BLB Bifanaria is a street-food stop in Maximinos, Braga.
Braga Loves Bifana: the name of this 2015 project by three friends captures the premise. The bifana here is pork loin marinated in spiced wine sauce.
Tip: The spicy sauce version of the bifana is the house recommendation. Ask for extra sauce in a small cup for dipping the roll.
Address: Largo da Senhora a Branca 95, 4710-443 Braga
Braga's most distinctive pastry: a profiterole-shaped tíbia bone form filled with egg-yolk custard cream, sold from this specialist shop near the Sé.
Tip: Buy two: one original vanilla and one chocolate-filled. The vanilla is the Minho tradition; the chocolate is where the shop has innovated.
The food court inside the renovated Mercado Municipal de Braga, with a dozen kiosks serving local producers and regional food. Bacalhau fritters.
Tip: Arrive at the market at 09:00 to buy fresh produce from the floor above and then descend to Mesa na Praça for a fresh fish lunch prepared with the morning catch.
The most accessible street-side nata stop on Avenida da Liberdade. Watch the glass-walled factory through the window, then take the tray-fresh tart standing at the counter or on the terrace.
Tip: Three natas and a bica for under €6. Skip the box and stand at the high counter so the pastry stays warm and crackling.
A second specialist for Braga's frigideira tradition in the cathedral quarter, often quieter than the Cantinho original with the same full pastry range.
Tip: Walk here from the cathedral on a weekday morning when the Cantinho queue is longest. Same pastry, five minutes less waiting.
The deli counter at Queijaria Central is the best source in Braga for building a street-food picnic. Serra da Estrela cheese by the portion.
Tip: Ask for a half-wedge of runny Serra da Estrela in season (autumn-winter). The texture when perfectly ripe is unique to this cheese.
The oldest active pastry address in Braga (founded 1829) and the only place where moletinhos de São Vicente, the city's rarest conventual sweet.
Tip: Moletinhos de São Vicente are unique to this shop and are not available elsewhere in Braga. Buy a box of six as a gift or to eat during the afternoon walk.
