Best Porto Food Tour: Honest Review of Taste Porto 

Stop right here. Go to YouTube.

Check out Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown S9 E8.

This episode will give you great context about this incredible port city before your food tour. One of my favorite scenes is when the ladies in the fish market heckle the late Tony as he’s walking down the street, making him blush!

Later in the episode, you’ll also see Taste Porto Co-Founder André Apolinário sharing some incredible mouth-watering Portuguese cheeses with Tony.

Ok, let’s continue.

There are 3 food tour options:

→   Downtown & Bolhão Market Food Tour

→   Vintage & Port Wine Food Tour

→   Craft Beer & Food Tour (it’s not all about the wine!)

We chose the Vintage & Port Wine Food Tour. The 85€ includes tasting traditional Portuguese dishes, local pastries, and delicious Port wines. A little history and highlights of the city are sprinkled in between these delicious bites.

Do NOT eat breakfast before this tour. You have been warned.

Let’s go through what you can expect from the Vintage & Port Wine Food Tour.

First stop was Mercearia do Bolhão.

Our guide was Miguel, a musician and foodie lover whose enthusiasm for his country was quite contagious. He expertly led us through all of our foodie stops, clearly explaining what we were eating and the history behind it.

We would have never discovered this charming century-old grocery store.

The Mercearia do Bolhão sells all kinds of goodies including cod, cheeses, sausages, honey, oil, wine, bread, and specialty regional products that are stocked on shelves going all the way to the ceiling.

Our small group was led to the back of this traditional shop to enjoy a Tábua Mista, which was a mixed board of delicious local meats, marmalade, and Portuguese cheeses.

Located in the heart of downtown Porto, the Mercado do Bolhão boasts over 70 traders offering everything from fresh fish, meats, local vegetables & fruits, and even some shall I say interesting phallic pastry cakes to encourage fertility.

Google Doces Fálicos, lol.

I loved seeing all the faces of the stall owners prominently displayed hanging from the ceiling as you walked in. Where do you even begin in a market that spans an entire block?

Luckily, we had our expert foodie guide to lead us around this lively market which has been around since 1837.

Miguel introduced us to Bolhão Wine House, run by the incredibly hospitable owner Hugo Silva. We enjoyed some traditional artisanal canned sardines and spiced carapaus (horse mackerel) on some fresh bread and crackers.

Of course, this was paired with some lovely Portuguese white wine.

Canned fish?

Not as off-putting as it sounds. This Portuguese gastronomic specialty offered way more rich umami flavor than I was expecting!

It was so delicious that my husband and I actually went back the next day to the market and bought canned sardines and horse mackerel to take home.

Portugal is known for not only their high-quality, fresh sardines (which we enjoyed in the Algarve) but also for preserving its sardines in olive oil in tinned cans.

The first commercial cannery opened in 1853 and many more followed. These nutritious, heart-healthy fish actually kept soldiers going through two world wars.

Since we have been back from Portugal, my husband has made two delicious dishes with these artisanal canned fish.

He used our can of spiced sardines (see photo above) to make a delicious tomato-based sauce over a bed of orecchiette pasta.

Secondly, we used our can of spiced horse mackerel as a delicious topping on a piece of my husband’s homemade sourdough bread as pictured below. We sprinkled on a few red onions and capers too. So delicious.

He also tried adding a thin layer of cream cheese too, like a play on lox and bagels.

That was my favorite!

This quaint, family-owned shop has been running since 1892.

The Jesuita is their specialty, which is a delicious triangular-shaped pastry with sweet egg cream on the inside and a crispy sugar-glazed crust on top.

Very light and airy!

We also enjoyed their second specialty, the limonete. This was yet another incredible Portuguese sweet delight made with lemon curd filling and a sugar glazing.

Taxca is truly a foodie gem and slightly off the tourist path. Expect a lot of locals, so you know you are in a good place!

To come to find out, it was only a 6-minute walk from our boutique hotel, Canto de Luz.

If we had stayed more days, we would have definitely been repeat customers!

They are famous for their Bifana sandwich.

Think of it like a juicy warm marinated pork sandwich on a buttery soft roll. So delicious and satisfying.

We first enjoyed this tasty sandwich at a little riverside restaurant after we hiked the Paiva Walkways and Arouca Bridge. Taxca makes the best one though!

We were also served the local espadal, which is like a rosé wine. Great pairing!

My husband and I were pretty stuffed at this point, but we pressed on. The last stop of the day was Garrafeira Oli Portugal.

What an incredible wine shop!

They had a fantastic wine selection hand-picked by sommelier OIinaIdo Oliveira. We instantly wished we had left a little more room in the suitcase to take some bottles back.

We were already maxed to the brim though after spending several glorious days out in Douro Valley doing wine tours.

Miguel led us to the tasting room upstairs that was specially prepared for our group.

Our mini Port wine masterclass included a Dalva LBV Port 2015 and a 10-year Tawny Port from Quinta do Noval. ‘

These wine selections paired perfectly with the Portuguese sweets Miguel had picked up from the local bakery Confeitaria Aliança.

I was happy. And quite full. What an incredible, well-rounded food tour!

If you’re heading to Porto, the best way to experience this magical city is definitely through its food.

Sure, you could explore on your own, but you’d miss out on all the stories, history, and hidden spots that only a local guide can share.

It’s no wonder Taste Porto is considered the best food tour in the city. It’s been praised by Anthony Bourdain, Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, and, most importantly, by the locals who actually live and eat there.

Every bite tells a story, and it’s such a fun, delicious way to connect with the city.

And if you’re pairing your Porto trip with a visit to Madeira, don’t miss my full review on who runs the best Madeira food tour. Trust me, it’s another unforgettable food adventure you’ll want on your list.

Bom apetite!

If Taste Porto is booked for your day and time of choice, here is another highly-rated food tour:

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Questions about our Taste Porto food tour?

Let me know in the comments below!