Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves: everyone knows that lovers of fish and seafood have to leave Porto and head out to Matosinhos. This neighboring town, just 8 km from Porto is easily accessible by subway (Matosinhos Sul stop).
It has a whole street full of the best seafood restaurants in the region. There, in Rua Heróis de França, you’ll find many reasons to be happy.
There are honorable exceptions to this desert-like state of seafood restaurants in Porto, which I will address in this article along with two or three out of the box suggestions.
And, if besides tasting our wonderful seafood, you would like a taste of Portugal, consider joining a Food tour in Downtown Porto. Think Portuguese cheeses, smoked meats, fantastic wines, and the chance to meet like minded travelers 🙂
Best seafood restaurants in Porto:
Escama
Rua de Mouzinho da Silveira, 203 | Porto
Escama recently opened and soon became one of the best seafood restaurants in Porto. It is a beautiful restaurant, with a modern and sophisticated interior and an excellent atmosphere, with the staff masterfully balancing a formal yet friendly and personalized service.
For starters I suggest the ceviche, for the main course the turbot with hazelnut vinaigrette and, to end the meal, nothing better than the lemon meringue tart with yuzo ice cream.
Escama’s only flaw – and it really is a flaw for us Portuguese – is that it is extremely expensive by our standards.
How to get there: São Bento subway station is a 3-minute walking distance.
How to make your reservation: Call +351913595551 or send an email to reservas@escamaporto.com.
Schedule: Monday to Sunday from 12h30 – 15h | 19h – 22h30.
Meia Nau
Travessa de Cedofeita, 48 | Porto
Meia Nau is one of the few restaurants in the center of Porto where you can eat excellent fish and seafood, which is to be expected as it is, in fact, a second location of an already successful restaurant with the same name in Matosinhos, the fish and seafood center in Porto.
It is a restaurant with a very pleasant nautical decor and impeccably fast and efficient service.
In the menu, the galo frito com açorda de ovas (fried fish with a fish egg and bread purée) stands out, but the seafood rice is also fabulous, and and generous with the shrimp and mussels. There are other traditional dishes available, but you can also choose to order numerous species of grilled fish. To finish off, be sure to try the caramel fondant, which is to die for.
The only thing left to be desired at Meia Nau is the wine list, which is rather bland and features nothing noteworthy.
How to get there: Aliados Metro station is an 8-minute walk away.
How to make your reservation: you can make a reservation directly on their website.
Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday from 12h – 15h | 19h – 22h. It closes on Mondays.
Ostras & Coisas
Rua da Fábrica, 73 | Porto
My raids on Ostras & Coisas, which is considered one of the best seafood restaurants in Porto, weren’t always happy: I still remember some tiny barnacles looking sadly at me and a stuffed crab with an overly spicy filling. But the truth is, this restaurant is an essential reference to the art of serving fish and seafood in Porto.
Apart from the oysters, we find a very diverse list of shellfish on the menu which includes not only the usual crabs but also my beloved barnacles (who doesn’t like barnacles!). There’s also shrimp with different sizes and other sea delights. You can order separately or opt for one of the “Mix” which always includes four types of seafood.
The fish menu is also diverse – it includes grouper, roosterfish, snapper, sea bass, monkfish, etc. – but the best thing to do is to check out the displayed fish yourself and decide what you want to order.
One thing I particularly like about this restaurant is its sparkling wine menu – it’s small but it’s a good representation of the best of this type of wine in Portugal.
How to get there: the subway station Aliados is a 5 minutes walking distance.
How to make your reservation: you can make a reservation directly on their website.
Schedule: Every day 12h30 to 23h.
O’Rio
Cais das Pedras, 33 | Porto
O’Rio is a traditional Portuguese restaurant and, in that sense, it also serves meat dishes. However, the fish and seafood are really the highlight, arriving fresh from the fish market every day.
The dishes I like most are the rich sea soup and the prawn rice. For desserts, I LOVE the Sericaia de Elvas (a typical dessert from Alentejo, an arid region in the south of Portugal) and the cheese assortment.
Expectedly, if only because of its location (in the Ribeira area, close to the Arrábida bridge), this restaurant is more expensive than usual.
How to get there: Museu C. Eléctrico bus stop is a 2-minute walking distance.
How to make reservations: call them on +351226090346.
Schedule: from Monday to Sunday, from 18h30 – 23h.
