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.
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 from over the road.
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.
Francesinha Cafe ★ 4.0
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 down the hill.
Yuko Tavern ★ 4.0
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 available most nights.