After a couple of harsh years, Porto’s culinary scene is finally coming up for air again, as in many other places in the world. It is undeniable, however, that the pandemic shook things up a bit, influencing the local scenario: we’ve seen more casual venues opening, and some traditional restaurants closing for good. But the overall balance has been good for the city and it’s been fascinating to see its evolution, with new projects taking shape and others that have been given the chance to establish themselves.
Seeking consistency: Gruta
Open in the effervescent summer of 2021, Gruta has managed to improve its menu, which focuses on fish, seafood, and vegetables (there are no meat dishes there). The options have been the same since it opened, which makes it interesting to note how time can make a difference in every detail: the sea rice (with shrimp and squid), one of the restaurant’s flagships, got even tastier. In the hands of chef Rafaela Louzada, the recipes gained consistency, something not always easy to achieve.
Over time, they also developed an understanding of who their customers are: in Gruta, a balanced mix of locals and tourists, thanks mainly to the restaurant’s location on busy Rua de Santa Catarina, one of the main commercial areas in the city. The offer of predominantly white wines to match the menu options has also become more solid, something that can be seen in other new projects booming in town as well.
A wine bar as it should be: Genuíno
Porto finally has an excellent wine bar that serves a sharp selection of wines (many of them Portuguese) paired with comforting yet creative dishes. Like Gruta, Genuíno is also run by a Brazilian couple: she is in the kitchen; he is pouring for the guests at the few tables in their cozy space on Rua Miguel Bombarda (a street known for its art galleries). The menu changes weekly (with plates such as cod fritters, steak tartare and spinach pancakes), as does the wine list. Their motto is simple: “The wine is natural, and the food is good.” What else could one ask for? In a city so celebrated for its iconic wine (the world-famous Port), there’s a lack of places like this, but slowly more concepts like Genuíno are showing up.
More bread at the table: Trindade, Brites, and Ogi
The pandemic also transformed the portuense habit of eating bread, a Portuguese obsession by nature. Since the lockdowns, more and more artisan bakeries have sprung up in the city, significantly increasing the supply of sourdough bread. Trindade, for instance, was born in the garage of baker Lee Guimarães, who is now about to open a new space to handle her increasing production. She’s responsible for the bread that fills my house (almost) weekly.
To get more familiar with this up-and-coming scene, I have been visiting new spaces, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of bread made by Brites in the Marquês neighborhood. The tiny room with a window to the street makes the best croissant I’ve had in town, as well as “cruffins,” loaves of bread, and other delicacies. Ogi, by chef Vasco Coelho Santos (who has made previous Porto Best Bites lists as well), has changed its address: it is now on Rua de Santo Ildefonso, the same street where Euskalduna Studio, Coelho Santos’ fine dining brainchild, is located. I can’t resist buying some kanelbulle made by master baker Gil Fortuna every time I pass by.
New flavors in Porto: La Dolorosa
Mexican (and Latin) food is having a moment in the city: there are at least a dozen taquerias scattered throughout the most frequented neighborhoods. The best of them, however, is far from the center, on the Leça da Palmeira beach. Here, Grupo do Avesso opened an authentic Mexican venue a few meters from where they own their other restaurants (Fava Tonka, Esquina do Avesso, Terminal 4450, and Sushiaria).
With orange-painted walls contrasting against dark blue chairs and tables, La Dolorosa has a menu that goes beyond tacos: quesadillas, huevos rancheros, pozole, and a great version of cochinita pibil (pork roasted until the meat falls off the bones, traditional in Mayan cuisine). Authenticity is also in the spiciness, something that people from Porto (who love francesinhas and other spicy recipes) are already used to. Their slogan proves their point: “No hay amor sin dolor” (there’s no love without pain).
Back to the classics: Apego, Rogério do Redondo, and A Cozinha do Manel
Returning to the places we were happy is always a great choice. There’s nothing like repeating an amazing restaurant experience. I felt like that with Apego, one of my favorite places in the city. Managed by the French-Portuguese chef Aurora Goy, the restaurant is minimalist and cozy, and feels as if we were at her house. With only one assistant in the kitchen, Aurora cooks delicate but full-of-flavor dishes in unusual combinations, such as tomatoes, watermelon, and almonds for a salad or sea bass, potatoes, and fig leaves as a main dish. Her talent is serving dishes that taste both homemade and creative.
It was also good to return to Rogério do Redondo, opened in the 1980s, with very traditional recipes on the menu, such as Porto-style tripe, fried sardines and hake filets with Russian salad, a classic that only gets better with time. This is the same dish, by the way, that I often eat at A Cozinha do Manel on Rua do Heroísmo, another place that is part of the city’s history and which serves some of Porto’s iconic recipes, such as octopus filets, cod roasted with potatoes and onions or the lamb baked for hours in the wood oven. The dishes are always the same, prepared the same way, bringing the comforting familiar flavors we crave for.
In the latter, the novelty is brought by a new member of the kitchen: Ines Diniz ran Casa Aleixo for years, a popular restaurant in the city. When the venue closed, her talent was underutilized. Not anymore: in the kitchen of Cozinha do Manel, she proves why she has always been one of the best cooks in town.
Rafael TononRafael Tonon
Published on December 13, 2022
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