The 35 Best Restaurants in Porto, Portugal | Eater
"Marisqueiras serve the freshest seafood in Portugal, a country known in Europe for its oceanic specialties. In Porto, they concentrate near Matosinhos, a fisherman’s paradise, including O Gaveto, one of the best in the area. Percebes (barnacles), clams, carabineiros (red shrimp), and a myriad of sea creatures look as if they came straight from the aquarium to your plate. Start with stuffed sapateira crab (sweet, delicate crab meat in cream sauce), followed by clams bulhão pato-style (cooked with white wine, olive oil, lemon, garlic, and cilantro) and blue lobster with brothy rice, a rare local delicacy transformed into a comforting, home-style dish. Best for: A seafood feast." - Rafael Tonon
The restaurant is very special and clean. The staff were very friendly and polite. The food was good, but nothing special.
Malgorzata B.
Google
**O Gaveto**
This is not just a restaurant; it's a philosophy. The owner personally greets guests, the staff is both professional and friendly, with an immense knowledge of wines, and the dishes are made from fresh, regional ingredients...
Attention to every detail ensures that, upon entering, you feel taken care of, with everyone knowing how to cater to your utmost satisfaction.
I highly recommend it to those for whom a restaurant is synonymous with a passion passed down through generations and an exceptional commitment to quality service and guest satisfaction.
Artem
Google
Came for the monkfish rice and had a great lunch. Huge portions!
Sergio G
Google
It is a very good restaurant with a seafood specialization. There is a great choice of live lobsters and crab as well as fresh fish, seafood and shrimps. The wine list is good and sufficient. The dishes are rather simple but tasty. The service is good and rapid.
Kristinn P.
Google
The most amazing lobster you will ever have!
Try to go here every tim I'm in Porto. So many great fresh seafood options.
The Biodynamic D.
Google
Beautiful restaurant in Matosinhos. Service is really old school (older waiters, limited English but they’re doing their best). We wanted to know how many oysters are in 1kg and he actually brought us the oysters on a platter to see how many are there. I think it’s expensive by local standards but we enjoyed it.
Got some fresh oysters (1kg), 2 big prawns, one portion of clams and cod plus a bottle of house white wine. Total damage: 120Eur
Bert Van L.
Google
This wonderful restaurant, recommended by a good friend of ours, was well worth the 30 minute Uber ride from Vilanova de Gaia. The food quality was extraordinary, the fish and shrimp were swim-fresh and cooked to perfection. We had boiled bouquet shrimp (camarão da costa) and clams as starters, followed by a deliciously grilled wild seabass. The waiter insisted on serving us the home-made almond tart as a desert, accompanied by a 10-year old Madeira (verdelho). We picked a delicious sparkling wine from the Bairrada region to accompany the entire meal: “Agua Viva”. Prices were very reasonable considering the quality of food. A memorable dinner for sure. Will be back! Highly recommended!
Kirki G.
Google
The most delicious prawns ever. We had some really delicious and fresh seafood. Every plate had its own unique flavour and the restaurant was quiet and very relaxing. A little more expensive than all the other places we went in Porto but it's worth it if you are a seafood lover.
Amanda W.
Yelp
We went to Matosinhos as this is an old fishing beach town of Porto. It took us a while to get here, 30 min tram ride to the edge of Porto followed by a 1 hour walk. Yes we probably could've took an Uber for much quicker, but what fun would that be to explore?!
O Gaveto was a restaurant recommended to us as it is one of the best. Once we walked in I immediately found that it was all locals. Which was a good sign. There is also a giant fish tank with fresh lobsters, fish and crabs.
We ordered the seafood soup, Lulas (squid) and clams cooked in butter. The seafood soup was Ok, there were nice chunks of shrimps, the squid dish had a delightful creamy sauce which I liked. And the clams were the best.
Overall good meal.
Lee M.
Yelp
TL;DR: Fantastic authentic Portuguese seafood.
I traveled here in May of 2023 with my wife and we tried the lobster. I cannot remember the specific meals name but it was grilled and there was a butter sauce on the side for dipping.
I would hazard against ordering a female lobster as they will serve "every" part of the lobster.
Sidney Z.
Yelp
O Gaveto is this charming, quaint restaurant on the second floor of this old building overlooking the Duoro River. What a setting for our final meal in Porto, Portugal.
We were lucky enough to have some dear friends of ours in from California to join us; one of my wife's closet friends (they date back eons) and her son, who plays professional soccer in Porto and had this city "wired" to a tee.
He knew where to go
Who to ask for
What to order
What table to sit at
To say we were treated like royalty is an understatement.
Here at O Gaveto, we sat back, relaxed and let this young man - Do His Thing! And Do His Thing he righteously did.
He ordered an amazing white Portuguese wine
Non-stop appetizers
Several main courses
Several side dishes
Desserts galore
and some really wonderful Digestif's
Everything brought to our table was delicious. Our server / owner was very well versed (in English) as to what we were getting, how it was prepared and
what ingredients were used.
The city of Porto, Portugal has some amazing food!
O Gaveto was the pièce de résistance or better put - The most memorable "Masterpiece" send off a city has ever given us.
Connor D.
Yelp
One of the best seafood experiences you can have. The shrimp, the lobster and rice in a tomato broth, and most importantly the house crab. The brown crab dark meat was in the shell as a salad mixed with corn bread, mayonnaise, beer, port, and a bunch of spices and stuff to be spooned onto toast points. The crab legs and claws are top notch too.
I dream of the crab paired with excellent wine. Almond cake to finish. Just a perfect seaside meal.
Arlette C.
Yelp
Always terrific and yes while expensive they have great local seafood and authentic dishes.
Kar F.
Yelp
A great place to eat for a seafood lover. Service was great and friendly. Staff were all
Happy and funny. Loved the place for my first dinner in Porto. It's not the cheapest but great food.
Andres B.
Yelp
really great "classic" old school restaurant by the sea. terrific food and service. not cheap, but worth it.
live lobsters and fish as you walk in. like a fish market (i'll have that one) great stuff.
Marie A.
Yelp
I might have had a rare experience, but 2-3 hours after leaving, I had all the symptoms of food poisoning. Chills, vomiting, etc etc. I ate the fish soup, clams, and hake. This all being said, the place came highly recommended, so I was very disappointed to say the least. The service was good, so added a 2nd star for that, but it's a very expensive place, so I can't believe how sick I got! Still not feeling recovered. :(