This article was originally published for Euro 2016 when everyone was wondering about the best bars, cafes and restaurants in Porto to watch football games. Truth is that it still holds valid today! Here is my list, validated by football experts. Good luck! 🙂
Café Piolho
Praça Parada Leitão, 45 | Porto
Café Piolho was founded in 1909 and since then it has been the starting point of the nightlife of Porto.
Considered by many the cafe of the students of Porto, it is the ideal cafe for those who prefer to watch football in Porto on a more jovial, fun and international environment (due to the presence of dozens of Erasmus students and tourists!).
How to get there: São Bento train station is a 10 minutes walking distance.
Bonaparte
Avenida do Brasil, 130 | Porto
I have been going to Bonaparte (the original one, at Foz), since forever. It is an incredible bar, with the typically disordered decoration of Irish pubs, which makes you feel immediately at ease. Additionally, it has an old rum shot, served with a quarter of a lime covered with coffee powder and yellow sugar…enough said!
It usually displays the football games of top European competitions and sometimes it organizes promotions around the possible outcome of the game. Going there it’s an experience that you will not want to miss if you plan to watch football in Porto!
How to get there: take the tram 1 or the bus 500.
Bonaparte Baixa
Praça Guilherme Gomes Fernandes, 40 | Porto
Bonaparte Downtown opened a few months ago but no longer lives in the shadow of its mother house. The decor, elegant but relaxed, demands an evening drink with friends, or an intense football game.
The location is spot on, in front of Leitaria da Quinta do Paço, which has the best éclairs in the world, and Bakery Ribeiro, where everything is excellent. Also, it is right next to the nightlife area of Porto, full of restaurants and bars where you can continue the celebration of your team’s victory 😉
How to get there: the subway station Aliados is a 5 minutes walking distance.
Cufra Grill
Edifício Transparente, Piso 2 | Porto
Cufra Grill is a famous restaurant in Porto where you can get decent traditional Portuguese food as well as some of the most famous francesinhas in the city. has an excellent location just opposite to the beach and on the edge of Parque da Cidade, the largest park in Porto.
It has two very spacious rooms, both overlooking the Atlantic ocean, and it has so many, but so so many screens, that it is virtually impossible not to watch the football while you’re there having a wonderful dinner 🙂
How to get there: take the tram 1 or the bus 500.
Casa Agrícola
Rua do Bom Sucesso, 241 | Porto
Casa Agrícola, located in the fancy Boavista area and right next to Bom Sucesso Market, is a great place to watch a football game. It is an intimate yet spacious bar, with a good music selection, an indoor terrace and another one on the outside, where they put a big screen for their customers (and curious pedestrians) to watch football in Porto 🙂
This versatile place consists of a fancy restaurant on top, a bar on the ground floor (with a loose separation between smokers and non smokers) and a esplanade on the back. It is perfect for groups, but it is a very popular place so I recommend you to book your table in advance.
How to get there: the subway station Casa da Música is a 10 minutes walking distance.
Cervejaria Diu
Rua da Boavista, 665 | Porto
When I was a teenager I used to study in a school close to Cervejaria Diu, one of the best beer houses in Porto. It is a very versatile restaurant, as it has an upper buffet style restaurant with a covered esplanade that is perfect to watch where you can comfortably watch football in Porto. You can also stay on the ground floor (it’s the one in the picture), tasting a beautiful francesinha while following a football match.
How to get there: the subway station Lapa is a 10 minutes walking distance.
Restaurante My Palace
Avenida da Boavista, 4191 | Porto
Restaurante My Palace is also an excellent choice for those who want to watch football in Porto, with the advantage of being more spacious and having TV screens on both sides of the room.
How to get there: take an Uber.
or… just join the crowd on the streets!
During the European and the World championships, the City Hall of Porto places giant screens at Avenida dos Aliados (subway stations: Aliados / Trindade and São Bento) and next to the beach, in front of Edifício Transparente (subway station: Matosinhos Sul).
The discomfort of sitting on the ground is largely offset by the amazing feeling of vibrating with the Portuguese national team with hundreds of people on our side. It is a completely different experience, and complementary, to go to a bar or restaurant.
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