Porto's working centre around Avenida dos Aliados, the restored Mercado do Bolhao and Sao Bento station tiles. Where francesinhas and cachorrinhos are eaten.
Tapabento behind Sao Bento station in Porto plates octopus salad, duck rice and grilled tiger prawns in a small, loud, family-run dining room.
Signature: Octopus salad, Duck rice
Order: The octopus salad to start, then the duck rice with chourico.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Book the 19:00 sitting if you want a chance of a same-day table.
Cantina 32 on Rua das Flores in Porto plates quail-egg croquettes, grilled octopus and a cheesecake served in a terracotta flower pot at communal tables.
Signature: Grilled octopus with roasted tomato, Cheesecake in a flower pot
Order: Grilled octopus with roasted tomato, finishing with the flower-pot cheesecake.
Tip: Walk-in only after 22:00. Lunch menu is the better value if you want the full plate selection.
Cantinho do Avillez in Porto is chef Jose Avillez's relaxed bistro on Rua Mouzinho da Silveira, with daily Matosinhos fish and a strong wine list.
Signature: Tuna tataki, Iberian black-pork cheek
Order: The tuna tataki to start, Iberian black-pork cheek to follow.
Tip: Open daily, lunch and dinner. Walk down to Praca do Infante after for a riverside coffee.
Flow in Porto's Baixa pairs a sushi counter with a Mediterranean kitchen across two floors and a roof terrace, on a quiet Conceicao side-street near Cordoaria.
Signature: Tuna tartare, Black-rice seafood
Order: The tuna tartare to start, the black-rice seafood to follow.
Tip: Walk up to the roof bar for a Touriga Nacional flight after dinner.
MUU Steakhouse on Rua do Almada in Porto serves dry-aged Portuguese and international cuts from a glass maturation room, with a kilo-cut to share.
Signature: Maturated tomahawk, Iberian secreto
Order: The maturated tomahawk to share, with the smoked-potato gratin.
Tip: Dinner only, 18:00 to midnight. Bring an appetite; portions are sized for two.
Brasao Aliados in Porto opened in 2014 as the first Brasao Cervejaria, with the city's most-Instagrammed francesinha and a black-garlic mayo for rissoles.
Signature: Francesinha, Meat rissoles with mushrooms
Order: Francesinha with the egg on top, croquette flight to share.
Tip: Open daily. Queues from 12:30 to 14:00; book ahead or arrive at noon.
Cafe Santiago on Rua de Passos Manuel in Porto is the most-cited francesinha counter, layered with mortadella, sausage and steak under tomato-beer sauce.
Signature: Francesinha
Order: Francesinha especial with egg, side of fries to soak the sauce.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The original 226 site is the one locals defend; the second site up the street is overflow.
Bufete Fase on Rua de Santa Catarina in Porto is the locals' francesinha counter, an even-keeled sauce balanced by the same owner since the 1990s.
Signature: Francesinha
Order: Standard francesinha. No egg, no fries, just bread and sauce.
Tip: Cash only. Queue starts at 12:30; arrive earlier and you might get one of the eight tables.
O Buraco off the Bolhao market in Porto is a working-day tasca open since the early 1970s, with veal pie, fried sardines with bean rice and tripas a moda do Porto at lunch.
Signature: Veal pie, Tripas a moda do Porto
Order: Tripas a moda do Porto, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Veal pie any other day.
Tip: Closed Sunday, no dinner Saturday. Best dishes run out by 14:00; arrive early.
Casa Guedes on Praca dos Poveiros in Porto has pulled roast pork leg into a soft fofo roll since 1987, with optional Serra da Estrela cheese melted on top.
Signature: Sandes de pernil, Pernil com queijo da Serra
Order: Sandes de pernil com queijo da Serra, glass of vinho verde.
Tip: Open daily, kitchen runs continuous service. A second site at 76 to 80 handles the overflow on Saturdays.
Cervejaria Gazela in Porto opened in 1962 off Praca da Batalha and built its name on the cachorrinho: griddled sausage, crisp bread, butter and spice.
Signature: Cachorrinho da Batalha
Order: Two cachorrinhos and an imperial. That is the order.
Tip: Closed Sunday. Anthony Bourdain filmed Parts Unknown here in 2017 and the queues followed; arrive before 13:00.
Lareira on Rua das Oliveiras in Porto has been a family-run tasca since 1984, grilling steaks, leitao and bacalhau a brasa at working-day prices.
