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Porto is our hometown, and the place where we love to spend time with friends and family! Weather its the middle of the afternoon and you want a cold beer, or a cozy afternoon and you are looking forward a glass of wine and catching up with loved ones… or maybe it’s Friday night and you are in for some cocktails before going out to the best party spots. Whatever the case, we got a recommendation for you!
In this post, we’ve meticulously curated a selection of Porto’s finest bars, music venues, and party hotspots. Whether you’re a connoisseur of classic cocktails, a wine enthusiast, or a jazz aficionado, or simply in search of a night to remember, our recommendations have you covered. Let’s toast to unforgettable memories in Porto!
This hidden place on a small street is definitely worth a visit, mostly because of the insane view of old town. We recommend you go on a sunny day to relax outside, and bask on sunlight while sipping on some refreshing drink.
Guindalense is a legendary place and, in our opinion, has the best view in Porto. The former small football club bar, is now a well loved local place to grab a cold beer or sidra and sit with friends around the table talking for hours, letting time pass until sunset. More and more tourists are discovering this place, but you can still feel the local vibes all around you. We definitely recommend coming for a cold beer (must be SUPER BOCK) after walking up and down the steep streets around old town!
Imagine the cutest bar, with a terrace under an olive tree, right in the middle of the city, with good wine and small plates to share. Yes, it exists, and it’s called Aduela. The perfect place to catch up with friends in the afternoon, to have a small drinks while reading a book and soaking up some sun, or even for a drink after dinner. The streets around also have good bars where, during the evening, you can often find people having drinks outside, which makes it a great place to meet new people, both locals and tourists alike.
O Marmorista: A former marble workshop converted into a restaurant-bar. A great place with a relaxed atmosphere, where you can have lunch, a drink at the end of the day, dinner with friends or a cocktail late into the night to the sound of good music. The staff is super friendly, the environment is very cool and on top of that, it’s also an amazing place to work, since they are laptop friendly! We definitely recommend you try some of their signature cocktails, we guarantee you won’t regret it!
The slogan of Torto is the following: “This isn’t a bar, it’s just a place, and poorly attended.” However, we will have to disagree with that. Torto is not just a place, it’s one of the coolest bars in the city, with some of the best and most innovative cocktails, and where the people, at least every time we visited, were the sweetest and the most welcoming. One of our favorites!
You might not be as a fan of wine as we are, but when in Portugal, wine is pretty much impossible to escape! This post would make justice to our culture if we didn’t include a chapter just about it, so here you’ll find some of the best wine bars in Porto, at least in our opinion.
If you are into natural wines, then Cave Bombarda is the place for you! The small bar, also serves as a wine shop, and has an outside garden, perfect for sipping your wine while soaking in the sun during the summer months. Jorge, the owner, is a super passionate and friendly wine enthusiast and will help you with any questions you might have!
Yes, it’s right, this wine bar is inside a chapel. Might seem a bit like a sin, but we promise it’s blessed by the gods, because their quality is always on point! Capela Incomum is not only a great place to have a midday glass of great wine, it’s also an incredible experience, because the location is so unique! The team is super friendly and will also tell you about the story of the chapel if you ask them about it.
Original Eco Mercado is a fairly new spot in the city, but quickly becoming one of our faves. We love the trendy decor, the amazing selection of wine, and also the small dishes they have on their menu. We absolutely recommend going!
This wine bar has a super cozy, more traditional and intimate setting, that we personally enjoy a lot. In the menu you can find great wines, and some small dishes to share with friends. We would recommend, specially on a colder or rainy day, because inside, you will feel like you are in the most romantic place.
Porto is filled with music everywhere, however locations might vary a lot, so we advise you to check “Agenda Cultural” to see upcoming events. Below you can find our go-to spots when it comes to listening to great live-music!
Casa da Música is a boldly designed architectural building conceived to be the stage for all types of music, from classical to electronic, from jazz to fado, from large international productions to small experimental projects, betting on the high quality of the infrastructure and a dynamic, innovative, and prestigious programming. We are passionate about classical music, so we come here often, but it’s also great for smaller, and a lot of times, free concerts outside, while having a drink with friends.
Including a section for Jazz might not be obvious for some, but for us, jazz bars are one of the best ways to spend an evening in a new city. Jams occur all over the city, but the following bars are a great option to listen to some of the most talent local musicians.
Porta Jazz offers much more than just concerts. It is an association that brings jazz musicians together, promotes concerts throughout the country, has its own ensemble (the Coreto) designed to play the music of those who wish to compose for it, and has its own record label. All with the aim of making music accessible to everyone.
Mr. Beans is quickly going from an hidden-gem to a must-visit in Porto. From Friday to Sunday you can find different jams, playing various genres, but always with the best vibes. We recommend you check their instagram to sew which genre you can expect once you get there!
Porto has a great nightlife, the thing is, we are not huge party people (at least not anymore, we blame the closeness of being 30 years old), so we reserve only a few nights a year to go all out to party!
If you are a tourist you might find yourself in Galerias de Paris, which are 2 streets in the city center, which used to be the greatest place to go out in Porto. However, since the touristic boom, these places have become massively mainstream, stupidly expensive and not so fun anymore, to be honest, which is why we don’t recommend them in this guide. It might be a good place if you are visiting alone and prefer to easily meet people from all over the world.
Now that our hardcore party days are gone, we are more the type of a chill dinner and a couple of drinks while chatting outside on the street, but there are some places that are very close to our hearts, that always provide an unforgettable night out partying until the sun rises! Here are our recommendations:
Maus Hábitos is the old school “cool place” to go party! This place packs a restaurant, a bar, an art gallery and also, a club. Here you can find some of the best concerts in town, from jazz, funk, hip-hop, techno and much more in between. There’s always something different going on, so checking the line up is a must before-hand! The environment is always welcoming and inclusive, no matter who you are and what you look like! The best nights in Porto!
Ferro is THE party place, at least in our opinion. Teenagers will probably disagree but it might not be for everyone.
There are a lot of clubs in Porto, but, to be honest, we are not club people and prefer smaller and more relaxed spots like FERRO. The vibe is “where your hipster friend that only wears vintage and listens to techno goes to party”, but you can find people from all different walks of life in there.
You need to check the line up to see who is playing to know which sort of party it’s happening, but even if you just go for some drinks, we guarantee you will have a great time! Another plus is their breathtaking view from the upstairs terrace. If your plan is to stay up late partying, then FERRO will be one of the best choices, since usually it’s open until 5am in the morning and it’s still majorly frequented by locals, so it’s important to keep it a secret!
We know we just said we are not club people, but we’ll open an exception for Central Club. This brand new venue, right in the center of the city is a bright promise to Porto’s nightlife, specially for the fans of electronic music.