My trip to Porto!

Last month, I took off to Porto for a week and it genuinely was my dream holiday destination. It was the perfect blend of city and beach that I yearned for, as I always find I get really restless if I relax a little too much. We stayed at a hotel nearer the airport, just outside of the main city centre - which was perfect as it meant that my evening strolls were really quiet and serene, but I was just a metro away from the bustling city.

Cats in every corner, greenery, great food, great wine, beautiful beaches, sunshine and a wealth of history at your doorstep - Porto was truly a dream! And, on the food front, Porto did not disappoint! Every establishment welcomed you with bread and olives, and the amount of fresh seafood available made my mouth water. So here is a little summary of some of the food places I visited during my visit, accompanied with a little of what I did on each day in case you're ever wondering what Porto has to offer!

The Travelling Foodie

Axis Porto

Now I must begin by giving a shout out to the hotel I stayed at. It was located in a really quiet area, only a 10 minute drive away from the airport but only a 15 minute metro ride away to the city centre. The staff are so helpful and friendly and the spa was a treat - we had massages booked in on our first day and pretty much had the indoor swimming pool and sauna to ourselves!

But most importantly, the food was phenomenal considering it was only a hotel restaurant. We had breakfast included and, while the breakfast spread was fairly standard (eggs, bacon, vegetables, sausages), they had an array of traditional Portuguese bakes available every morning (pastel de nata, pao de lo). We ate there for dinner and lunch a few times during our stay - particularly because we were knackered after our morning flight in and day trip to Braga. But the food genuinely did not disappoint and I would truly recommend staying at this hotel if you want a slightly quieter place to stay during your visit.

1. Grilled sea bream with ratatouille. 2. Grilled salmon with asparagus and potato gratin. 3. Carbonara tagliatelle. 4. Shrimp with black spaghetti. 5. Breaded chicken stuffed with cheese served with shredded vegetables. 5. Chocolate brownie with tangerine sorbet. 6. Apple pie with vanilla ice cream.

Restaurante Central Churrasco

After our spa treatment at the hotel, we ventured off to find a restaurant nearby to get some dinner. I was thrilled to find that there were no tourists in the restaurant we walked into, as it gave us an insight into a place locals would casually dine at.

It was here that we had our first taste of authentic piri piri chicken - and believe me, it was much juicier and zingier than Nando's would have you believe. There are a few other branches of this restaurant dotted around Porto so you may be able to find one nearer where you stay. Full disclosure - the portion sizes are MASSIVE. I would definitely recommend this place if you travel to Porto with a large group of people. But for my mother and I, this was FAR too much food. This was simply a half portion and it could have fed four! Saying that though, in a larger group of people, this would be excellent value for money and the food was delicious.

1. Piri piri chicken. 2. (front) Grilled salmon served with potatoes and cabbage, (back) pork ribs served with fries.

Taberna Está-se Bem

On our second day in Porto, we ventured off to the city centre. After our relaxing start to the trip, we were ready to conquer some of the tourist destinations and notable landmarks that Porto had to offer. One thing to note is how you could turn your head at any point and see an impressive historical building with phenomenal architecture pretty much anywhere in the heart of the city - I'm sure there was a lot more to see than we even got around to! But we started our day off with Sé do Porto, one of the oldest monuments in the city. We then headed to Bolsa Palace, where it is mandatory for English speakers to do a guided tour which happened to start at 2.30pm.

So, what better way to kill time than to eat, eh? Taberna Está-se Bem is located right next to Postigo do Carvão near the river and had some fabulous cocktails and casual food. Another authentic Nando's dish was the prego steak roll I had for lunch and, while very simple, I really enjoyed it.

1. Fried codfish cakes (these were one of my favourite starters during the whole trip)! 2. Prego steak roll.

Arroz de Forno

After trawling through more cathedrals and historical landmarks, we became dangerously hungry, and crawled into the first restaurant we could find. I would definitely have chosen somewhere less touristy if I had the foresight at the time, but this was a well located spot near Sao Bento station.

