I’ve actually done it and it includes amazing things like francesinha, grilled chorizo, the famous Portuguese fish cans and pasteis de nata, and much more. You can trust me on this – it is organised by a very competent friend of mine 🙂
With no further delay, let’s find out about…
The best places for breakfast in Porto
Royale Pão Paixão
Royale is, hands down, one of the best places for breakfast in Porto and where I religiously go every single week since its opening because I simply cannot live without their banana bread 😛 It’s a bakery at the entrance followed by a large, bright room where you can order breakfast – and there are so many good options to choose from, in between their sourdough bread and all the pastries! It doesn’t have many savory options though, so it’s a place more suitable for people with a sweet tooth.
Royale also serves great lunch options from Monday to Friday, and delicious brunch options on Saturdays. I just love this place.
PS – Please keep in mind that this place is not in the city centre, but it’s a great option if you have time or if you are staying in Boavista neighborhood.
How to get there: the subway station Casa da Música is a 15 minutes walking distance.
Molete
Molete is the cute word we use in Porto to say bread. It is also one of my top places for breakfast in Porto, as here you can find not only freshly baked bread, but all different kind of sweet and savoury pastries.
Molete provides several breakfast menus that range for the simplest one (coffee + egg custard pastry for 1€) to the most complete one, with orange juice, coffee, croissant with ham & cheese, bread with butter and an egg custard pastry for 3,70€. For those of you who prefer to have a salty breakfast in Porto, I suggest you to ask for a bôla saloia at Molete… it’s really good!
How to get there: the subway stations 24 de Agosto and Heroísmo are a 5 minutes walking distance.
Leitaria da Quinta do Paço
Leitaria da Quinta do Paço is famous for its insaneously good eclairs filled with artisanal whipped cream. But it is also one of the top places for breakfast in Porto!
It has several breakfast menus ranging from 3,90€ to 5,90€, which include stuff like croissants, bread or toasts, butter and jams, coffee, fresh orange juice, fruits and yoghurt. I find these menus a good deal!
If you have a (very) sweet tooth you can also order an eclair – Leitaria has 8 fixed flavours, but it regularly introduces new ones 🙂
How to get there: the subway station Aliados is a 5 minutes walking distance.
Confeitaria Chicana
I used to live a street away from Confeitaria Chicana, the amazing pastry shop in Porto’s Bonfim neighborhood. I remember going there every Sunday morning, with my parents, to try the most fantastic croissants in the city. They still do them (and they are still the best ones! 🙂
Confeitaria Chicana is a family run pastry shop in Porto, where you’ll only find locals. It’s not a fancy place, but it’s perfect for croissants, for “húngaros” biscuits or simply for toasts.
I really love this spot, as it kept its cozy vibe throughout time, so it’s definitely one of my top places for breakfast in Porto!
How to get there: the subway stations 24 de Agosto and Heroísmo are a 5 minutes walking distance.
Época Porto
Época Porto is a rather unique place in the city. With a clear Nordic inspiration in the interior decor, this breakfast place in Porto likes to take life slow. It has a short list that changes according to the season, but everything is prepared with great care and using organic ingredients from local producers, so it’s a great place for breakfast in Porto.
This is a very high quality café so expect to pay a bit more than you would pay at a regular café. The space is super tiny and there is always a line outside, so get there as early as possible and bring your patience.
How to get there: the subway station Aliados is a 18 minutes walking distance.
Hakko
On the same street of Época Porto (and, quite interestingly, founded by a former owner of it) is Hakko, a quaint little café that serves both breakfast, brunch and lunch. The menu is quite small but it varies according to seasonal ingredients, and the best thing is, hands down, its AMAZING croissants. Seriously, they are to die for.
There are two things I don’t like about Hakko though: one it’s the coffee from the Danish brand La Cabra – I really don’t understand how can they have such a low brand (at least for my snobbish taste) when there are such great coffee brands from Porto, like 7g or Senzu.
The other thing is that Hakko is very very small and the tables are very close to each other, so if you’re planning to go there, try to arrive as early as possible and it gets full in a heartbeat.
How to get there: the subway station Lapa is a 15 minutes walking distance.
