Salt cod, potato and onion croquettes deep-fried in egg-rich batter: the Porto petisco eaten with a beer at every cervejaria from Cervejaria do Carmo to Brasao.
Salt cod arrived through the working port of Porto in volume from 1850, and the Portuguese repertoire of bacalhau preparations grew through the late 19th century. Bolinhos de bacalhau (also called pasteis de bacalhau in southern Portugal) emerged from the working-class need to stretch leftover salt cod with potato and onion. The croquettes are still made at home for Christmas and served daily at every cervejaria in Porto.
3 editor picks for Bolinhos de bacalhau in Porto, ranked by editorial score. All Porto signature dishes · Bolinhos de bacalhau across every city.
Adega Sao Nicolau ★ 4.3
ribeira · Rua de Sao Nicolau 1, 4050-561 Porto
Adega Sao Nicolau in Porto's Ribeira has been pouring red since the 1940s, serving polvo a lagareiro on a small Douro-facing terrace below the quay.
Brasao Aliados ★ 4.2
aliados · Rua Ramalho Ortigao 28, 4000-407 Porto
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.
Cervejaria do Carmo ★ 4.0
Rua do Carmo 21, 4050-011 Porto
Cervejaria do Carmo on Rua do Carmo in Porto pours a working-class house lager, sells imperials all day and runs the city's most enduring seafood petiscos counter.