1. Chicken with asparagus and potatoes. 2. Rump steak with potatoes, pancetta and garlic.

Restaurante Central Bom Jesus, Braga

Now. NOTHING works up an appetite like climbing up a 381 ft stairway. Yes, our third day in Portugal was spent in Braga, an ancient city an hour's train ride away from Porto where we visited Bom Jesus do Monte, a pilgramage site with an amazing view of the city, might I add. If you ever visit Porto, it would be well worth arranging a day trip to the nearby city as this was an unforgettable experience, with more gems the further you climb behind the church itself (little caves, fountains, and a park as you keep climbing past the church).

Another, more touristy spot, Restaurante central Bom Jesus is located behind the church. Nevertheless, we had some excellent food there (and I had a Martini cheaper than the price of a Coke!). I had a whiting fillet (not pictured) and my mum had a roast lamb shank with roast potatoes and vegetables. It came with a tangy tangerine glaze.

Casa Serrão

On our fourth day in Porto, we went to Matosinhos beach. I was so surprised at how clean both the sand and the water were considering it is one of the main beaches in Porto, but the sand was so white and the water was so blue. So I'd 100% recommend it for anyone wondering which beach to go to, particularly as it's located near some excellent seafood restaurants.

We had dinner that day at Casa Serrão, and though some of the items on the menu were quite pricey, you could understand why given the quality of the seafood. They grill some of the fish on a barbecue near the entrance of the restaurant, something I noticed was quite commonplace for seafood restaurants in the area.

1. (left) Fried cuttlefish, (right) clams with white wine and parsley sauce. 2. Fried codfish cakes.

Not pictured, but we shared a cod fillet served with potatoes and vegetables (as my mum isn't a massive seafood fan and the portion sizes were huge - once again!)

Postigo do Carvão

On our final night, we had some of the best food during our whole stay. Following a beautiful day being utterly confused by the Joan Jonas exhibit at the Serralves, but astonished by the beauty of its gardens, this meal was welcomed to bring our last night in Porto to a close. (Also, there was the sweetest little cat there and we became friends, hehe).

Postigo do Carvão is located in a small street just behind the river, meaning a beautiful night-lit riverside walk is only minutes away (check the last picture to see what I'm talking about!) Our waiter was hilarious and super charismatic and he seated us in the upstairs area, which was so lovely as you could see the pretty lights through the window and hear everyone's electrifying energy outside in the street. So I would definitely recommend coming here for a great atmosphere, delicious food, excellent service and a wonderful location near the riverside.

I had my first encounter with a traditional dish, native to Porto - Tripas a Moda do Porto which was so rich and comforting to eat (if you're against having offal, you would likely want to veer away from this dish). I also had some of the best cooked octopus I have ever had - it was so soft and flavoursome where my experience of octopus elsewhere has mostly been quite tough and rubbery.

1. (left) Mushrooms sauteed in garlic, butter and parsley, (right) tripas a moda do Porto. 2. (front) Prawn and octopus skewers, served with potatoes, kale, spinach and other vegetables. (back) lamb chops with kale and fries. 3. Banoffee pie. 4. Key lime pie.

So...

...to sum up, Porto was an amazing holiday for me. Nothing beat the serenity of walks near my hotel, where you would happen upon a friendly cat and citrus trees in people's gardens. And never have I had a holiday so evenly split between relaxing and exploring than this one - you can definitely do a bit of both in this city, and experience the wealth of historical and cultural sites available all the while having the option to laze around on beautiful clean beaches to your heart's content. The narrow streets of the city are hilly, so it felt like a workout walking around, but it was so wonderful seeing each house and street with their own personalities - so distinct and different from one another.

Hopefully this can help flesh out your week should you choose to visit this beautiful city! And check out my Instagram if you want to see more from my trip to Porto. I'll definitely share more posts like this going forward the more that I travel!