amarante

Ok fine. I had the mistaken impression that people watched Bourdain's show about Porto because they wanted to see where he ate in Porto and learn about the food in Porto. I actually thought it was worth making an effort to alert people that if they were going to Porto to stay in the beautiful city center that Bourdain didn't eat there. My mistake.

I later read every post in this thread and I see someone else who has been to Porto was a bit puzzled by his show about Porto, since what was shown on TV didn't look like the city they'd visited. With good reason.

But I certainly get the message that people here aren't actually interested in Porto's food or maybe even Porto, but what matters is entertainment. It doesn't matter if it matches truth or reality when it comes to Porto, so long as it is entertaining. Bourdain obviously understood this a lot more quickly and thoroughly then I did.

Aramis

Oh, stop pouting.

MmePerdu

Probably just suffering from low word count, having used so many in a short period. Real writers gradually work up to that level.

MinnBeef

Thank you for the heads up on the show, Mme. Perdu. I watched it and enjoyed it very much. I'm looking forward to my visit to Porto next spring. And unlike Bourdain, I am a short man and so might be more to the liking of that nasty old fisherman's wife. <G>

MmePerdu

Was she the one who said they weren't going to permit foul language in the new market so she had to use as much as possible now?

I'm seriously thinking of Portugal in the spring, too.

MinnBeef

Was she the one who said they weren't going to permit foul language in the new market so she had to use as much as possible now?

Yes, among other things...

suec1

amarante - I appreciated your insight into Porto and the culinary scene. We did a walking tour there with a young guide and he talked alot about that sandwich - then took us to a restaurant to try that item for lunch. At that point we jumped off the tour and went in search of a better option. But your information about the residents and restaurant scene was good background info.

amarante

You dodged a bullet, suec1. I feel sorry for the guide, who probably would get complaints posted on the internet if he didn't include a Francesinha in his tour. Sounds like you otherwise enjoyed your trip and your food in Porto, a fascinating city I hope everybody will have a chance to explore for themselves.

tostaky

amarante,

we (2 adults and 2 kids) will be in Porto in 3 weeks. We are a bit of foodies and reading that the food in Porto is crappy is not a good news for us ! Can we say the same about whole Portugal (we have 14 nights there after 12 nighs in Catalonia).

Can you recommend us some good places in Porto (or elsewhere in Portugal).

Thanks !

rialtogrl

tostaky, there is good food in Porto. For sure there are a lot of tourists eating at these places, but I have had good experiences at all of them

A Bolina - https://www.facebook.com/abolinabar/
(not sure how this would be with kids. Wine bar food of excellent quality.)

Cantinho do Avillez - http://cantinhodoavillez.pt/cantinho-oporto/
Excellent food at this place but its an outpost of a guy from Lisbon. Had three great meals there in May and June.
They do a version of a Francesinha but I did not try it.

Traca - http://www.restaurantetraca.com/
Huge portions here, be careful how much you order.. I especially love the foie appetizer.

I have heard good things about Rui Paula's DOP but didn't make it there. They have a prix fixe lunch for 20 euros and I think it would be worth checking out.

tostaky

Thnaks for those suggestions ! Traca is a 2 minutes walk from our Appartment ! I'll ask them if kids are ok.

rialtogrl

where is your apartment? I think kids are OK there, but note that they have a smoking floor and a non smoking floor, so you'll want to be outside or downstairs (non smoking floor.)

DOP is across the street from Traca. Around the corner is a fab wine bar called Prova, but again not sure if kids would be a good idea in there.

amarante

The food in Portugal is not "crappy". It is wonderful! As for Porto, you almost have to think of it like going to Disneyland or a cruise ship when it comes to food. Some of it can be just fine, but unless you open your wallet to go to fancier places, the food you get will be ordinary at best. Unless you are willing to really go beneath the surface to try understand what's going on. Go to the Mercado do Bolhao if you are interested in food history in Porto. It is not picturesque but it shows a true picture of how Porto struggles as a city. If you go for cheap food, skip the Francesinha but be sure eat alheira sausages. Show your children the McDonald's in Porto even if you don't eat there. That is also a true picture of Porto.

There are dozens of "foodie" travel blogs that all rave about this or that place to eat in Porto. Do some searches on the internet for "foodie Portugal" and you will get a lot of information about what most visitors enjoyed.

http://thecitytailors.com/en/alheira...-need-to-know/

amarante

I probably should add that if you look at "foodie" blogs for Porto, you should check to see what country the author is from and look for recommendations from a blogger who is from your own country. When cheap flights started coming to Porto, most of them were from the UK. The tourists from the UK were mainly interested in cheap food & lots to drink, so that's how the food scene in Porto developed. Now there are more people coming from America, and they want something different and their ideas about what is a "good restaurant" comes from New York or San Francisco, and Porto is developing places to eat that are closer to their standards. But since Americans also like a lot of street food and "small plates" experiences, like tapas, you can find that too. There are many people in Porto who are trying to create a bridge between what is historically true to Porto and what global-traveling "foodie" tourists desire. They are doing a good job, but it is still hard. Hope that isn't too "intense" for some to deal with.

kja

I’m following along as a future visitor, and I must admit that I’m confused by amarante’s posts – I must be missing something. amarante seems to be saying that the food in Porto is of questionable quality – to quote, “A lot of the food inside Porto is of very low quality, cheap and fatty fast foods… it's a real crap shoot about what kind of meal you'll get in terms of quality,” but when asked where one can get GOOD food in the area, amarante says that it is possible, and then declines to name any specific place, instead directing us to food blogs, while adding criticisms and cautions with no clear direction. What am I missing?

In contrast, thanks, rialtogrl – very helpful!

socaltraveler

We were in Porto last month; the food was far from 'questionable'. We went to a few of the places that rialtogrl mentions. I would not call anything we ate in Porto as 'cheap and fatty'. When someone cannot give specific examples, you might wonder if they are presenting information from travel articles and blogs. Keep Porto on your list; the port houses across the river are also wonderful to visit. We had a top notch lunch at Grahams.

amarante

Socaltraveler, why don't you mention the places in Porto you ate? Graham's is not in Porto. It is in Vila Nova de Gaia.

I mention blogs because I don't have any places in Porto I would recommend. I made that clear.

kja, please read my posts again. I did not say the food is "questionable" in Porto. I said what I said and am not repeating it.

Porto is a beautiful beautiful city and I hope everyone goes. I hope everyone tries to understand the city for what it is instead of trying to make it fit into some preconception they have of what they need to be happy. Or whatever this is.

People seem to be demanding travel be literally served on a plate to them on this forum and attack people if they don't get it, or think it can't be be true something might not fit a mythology about travel they want to believe. Let the place speak to you. Porto has great stories to tell, sad stories to tell, funny stories to tell. It's a one of a kind place.

socaltraveler

Rialtogrl covered the names, thanks. And I know where Graham's is; most Porto visitors do cross the river to Vila Nova de Gaia.

Most people who do not have any personal knowledge of a place generally say so, and thus the links to internet research. Most people do not post on Fodors using multiple names.

amarante

"I’m not sure why a majority of our great meals were not actually in Porto."

https://www.withhusbandintow.com/where-to-eat-in-porto/

MmePerdu

There are times I wish I had super powers.