My mailbox is full with emails from people asking me about the best restaurants in Porto to eat traditional Portuguese food without spending too much money.Places where the locals go, not the tourist traps that we all fall into when we travel somewhere new. Restaurantes with good traditional food at good prices.
Here’s my Top 9 Restaurants for traditional Portuguese food on a low budget in Porto. Meanwhile, if you would like to just have an overall experience of Portuguese food I recommend you to do a food tour in Porto. It is a fun, cheap and delicious experience!
The best restaurants in Porto for a low budget are:
Taberna de Stº António
Rua das Virtudes, 32 | Porto
Taberna de Stº António is a real Portuguese tavern with a warm service and the best Portuguese food – there is no downside on this place, it is definitely one of the best restaurants in Porto!
If you want my suggestion, make a reservation for dinner and start your evening sipping a beer at the viewpoint of the Virtudes, which is one of the most beautiful spots of Porto and very close by to this tavern.
How to get there: Aliados subway station is 10 minutes walking distance.
Café Restaurante Universal
Rua de Cedofeita, 692 | Porto
One of the places where I go most often is Universal, a traditional restaurant in Porto where the food is great and served in large doses. Despite being a small and simply decorated restaurant, it always has plenty of meat and fish options, so it pleases everyone (except vegetarians). I could recommend some specific dishes, but I honestly haven’t eaten anything that wasn’t great there yet.
Mr. António, the owner, is one of the most professional and hospitable people I know. The food is served quickly, orders are efficiently served and, if you become a regular customer, Mr. António remembers your preferences (for example, he never puts salt in my mother’s food). It is a very special restaurant.
How to get there: the subway station Carolina Michaelis is 10 minutes walking distance.
Royale Pão Paixão
Rua de Guerra Junqueiro, 634 | Porto
Royale is, without a doubt, one of the best places to have breakfast, brunch AND lunch in Porto and where I go religiously every week because I simply can’t live without their banana bread 😛 It consists of a bakery at the entrance, followed by a large and bright room where you can have lunch.
Every week there is a different menu consisting of a soup and a cold salad, and two hot dishes (different every day) for each day of the week. The soups are always fantastic, the main dishes too, but even if you don’t like the main menu, don’t worry, because their focaccias and croissants with savory fillings are From. Another. World. Seriously!
Royale also serves great breakfast options from Monday to Friday, and delicious brunch on Saturdays. I LOVE Royale and I go there every week!
How to get there: Casa da Música metro station is a 10-minute walk away.
O Torreão
Rua das Virtudes, 37 | Porto
A slightly more expensive but worthwhile option is Torreão, in front of the Taberna de Santo António.
It is a social project that aims to give a second opportunity to homeless people and people with special needs, by giving them the proper education and a dignified job at the restaurant. Therefore, all profits are used to help the community.
The food is very good with dishes such as codfish with corn bread, with the traditional flavors of olive oil, garlic, parsley, corn bread; and confit of “black pork cheeks”, with creamy chickpea puree.
From this restaurant you have a fabulous view towards the Douro river, where you can enjoy a glass of wine, knowing that you’re meal there is helping the local community.
How to get there: Aliados subway station is 10 minutes walking distance.
Cana Verde
Rua dos Caldeireiros, 121 | Porto
Mr. Luis and his restaurant are worthy of an article just for them. I don’t know anyone who serves with such good humor – I always feel that I’m entering the house of a friend where I am waited with a beautiful Portuguese meal.
The menu of the day with soup, main course, dessert, coffee and drink round 12 € (lunchtime).
How to get there: Both Aliados subway station and São Bento train station are 5 minutes walking distance.
Pimenta Rosa
Centro Comercial Bombarda
Located at the beautiful Miguel Bombarda Mall, in Cedofeita neighborhood, which has some of the best restaurants in Porto at an affordable price, Pimenta Rosa serves a buffet of both hot and cold dishes for 4,60€ (drinks and dessert paid aside).
Best of all is that after 4pm it serves its famous cakes and pies for 1,80€/slice and, after 7pm, generous slices of pizza for 1€. It is a must!
How to get there: buses #300 and #602 both stop in two places very near this restaurant.
Sabores & Açores
Centro Comercial Bombarda
Sabores e Açores is such a beautiful restaurant, serving traditional dishes from Azores, as well as international specialties (Indian food, Thai, etc.).
For me it’s definitely one of the best restaurants in Porto as it beautifully blends traditional Portuguese food with spices from all around the world.
Once there, try the delicious lentils curry and “espécie”, an Azorean biscuit with lemon grass, which is to-die-for.
How to get there: buses #300 and #602 both stop in two places very near this restaurant.
Novo Paris
Travessa dos Congregados, 19 | Porto
Given its location, we could easily miss Novo Paris if it did not serve such great Portuguese food at such friendly prices.