A Certain Café
This is the kind of place you almost don’t want to write about because it still feels a bit under the radar. I’ve stopped here a couple of times for a slow breakfast and it always hits the spot—really good coffee, proper sourdough toast with butter and jam, and simple things like scrambled eggs done exactly how you want them. Nothing feels overcomplicated, but everything is clearly made with care. It’s perfect when you just want to sit down, wake up properly and not deal with crowds, even though it is always filled with hipsters 😛
BICHO Porto
Bicho is one of those places where I keep going back because there’s always something new on the menu. They have fantastic pancakes but honestly who cares about pancakes when you can try a new (and delicious!) French toast EVERY. SINGLE. MONTH. Come on! 🙂
Moreover, I just really enjoy the vibe at BICHO Porto. Imagine an asymmetrical room, with one wall entirely made of glass (making the space very sunny), and a minimalist, uncluttered decor. In the background, a counter where all the cakes we can choose from are gathered. A place where locals, expats, and tourists come together in peaceful coexistence. It’s wonderful 🙂
Early
I have mixed feelings about Early because on one hand, it is indeed one of the best places to have breakfast in Porto but on the other hand, they are snobbish as fuck. There, I said it. But where the hell am I going to find a carob, fig and almond brownie paired with a decent filter coffee? A girl has to suffer to get what she wants!
Moreover, Early is located in the artsy Cedofeita neighborhood, that I am very fond of. I usually have breakfast at Early and then walk to the beautiful Crystal Palace gardens.
So even though I really don’t like the vibe at Early AND it’s too pricey, I end up going there quite a few times.
SO Coffee Roasters
Close to Leitaria da Quinta do Paço is a hidden gem that most people don’t know about (even the locals don’t): SO Coffee Roasters, a paradise for coffee snobs like me! It’s a small place and yet so comfortable, where you can ask your coffee in whatever way you fancy it (Chemex, V60, etc) from different single origins.
Besides coffee, SO Coffee Roasters serves great toasts and other breakfast options.
How to get there: the subway station Aliados is a 5 minutes walking distance.
Pão – Padaria Artesanal
One of the most recent places I found for breakfast in Porto is called Pão. It’s a small bakery, located inside the Foz market, where you can get decent sourdough served with the great coffee from Booinga, a local brand.
One thing I particularly love about Pão is that, unlike other places for breakfast in Porto, it has great savory toasts, most of them made with incredible Portuguese canned fish (it’s more than cheap sardines, you know).
All and all, a great place for people who want to get close to the Ocean and off the tourists’ path.
How to get there: Pão is just 10 minutes walking distance from Jardim do Passeio Alegre, where the famous tram #1 ends.
Confeitaria do Bolhão
Confeitaria do Bolhão is a very special place to have breakfast in Porto. After all, it is the oldest pastry shop in the city (it was founded in 1896 and recovered by a Venezuelan family around 25 years ago).
It is virtually impossible to not find something that you like at Confeitaria do Bolhão because they sell EVERYTHING, from a gazzillion of bread varieties, traditional Portuguese pastry (both sweet and savoury), toasts, sandwiches, etc.
It is a fantastic place for you to get acquainted with the Portuguese food culture AND it’s just across the street of the iconic Bolhão market, which you should visit after getting your stomach full of pastries 🙂
How to get there: the subway station Bolhão is a 1 minute walking distance.
DaTerra (Baixa)
All my vegan friends out there: don’t get desperate, I know your pain. Therefore I included a vegan restaurant on this list of the best places for breakfast in Porto.
From Monday to Friday, from 8h30 t0 11h30, you can head to DaTerra Baixa (check the address above the photo) and get a vegan buffet breakfast. You will be able to taste vegan pastéis de nata, Soy yogurt with granola and berries, Chia pudding with red fruit jam, Açaí bowls, pancakes and breads. I recommend you to order a detox juice as they are fabulous.
How to get there: São Bento train station is a 5 minutes walking distance.
A Bolacheira
I thought I would use a red velvet cupcake to grab your attention (if I failed, it means you don’t have a heart and there is nothing I can do for you).
I wanted to include as much variety as possible on this list of the best places for breakfast in Porto so I decided to include A Bolacheira. You see, this is the only pastry shop in Porto specialised in cookies and cupcakes. They are delicious, fresh and decadent.
Therefore if you have a sweet tooth, I highly recommend you this place.
How to get there: take an Uber.
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