5 Charming Portuguese Restaurants to Try Bacalhau in Porto

The dish was created by Mr. Braz, the owner of a tavern in Portugal. It quickly became very popular as it could reflect Portuguese cuisine and its peculiarities and now it is spread even abroad.

Ingredients: 6 ounces bacalhau, desalted; 2 medium potatoes, peeled; ¼  cup duck fat or coconut oil; 4 eggs, lightly beaten; ½ onion, chopped; ½ teaspoon black pepper; ½  pinch saffron; about 15 black olives and small handful fresh and chopped parsley.

Step 1: To desalt bacalhau, you need to rinse it and then soak it in cold water for about 12 hours in the fridge. Then rinse again, pat dry with a paper towel and shred the desalted fish into bite-size strips. Bacalhau can be replaced by other fish and even a chicken. 

Step 2: Grate the potatoes into shreds and soak in cold water for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Warm duck fat or coconut oil until shimmering. Add potatoes and pan-fry, stirring often to keep them from sticking together.

Step 4: Add onion and saffron to the skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes. Then add fish and black pepper and stir to combine.

Step 5: Add the fried potatoes, stirring to combine. Then pour the beaten eggs over the other ingredients. Scramble the eggs until cooked. Add parsley and olives.

The result is a creamy and very easy dish.

This nice location on the bank of the Douro River is for those who like amazing sunsets, summer winds, fine wines and big portions. Their menu is great due to its sparkling wines, rose wines, port wines and even porto tonico – a refreshing mix of port wine and tonic. 

Have you ever tasted cob tongues that are not tongues at all? Porto’s Bacalhau Restaurant can surprise you with a dish that includes rice with bacalhau’s tongues and shavings with shrimps and coriander. But the so-called tongue is actually a small muscle extracted from the cod’s neck. It has no bones and its taste is delicate and similar to scallops. In a word, bacalhau’s tongue is a rare gourmet item with a jellylike texture and some chefs worldwide describe it as the best fish meat.

Do you want to have the best memories after having visited Porto? You should go to Maria Rita then. The restaurant has the Tripadvisor’s 2022 Travelers’ Choice award. Their menu in the colors of azulejo is rather small but very attractive. And it’s high time to check it.

The menu reveals authentic Portuguese food, DOC wines including the glasses of sangria with fruits and traditional recipes with some specialties made of bacalhau: Bacalhau à Moda do Braga, Bacalhau Assado na Brasa and Bacalhau à Maria Rita. And the staff is sure these specialties are the best bacalhau in Porto.

The interior is decorated with a lot of bottles of local wines, traditional azulejos which show flowers and swallows and even a fireplace — if you visit this restaurant in winter, the fire will look very cosy even if it is brought to life by electricity. Like in many other Porto’s eating places, you will find a TV on the wall here. The Portuguese prefer to watch soccer games while eating delicious dishes with friends in restaurants.

This restaurant is also located on the waterfront with a breathtaking view and its interior is charming as well as its menu. It’s hard to find any drawbacks here. If you prefer simplicity and natural materials – stones and wood – Muro Do Bacalhau will become your home. If you don’t, you will enjoy the friendly staff and the diversity of food and wine. Their cuttlefish, duck rice and bacalhau make their visitors really happy. Isn’t it a good reason to believe in miracles?

Esferas de Bacalhau on their menu – the balls made of bacalhau – are so delicious! And if you’d like to dine with a fresh codfish, you should choose Lombo de Bacalhau fresco – a codfish steak with potatoes and yolk sauce. Don’t be afraid of ordering some beer, the Portuguese like pairing the local cuisine with this alcohol drink.

“Chez Lapin is a restaurant where every meal becomes a special and unforgettable moment”, – says the staff. And maybe it sounds a bit immodest for newcomers but the restaurant has been existing for 30 years. They have wines from 4 Portuguese regions – Alentejo, Dão, Porto and Madeira – and even a house wine just for 8 euros a bottle. Do you know something about the sparklings of Portugal? Try Murganheira in Chez Lapin. It will be a great experience because many sparkling wines of this cellar are remarkable and some of them are uncommon for european taste as they are made of portuguese autochthonous varieties. 

As for bacalhau at Chez Lapin, it’s really perfect. For instance, try their cod pasta and greens or oven-roasted cod. 

But Chez Lapin has another interesting option: it can introduce you to Porto or viсa versa. What do we mean? The company offers the Douro River Cruise 2023 on the beautiful boat for 60 euros and Tuk Tuk Tour for just 12 euros. Are you ready to choose a route?

Porto is not only a city but also a name of the district which includes several other towns and one of them is Vila Nova de Gaia where many of Porto's wine cellars are located. And not only the wineries but the amazing restaurants with bacalhau on their menu! 

Bacalhoeiro is one of these locations. Here you should try a tasty cod soup and a lot of main courses with bacalhau. Even those rare visitors who were not pleased with the Bacalhoeiro’s service, wouldn’t say anything bad about the cuisine of the restaurant. The staff can offer you a menu with the best traditional dishes and those of no gluten. Whatever you order – golden cod or bacalhau with cream – you will experience excellent cuisine. It seems that according to one Portuguese saying, they can cook cod 1001 different ways.

If you are lucky to eat and drink on the top floor next to the window at dusk, you will observe the lights of Porto and feel at peace and a bit hypnotized as the Bacalhoero’s chef is definitely a God of Cod.