Signature: Bife grelhado, Carne de porco a alentejana
Order: Bife grelhado with garlic potatoes, half a litre of house red.
Tip: Cash strongly preferred. Lunch only, closes 16:00. Walk on to Galerias de Paris for the night.
Lado B on Rua de Passos Manuel in Porto sits next door to Cafe Santiago and runs a fresher francesinha, plus a vegetarian build of mushrooms and tofu.
Signature: Vegetarian francesinha, Classic francesinha
Order: Classic francesinha with chips and a Super Bock. The veg version if you do not eat pork.
Tip: Open every day. The veg francesinha is a Porto rarity; arrive before 13:00 to avoid the queue.
Brasao Coliseu in front of the Coliseu do Porto holds 250 covers over two floors, the largest Brasao and the easier walk-in for a francesinha at 14:30.
Signature: Francesinha, Cured-meat board
Order: Francesinha with mature cheese, share a board of petiscos before.
Tip: Open daily, kitchen until 23:30. Book ahead or walk in after the post-lunch turn.
Conga on Rua do Bonjardim in Porto has slow-cooked bifanas in a paprika-and-garlic broth since 1976, a stand-up counter where pork sandwiches and Super Bocks move fast.
Signature: Bifana, Imperial beer
Order: Bifana with mustard and piri-piri, imperial beer.
Tip: Closed Sundays. The lunch queue clears by 14:30; arrive then if you want a stool.
A Tasquinha on Rua do Carmo in Porto has served homestyle Portuguese plates since the 1980s, with cabrito assado on weekends, bacalhau a bras and a 90-cent espresso to close.
Signature: Cabrito assado, Bacalhau a Bras
Order: Cabrito assado on Saturday lunch; bacalhau a Bras any day.
Tip: Cash strongly preferred. The two-floor room fills quickly Saturday; book or arrive at 12:15.
O Golfinho on Rua de Sa de Noronha in Porto is a small family tasca with a francesinha sauce locals defend, and a 10-table room that fills with regulars by 13:00.
Signature: Francesinha, Bitoque
Order: Francesinha with egg, glass of red.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The bitoque is a quieter alternative for the queue-averse.
Tasco on Rua do Almada in Porto is a petiscos-and-Douro-wine room with codfish croquettes, octopus salad and a 100-glass list of small-producer Portuguese natural wines.
Signature: Codfish croquettes, Octopus salad
Order: Petiscos board with the codfish croquette upgrade.
Tip: Open daily. The 151A address is the original; the second site at 65 is the overflow room.
Real Indiana Baixa on Rua Conde de Vizela in Porto opened in 2013 as the downtown site of the group, a tandoor-driven Indian kitchen with Goan prawn balchao that nods to Portugal's old colony.
Signature: Tandoori chicken, Goan prawn balchao
Order: Goan prawn balchao with garlic naan.
Tip: Open daily, dinner only. Vegetarian dishes outnumber the meat options on the menu.
Kissaten on Rua de Sa da Bandeira in Porto is a 16-seat donburi counter with chirashi bowls, karaage chicken and a sake list curated by a former Lisbon sushi chef.
Signature: Chirashi don, Karaage
Order: Chirashi don with extra unagi, sake flight.
Tip: Closed Monday. Walk-in only for lunch; book online for dinner.
Mercador Cafe on Rua das Flores in Porto runs an all-day breakfast and brunch room with seasonal Portuguese plates and family ownership, in a calm tiled dining room halfway up the street.
Signature: Eggs benedict, Brunch plate
Order: Brunch plate with eggs and house-baked bread.
Tip: Closed Sundays, open Mon-Sat 09:00-20:00. The lunch menu is the better value with the kitchen running the same plates.
Mistu on Rua do Bonjardim in Porto is a tiled cervejaria with a younger crowd, plating sea bass cataplana, octopus a la lagareiro and a tight, Douro-leaning wine list.
Signature: Sea bass cataplana, Octopus a la lagareiro
Order: Sea bass cataplana for two, glass of vinho verde.
Tip: Open daily. The kitchen runs until 23:00; book past 20:30 for a quieter dinner.
Abadia do Porto in Porto's Baixa has served traditional Portuguese plates since 1939, with a cataplana to share, bacalhau a Gomes de Sa and a 200-label wine cellar.
Signature: Cataplana, Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa
Order: Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa with potatoes and olives.
Tip: Closed Sunday. The tiled side room is calmer than the main hall.