Porto's signature sandwich: bread layered with cured meats, sausage and steak, blanketed with melted cheese and a tomato-and-beer sauce poured hot at the table.
Daniel David Silva, an emigrant returning from France and Belgium, joined the Regaleira on Rua do Bonjardim in 1952 and adapted the croque-monsieur for Portuguese palates. The francesinha (little French girl) traded ham and bechamel for cured sausages, steak and a hot tomato-beer sauce. The dish became Porto's lunch identity within a single decade, and the original Regaleira still trades on Rua do Bonjardim.
7 editor picks for Francesinha in Porto, ranked by editorial score. All Porto signature dishes · Francesinha across every city.
Cafe Santiago ★ 4.4
baixa · Rua Passos Manuel 226, 4000-382 Porto
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.
Bufete Fase ★ 4.4
baixa · Rua de Santa Catarina 1147, 4000-457 Porto
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.
Francesinha Cafe ★ 4.3
boavista · Rua da Alegria 946, 4000-048 Porto
Francesinha Cafe on Rua da Alegria in Porto is a working-day room with a francesinha-heavy menu, a sharper sauce and a faster turn than the Baixa counters.
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.
O Afonso ★ 4.2
cedofeita · Rua da Torrinha 219, 4050-610 Porto
O Afonso on Rua da Torrinha in Porto's Cedofeita is the dark-horse francesinha, a thinner sauce and a steady following of architecture students.
Yuko Tavern ★ 4.2
areosa · Rua de Costa Cabral 2331, 4200-232 Porto
Yuko Tavern up on Rua de Costa Cabral in northern Porto runs one of the longest francesinha lists in town, with vegetarian, seafood and the classic build.
Lado B Cafe ★ 4.0
baixa · Rua de Passos Manuel 190, 4000-382 Porto
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.