The 13 most romantic restaurants in Porto

Simply saying that this restaurant is part of entrepreneur Vasco Mourão’s umbrella of businesses gives it a guaranteed stamp of quality in the city. Add 20 years in operation and the chef Camilo Jaña, who came from Chile and fell in love with this regional restaurant’s cuisine on his first ever meal in Porto, and you have Cafeína. Here in a beautiful early 20th-century house, you'll find international dishes with Portuguese roots, like carpaccio with foie gras, fish and saffron soup, and a salmon pie with spinach, celery purée and hollandaise sauce. If you're looking for the perfect place to celebrate that special date, look no further.

After eight years at the helm of the Palco restaurant at the Hotel Teatro in Baixa, chef Arnaldo Azevedo took to Foz. Since May 2019, he has been in charge of the two restaurants at Vila Foz, a late 19th-century hotel in the heart of Avenida Montevideu. Flor de Lis has 55 seats, a menu with seasonal dishes and a strong Portuguese influence at pretty affordable prices, but it's always got the vibes. 

Blind, the restaurant at the five-star Torel Palace Porto, run by chef Vítor Matos – also at the head of Antiqvvm, with a Michelin star – is a tribute to José Saramago and his work Ensaio Sobre a Cegueira. That's why a copy of the book rests on every table, where the bill is presented at the end. There's typical Portuguese grub at the bar, like sausages, bread and rib rice, but the tasting menu in its private room is the bit to shout about; choose from an eight-course or ten-course tasting menu (€90 or €110 respectively). 

For warm, inviting ambience, choose Dona Maria. This restaurant has mastered the art of hospitality, from its cosy menu and space decorated with warm colours to its caramel-coloured velvet armchairs and lovely view over the Douro and Porto. Located in The Lodge, a five-star hotel in Vila Nova de Gaia, the restaurant focuses on Portuguese cuisine, accompanied by good wines. Plus you're right next door to the cellars where one of the world's most famous and coveted fortified wines is stored.

Add one of the city’s most beautiful panoramic views to the area’s best pizzas and the result has to be a success story. That’s exactly what happened with Casa D’Ora, located on the Marginal Road, where Italian-born Maria Paola Porru has opened a restaurant and a pizzeria. The only thing the two have in common is being Italian – the upstairs pizzeria is a lot more relaxed than the more formal restaurant. There are plenty of Italian specialities to enjoy, from the popular diavola (devil) pizza to the ossobuco alla milanese. The restaurant also offers an incredible view of the Douro river, ideal for a romantic evening.

Portucale, in Bonfim, is one of the city's most venerable classics. It serves traditional fare, cooked as it would have been in 1969, the year it opened for business. Some menu options have been there since the beginning, like the Portucale steak, flambéed in the dining room, or the Walewska fillets, poached in champagne and covered in lobster. Also unchanged: the decoration, dominated by velvet, leather and wood. If that isn't enough to convince you, the views will. 

Wish Restaurant & Sushi, in Foz, is led by chef António Vieira, formerly of Shis (a restaurant that was wrecked by the ocean in January 2014). The first reason to go there is that the chef brought some of the classics from his previous restaurant, such as the absolutely delicious caramel fondant. This and other dishes go along with new creations such as presa ibérica pork with chestnut crumbs, mushrooms, rocket and patatas bravas, and there's sushi on the menu too. This is served traditional with hints of fusion cuisine, and prepared by sushiman Miguel Fragoso, also formerly of Shis. There's also over 200 bottles, with options for every price range.

Tenro by Digby, the restaurant at the Torel Avantgarde hotel in Rua da Restauração, has a menu full of different breeds and cuts of Portuguese meat, cooked slowly and served with different accompaniments and sauces. For lunch, it's worth trying the English-style pies filled with other parts of the same meats.

The Taberna dos Mercadores in the Ribeira is a good example of a traditional city restaurant where you can eat well and in large amounts – it is owned by the same family as the nearby Adega São Nicolau. Traditional and regional dishes dominate the menu, where you can find prawn açorda (bread soup), rojões (diced pork) and even an unmissable arouquesa (meat pot). For special days – and by special order only – they make cod tongue rice and roast baby goat, prepared with ingredients that proprietor António Coelho collects regularly from his home town of Resende. An absolute must visit.

There are restaurants that are worth visiting just for their location. Ammar, right in front of the beach at Leça, is one of them. Take our advice: settle in on the terrace and order a cocktail or two, but don’t leave without eating anything. Preferably in the Peach, a private room inside a sphere. The menu here has a little bit of everything, including fish and meat dishes, fresh pasta and incredible desserts like the peanut ammagnum. Our top tip? Order the tuna belly carpaccio and the caldoso de marisco (seafood cream).