The daily menu has a lot of options ranging between 4€ and 7€. Once there, try the grilled mackerel, and do not leave without tasting the wafer cake. It’s a must try on this list of the best restaurants in Porto for a low price!
How to get there: Aliados subway station is 5 minutes walking distance.
Maus Hábitos
Rua Passos Manuel, 178 (4th floor) | Porto
In Downtown Porto, in a large, airy room, Maus Hábitos serves menus with include main course and drink for 5,5€ (with dessert, soup and coffee, the price rises to 8€). There is always a vegetarian dish and a meat one. Even if you are on a tight budget you should try one of its cocktails, like the crazy good whisky sour.
On Sundays, they serve brunches from 10,50€, from midday to 5pm.
How to get there: take the #302 bus to Coliseu do Porto or the subway to Aliados station.
O Caraças
Rua das Taipas, 27 | Porto
When Caraças opened it immediately conquered the stomachs of Porto. This friendly restaurant offers two courses whose prices range between 4,50€ and 6€ (at lunchtime). It serves home-cooked, unpretentious food in the large room or on the terrace outside.
How to get there: you can take the ZM bus line and get out at São Bento da Vitória stop.
O Caseirinho
Cais das Pedras, 40 | Porto
I also recommend O Caseirinho, at Cais das Pedras.
The tomato salad comes directly from the backyard of the owner of the restaurant, and it is delicious. The seafood rice is excellent, and the arroz de cabidela (traditional chicken rice) is made with home grown chicken. The hard thing is to choose.
For dessert, you can’t go wrong with a fresh lime.
I’ve been there with a group of five friends and we only paid 55€.
How to get there: take the tram #1 or the bus 500 – both departure in front of St Francis church.
Adega Rio Douro
Rua do Ouro, 223 | Porto
Adega Rio Douro is a lost culinary treat that can be found in the Foz area, and is best known for its regular Thursday Fado shows.
However, it’s always been one of the most affordable restaurants in Porto, where some amazing Portuguese gastronomy is served like codfish cakes, liver sandwich (my damnation!), octopus salads and other marvels.
How to get there: take the bus #500 or the tram line #1.
Tia Aninhas
Rua Júlio Lourenço Pinto, 109 | Porto
Another great choice of cheap restaurants in Porto is Tia Aninhas, in Lordelo.
The lunch menu costs 6€ and at dinner it costs 8€. The menus include soup, main dish, a drink and coffee.
The dishes are set every day, so there is no lack of variety and everything is homemade, grandma style, and of course the servings are huge (because you are in Portugal and that is how we roll).
How to get there: take the bus #500 or the tram line #1.
Bolhão Market
Rua Formosa, 322 | Porto
At the Bolhão market you can find several traditional restaurants that serve traditional Portuguese food for a bargain.
One of them is D. Gina café. The food is homemade and they use fresh products from the other market traders. The dishes and appetizers, like deep fried sardines and calamares, start at 3€, There is always the dish of the day, fish and meat, and the regular dishes on the menu. Moreover, the soup never disappoints!
How to get there: the Bolhão subway station is just across the street.
Bom Sucesso’s market
Praça Bom Sucesso, 74-90 | Porto
This market is the authentic compendium of affordable restaurants in Porto, where you can find vegetarian cuisine stalls, roast piglet sandwiches, risotos, the famous éclairs from Leitaria da Quinta do Paço, Neveiros’s ice creams, and much more. It also has several stalls dedicated solely to wines and cocktails.
How to get there: Casa da Música subway station is a 15 minutes walking distance.
Adega Viseu no Porto
Rua da Madeira, 212 | Porto
I was looking for a place to finish a tour once and I called a friend of mine who’s a connoisseur (well, he likes food, that’s what I mean). He recommended Adega Viseu no Porto as a cheap restaurant in Porto, with simple but delicious food.
What he forgot to mention is that I would find there the most delicious snacks in the city: codfish cakes, piglet patties, boiled octopus salad and steaming breaded meat. If you want to have a full meal, you can always chose from the menu or ask for the day’s menu, which is much more economic. I highly recommend!
How to get there: São Bento train station is a 10 minutes walking distance.
Mestre d’Aviz
Rua Pedro Homem de Melo, 55 | Porto
Mestre d’Aviz is located in a fancy neighborhood, but it is one of the best cheap restaurants in Porto nonetheless.
My favourite dishes there are posta laminada and the roast beef. The fries are to die for, with the perfect size and crispiness.
Each serving costs around 7.5€, which is ridiculous.
The soup is always very good, as they serve very good fruit for dessert as well.
The owners are super friendly, always telling jokes and very hardworking, so this restaurant has a very nice environment.
How to get there: you can take the subway to Casa da Música and from there catch any bus going West to Avenida da Boavista and leave at the stop Fonte da Moura. Otherwise, simply take an Uber.
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