Marisqueira do Porto
Rua do Campo Alegre, 110 | Porto
Marisqueira do Porto is not located in the city center (but in the Campo Alegre area), but it deserves to be included in this list of the best seafood restaurants in Porto because it has very fresh & high quality seafood, and the prices are not for tourists (meaning: they are fair prices with an excellent price/quality ratio).
The atmosphere is very relaxed, with fast but attentive service. The owner in particular, Mr. Avelino, is always concerned with his customers.
The main dishes include Cod with cornbread, Octopus à lagareiro and Seafood Platter. This restaurant is also a good place to try the iconic francesinha, making it an excellent place to take a group of friends with different food tastes.
How to get there: Praça da Galiza bus stop is a 2-minute walking distance.
How to make reservations: simply call them on +351226097014.
Schedule: Monday to Saturday from 12h – midnight | It closes on Sundays.
Taberna dos Mercadores
Rua dos Mercadores, 36 | Porto
Taberna dos Mercadores is a tiiiiiiinyyyyyy restaurant located in the picturesque Ribeira neighborhood. The space is indeed very small, so you have to make your reservation weeks in advance (yes, weeks) or be prepared to wait standing on the street. However, despite the long waiting time and being a very busy restaurant, the staff is very attentive.
All the food is delicious, but my favorite dishes are the octopus dishes and the grilled sea bass.
Another thing I love about this restaurant is the fact that it has an extensive and well-structured wine list, making it a great place to drink wines from producers on our private wine tour in the Douro valley.
How to get there: São Bento subway station is a 8-minute walking distance.
How to make reservations: call them on +351222010510.
Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday 12h30 – 15h30 | 18h – 22h30 | It closes on Monday.
Terreiro
Largo do Terreiro, 11 | Porto
Terreiro is another restaurant located in Ribeira, with a fantastic view of the Douro River. It’s a small and very popular restaurant, so I recommend you book in advance or at least show up as soon as the doors open.
The food is very tasty and the prices are fair. The main dishes include octopus rice, seafood rice and prawns sautéed with garlic, delicious. To accompany it, be sure to order a pitcher of sangria, which is one of the house specialties.
How to get there: São Bento subway station is a 9-minute walking distance.
How to make your reservation: simply call them on +351222011955.
Schedule: From Tuesday to Saturday, from 12h30 to 22h. It closes on Mondays and Sundays.
Best seafood restaurants in Porto district, Matosinhos area
All the locals know that if you are a serious seafood lover you need to leave Porto and head to Matosinhos, a fisherman city located 8 km north of Porto. This is where you will find THE best seafood restaurants in Porto district. Period. These are the ones:
O Gaveto
Rua Roberto Ivens, 826 | Matosinhos
Gaveto is the traditional answer to the question “what are the best seafood restaurants in Porto?”, an answer the restaurant rightfully earned. After all, it is not every day that we come across an irreproachable quality of product, coupled with a careful preparation and attentive service.
Generally, in Gaveto, I choose between picking a fish directly from the fish display (which will be cooked on the grill or in the oven, based on choice) or for a delicious seafood rice. The traditional açorda, abundant in shrimp and in flavours, is also a safe bet.
This restaurant also has the advantage of having good meat options on the menu, which is why it is a good choice for couples or groups in which some of the members haven’t surrendered (yet) to the sea charms.
How to get there: the subway station Matosinhos Sul is a 5 minutes walking distance.
How to make your reservation: you can make a reservation directly on their website. For reservations with less than 24h in advance, call +351229378796.
Schedule: Every day 12h to 23h30.
Salta o Muro
Rua Heróis de França, 386 | Matosinhos
Salta o Muro is a small restaurant dedicated to those who want to enjoy one of the best seafood restaurants in Porto. If we don’t look very carefully, we might lose this humble, but good restaurant in the midst of Matosinhos seafood abundance. Salta o Muro is not for those looking for a fancy restaurant. It’s small, there are no cloth napkins and sometimes people need to squeeze-in with strangers for some space. But who cares when you’re being served an amazing grilled fish?!
For an appetizer, no one can go wrong with deep-fried sardines. Then for the main meal, a grilled fresh fish of choice with oven baked potatoes is all I need for a good afternoon. On Friday, the octopus rice which is one of their specialties is a must-try.
This family-owned restaurant has a long wine menu with wines from Douro and Alentejo to choose from.
How to get there: the subway station Brito Capelo is a 5 minutes walking distance.
How to make your reservation: call them on +351229380870.
