A note – Matosinhos and Porto are very different, despite being pretty close to one another. There are a few ways to travel between the two but by far the best is on the bus. If you’re happy to take the slower route (the 500 goes every 15 mins and takes around an hour), it follows the Duoro out of Porto as it flows into the Atlantic and along the coast into Matosinhos. It’s cheap as chips and felt like we were on a city sightseeing bus.
1. Pastel de Nata
This is an obvious one. Pastel de Nata are delicious but they hit different in Portugal!! We ate a lot of these delectable little egg custard tarts whilst we were there and the best, by far were from Manteigaria in Porto. Rated best on Trip Advisor, and heavenly with it. The filling is so silky, it almost feels like a drink. And the pastry is flaky with a hint of salt to it, which goes perfectly with the sweet custard. Oh, and if you want to eat like a local, ask for a dusting of cinnamon. I’m never eating mine without it again.
2. Sardines
Sardine fishing has been part of Portugal’s cultural and culinary heritage for a very long time. Sardines are very commonly found on menus, especially in the seaside towns. Traditionally, sardines are grilled on a hot BBQ and served whole – which is how we had them at the lovely little (cash only) O Robalo in Matosinhos.
There are plenty of restaurants around Matosinhos (and Porto) serving fish, including some very well renowned places. Look out for the word ‘Marisqueria’ which means seafood restaurant and you’ll be onto the right track. The sardines are grilled whole, so watch out for those little bones, and usually served on bread or with potatoes. We had potatoes as well as grilled peppers, onions and olives.
3. Rissóis
Why has no one ever told me about these tasty snacks? Portuguese rissoles, known as “rissóis” in Portuguese, are basically savoury deep-fried pastries filled with a variety of ingredients like prawns, fish, chicken and beef, mixed with a creamy béchamel sauce. A lot of places sell them – cafes, bakeries, supermarkets and I got to try a fair few during our time there. For someone without a sweet tooth like me, they make a great snack and what’s better, they’re really cheap at around 1 euro a pop (around 84p or $1.08 at time of writing).
4. Francesinha
Although this translates to ‘little French girl’, the Franceshina is a very big filling sandwich which is famous in Portugal and actually originates from Porto! It’s essentially a toasted sandwich with ham, steak or sausage which is covered in melted cheese and then topped with a sauce made with tomatoes and beer! Sometimes it comes with a fried egg too. Not one for the faint hearted! We had this at the cool N’O Mercado restaurant which is housed inside the old Mercado Ferreria Borges which is now a music and arts space.
Google tells me it was invented in the 1950’s by a French emigrant who wanted to create something akin to the croque-monsieur but with Portuguese flavours. Although the sauce traditionally takes hours to make (and can be seen bubbling away in bars and restaurants) you can actually buy it at the supermarket too and we brought a few bottles home with us!
4. Farinheira
This is one I’d not heard of before but is well worth seeking out. Farinheira is a type of smoked sausage which has flour ‘farinha’ as one of its main ingredients. It’s similar in consistency to n’duja in that it can be spread on bread as a paste which is how we ate it alongside our Franceshina (see picture above) and honestly, it was smokey, garlicky, rich and delicious.
Look out for it served with scrambled eggs too – a popular way to eat it in Porto. And who knew Portugal had such a strong sausage tradition – lots of info on all the types they have here.
5. Arroz de Marisco
There is so much delicious seafood around but we particularly loved this seafood rice from Mais Mar at the Mercado Beira-Rio. This covered market is full of food traders and whilst it’s probably expensive due to its central location on the edge of the Duoro river in Porto, we were there as tourists and so.. what the hell!
A rich fishy broth (wetter than a paella) with perfectly cooked rice topped with a large prawn, clams, mussells and more prawns. It was delicious and our little boy gobbled most of it up. I should have gone for a second bowl.
I have lots more to share! Would you like to see what we did aside from food and perhaps some specific restaurant reviews? Let me know!
Have you been to Matosinhos or Porto? Where would you recommend for our next visit? Let me know in the comments below!
