The 5 Best Petiscos in Porto

Petiscos are to Porto what an amuse bouche is to the French or a Portuguese take on Spanish Tapas. They’re small plates and single flavorful bites made with such high-quality ingredients to become a true foodie experience.

From tascas like Adega São Nicolau to tabernas like Tascö, there are plenty of great bars, restaurants, and wine bars offering must-try petiscos to include your next Porto food tour.

Adega São Nicolau

Photo credit: Adega São Nicolau

Adega São Nicolau features several great petiscos with classic Portuguese flavors. It’s nestled in Porto’s Ribeira neighborhood, which makes it a great stop for a quick bite on a day trip in the heart of the city.

The interior décor has a rustic charm with warm wooden accents and classic Portuguese tilework, which creates an authentic atmosphere. Perfect for a relaxed meal with friends or an intimate family meal.

The most popular items on their petisco menu include a tasty miniature version of the francesinha sandwich, pica-pau, and bolinho de bacalhau codfish cakes. However, my favorite, which I look forward to every time I visit Adega São Nicolau, is the croquetas de presunto.

They’re tiny croquettes with a crunchy, fried breadcrumb exterior. I love the way the creamy béchamel sauce and pieces of salty presunto ham flood my mouth when I bite into them. I usually have them with a glass of a green wine like Vinho Verde, which is bright enough to cut the richness of the croquettes.

Adega São Nicolau (€€) – Rua S. Nicolau nº 1, Porto, Portugal – Open Monday to Saturday from 12:30 PM to 10:30 PM.

Tascö

Photo credit: Tascö

Tascö’s petisco tapas menu and its overall energy match the vibe of the surrounding Cedofeita neighborhood. Its eclectic menu and the many creative people living nearby make it a magnet for locals and tourists who want to bask in a truly artistic small plates experience.  

The ambiance is a careful blend of modern and traditional Portuguese décor that could be described as rustic-chic. The aged wooden accents, exposed brick, and soft lighting are reminiscent of what Porto looked like a century ago, while still giving Tascö a cozy and inviting feel.

Tascö is a taberna with a full menu of Portuguese classics with a modern twist. However, it’s their petiscos that truly stand out.

Some of the best I’ve tried started with bite-sized portions of smoky, garlic-infused alheira sausage. I also found the octopus salad petisco to be refreshing and surprisingly tender. They also have a petisco of chorizo with honey that is perfectly balanced with contrasting flavors. 

However, my favorite petisco at Tascö is the pica-pau. It’s a miniaturized version of a traditional Portuguese dish made with tangy marinated beef. Each bite made my mouth water for more. The pieces of meat are stabbed through with toothpicks, which reminded me a little bit of a saucier, tangier version of South Dakotan chislic.

Tascö (€€) – Rua do Almada 151A 4050-037 Porto Portugal – Open every day from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

Vinum Restaurant & Wine Bar

Photo credit: Vinum Restaurant & Wine Bar

Graham’s Port Lodge and its 19th-century wine cellars give Vinum access to some of the best petisco and wine tastings in Porto. Not to mention stunning river views of the Douro as you enjoy a small plate meal with a glass of fine wine.

The interior of Vinum is warm and feels a little bit like you’re in an old-fashioned taberna that was brought up to modern specs. However, I think the rooftop bar with all its natural vegetation and impressive views is the ideal place to enjoy petiscos or sip an after-dinner glass of port wine.  

Vinums most popular options include grilled octopus, grilled chorizo, and an assortment of meat or seafood croquettes. However, my favorite is their pata negra Iberian ham.

It’s something you can only get in Spain and Portugal, where the pigs are allowed to graze in dehesas oak forests for large parts of their life. This gives the pata negra meat a gentle nutty flavor that’s accented as the meat is aged.

The last time I had pata negra, I paired it with a tinto Douro red wine from the Douro Valley. It had an earthy spiciness and tannins that played perfectly with the nuttiness of the ham.  

Vinum (€€€) – Rua do Agro 141, 4400-003 Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto – Open every day from noon to 1:00 AM.

Champs da Baixa Bistrô

Photo credit: Champs da Baixa Bistrô

Champs da Baixa is a charming bistro with a reputation for offering some of the best petiscos in Porto’s Baixa neighborhood. Their menu is largely Portuguese, and they have a great wine list, as well as many refreshing craft cocktails to enhance your small plates experience.

The interior décor is contemporary, stylish, and refined with warm lighting to create a welcoming atmosphere. They’re also known for excellent service, which is important when you want the petiscos coming hot and fast.

While they do have an a la carte bistro menu and an occasional brunch service, Champs da Baixa is best known for its petiscos. This allows you to enjoy a variety of small, flavorful dishes in one sitting. Some of the most popular include chouriço, bolinhos de bacalhau codfish, pataniscas, and grilled octopus salad.

However, my favorite when they have it is the caldo verde. It’s a classical Portuguese kale soup that’s slightly different to the chunkier version you might find in the Azores or Provincetown. 

The kale and other ingredients were lightly pureed, which made the broth a verdant shade of green. Yet the caldo verde wasn’t fully pureed smooth, which allowed the potatoes and other ingredients to be perfectly toothsome. 

Champs da Baixa (€€) – Rua do Gen. Silveira 27, 4050-453 Porto, Portugal – Open 6:00 PM to 1:00 AM Friday to Sunday.

Conga – Casa das Bifanas

Photo credit: Conga – Casa das Bifanas

Conga – Casa das Bifanas is a great place to stop for a light meal of petiscos after a long walking tour of the nearby Bolhão mercado.  It’s a lively tasca that’s much-beloved by the locals for its famous bifanas sandwich.

Like a lot of older tascas it has a simple no-frills décor that I think adds to its charm. They’re also known for fast and friendly service, which comes in handy as the dining area is often packed during peak hours.

Some of the other popular petiscos on the menu at Conga – Casa das Bifanas include pica-pau, alheira sausages, and croquetas. The pickled vegetables with the pica-pau are especially bright, and perfectly cut the richness of the pork they use.

Of course, I had to order the bifana sandwich that inspired their name. It’s a Portuguese classic they take to the next level with a spicy “secret sauce” for the sliced marinated pork. I suspect it’s made with a heavy hit of paprika and some African piri-piri pepper. Then the whole thing was served on a pillow-soft bun.

Conga – Casa das Bifanas (€€) – Rua do Bonjardim 318, 4000-115 Porto, Portugal – Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM. 

Conclusion

Porto had some of the best petisco small plate experiences in the world, long before Spanish tapas exploded on the culinary landscape. Today tascas like Conga – Casa das Bifanas and tabernas like Tascö are simply taking the small plates experience to the next level with tempting culinary delights.

Whether you’re looking for a light meal at a bistro like Champs da Baixa or a perfect small plate wine pairing at Vinum, there are tons of great petiscos to sample on your next Porto food tour.