Schedule: From Tuesday to Saturday, from 12h15 – 15h and then from 19h – 22h45. It closes on Mondays and Sundays.
Mercado – Food & Drinks
Rua França Júnior, 15 | Matosinhos
Mercado – Food & Drinks is a restaurant inside the Matosinhos Market and it has a unique concept: the fish and seafood are chosen and purchased by each customer, directly at the market stalls in a friendly environment with the fishmongers, who in turn, prepare the fish so that the restaurant can then cook it to each customer’s taste.
The main dishes include fish soup, but also ALL cod dishes: cod with cornbread, cod Lagareiro style and roast cod with smashed potatoes are all delicious!
For dessert, there’s nothing like a chocolate tart with salted caramel served with a coffee.
Interestingly (and perhaps because Mercado – Food & Drinks is far from Rua Heróis de França, which is the center of the best seafood restaurants in Porto) the prices are quite reasonable. I really don’t have anything negative to say about this restaurant!
How to get there: Mercado subway station is a 1-minute walking distance.
How to make your reservation: simply call them on +351224065155.
Schedule: Tuesday to Thursday: 10h30 – midnight | Fridays and Saturdays 10h30 – 02h | Closed on Sundays and on Mondays.
Jácome
Rua Vareiro, 141 | Leça da Palmeira
When I first arrived at Jácome, my first impression was rather negative. The room was small and dark and it had a very strong smell of cooked fish. Thankfully, these small details did not deter me from the goal of eating good fish, and after the first bite it went straight to my list of best seafood restaurants in Porto.
Jácome is not really an elegant restaurant, but it serves the best oven-cooked sea bass that I have ever eaten, with flavorus fused in Portuguese olive oil and fresh garlic. On top of that, it’s served with a mild açorda… there is no way to resist.
I also suggest you one day try xipirones for an appetizer, then order a sea bass on bread and end your meal with a homemade leite creme to eat and cry for more.
Like a friend of mine says, “I like to eat well, not to eat beautifully”, a gastronomic idea that I take everywhere with me. So I recommend Jácome for those who like some serious fish, with no artifice other than the beauty of a virgin flavour.
How to get there: call an UBER or a taxi from Mercado de Matosinhos subway station.
How to make your reservation: simply call them on +351914398618.
Schedule: Every day from 12h to midnight.
O Filipe de Angeiras
Avenida da Praia de Angeiras, 160 | Angeiras
I decided to celebrate my 30th birthday at Filipe de Angeiras and it was a smart choice. This restaurant, with a pleasant terrace waving at the Atlantic Ocean, is classified not only as one of the best seafood restaurants in Porto but also as a legitimate farmhouse.
The list of appetizers is immense and it includes wonderful shrimps from the coast, octopus salad with peppers, fried fish and codfish, grilled squid, clams à Bolhão Pato style, etc. If you’re going with someone who doesn’t like these starters, then ask for a grilled chouriça or a small dish of orelheira (pig ears), you will not regret it.
In my opinion, Filipe de Angeiras only has two problems:
- a shameful wine menu (go for Muros Antigos from the Green wine region, which never disappoints);
- the waiting times for a table are really long, which only speaks well of this place. Go early or get ready to wait a couple of hours on your feet.
How to get there: call an UBER or a taxi from Mercado de Matosinhos subway station.
How to make your reservation: simply call them on +351934544733.
Schedule: From Tuesday to Saturday, from 12h to 23h. It closes on Mondays and Sundays.
Restaurante Lusíadas
Rua Tomás Ribeiro, 257 | Matosinhos
Lusíadas is one of best seafood restaurants in Porto, and one of the most expensive ones too. The good atmosphere, the top customer service, and delicious fresh seafood make Lusíadas a must-go when you’re in Porto.
For starters, they serve delicious octopus which comes with a green sauce. There’s also peeled off crab to ease the hunger. As a main meal, their famous salted sea bass which comes with oven baked potatoes is a good choice for anyone. They also have one of the stop seafood rice in town.
A mix that comes with shrimp, clams and all the good stuff cost €65 and it’s good to share. There’s also roast beef and tomahawk steak for non-fish eaters.
To end the meal, a treat to some creme queimado with a cup of coffee doesn’t disappoint.
How to get there: the subway station Matosinhos Sul is a 5 minutes walking distance.
How to make your reservation: you can make a reservation directly on their website. You can also call them on +351229378242 or +351911114566, or simply send them an email to reservas@restaurantelusiadas.com
Schedule: Every day from 12h to 23h30.
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