Winemaker Mariana Salvador returned to Portugal’s Dão region to launch Revela, working with native grapes, old vineyards and small growers to make low-intervention wines. During an unusually early August harvest, we join her at the winery to see what that philosophy looks like in practice.

Carla Santos is a busy woman. On the day we go to meet her, it is pouring rain in Porto and Adega Vila Meã, the restaurant she runs, is full. Carla doesn’t stop for a second: “One of those pork firecrackers with potatoes?” she asks a customer as she swings through the dining room. She’s not alone in this mad dash. Carla works the tables with her youngest daughter, while the oldest, who learned how to cook from her mother, mans the kitchen. Even Carla’s 7-year-old granddaughter helps out, clearing tables. “It costs nothing to start learning right now,” says grandma Carla, already certain that “we are moving Adega from one generation to the next.”

Porto is a city that wears its heart on its sleeve, and nowhere is this more evident than the best of its restaurant food. From the ever-popular Ribeira district to the tiled streets of Miragaia, francesinhas, bifanas, and tripe stews beckon – but not all are created equal. For every perfectly balanced francesinha, there’s a soggy, sauce-drowned imposter. And while Porto’s charm lies in its unpretentiousness, it’s easy to fall into tourist traps masquerading as authentic experiences. The Tripeiros (tripe-eaters, or people from Porto), however, know best. There are still many spots with longstanding local clientele, favorite spots guarded like family secrets or francesinha sauce recipes, passed down through generations. In this guide to the best restaurants in Porto, we cover what that really means: places where the food is not just sustenance but a reflection of the city’s energy – hearty, uncomplicated, and deeply satisfying.