PORTO - Portugal - page 361

At Ar de Rio Restaurante, modern design meets traditional Portuguese cuisine. It's
located on the river with great views over the city. You can eat inside, or out on the deck
(€11-20 meat and fish plates, €6 daily lunch specials, daily 12:00-1:00 in the morning,
modern steel-and-glass “box” at Avenida Diogo Leite 5, tel. [phone]).
Real Indiana, right on the riverfront, serves up all the usual tasty Indian dishes.
Eat inside or out on the large deck overlooking the river (€12-26 splittable plates,
daily 12:00-15:00 & 19:00-23:00, big glass building facing the river at Loja 360, tel.
223-744-422).
In the City Center
(See “Porto Hotels & Restaurants” map, here .)
Good, cheap restaurants are scattered all around the city center, but since this is a business
district, many are lunch-only. Menus are often handwritten (posted on paper tablecloths
outside) with €1 soups and €5 plates. Remember that most coffee and pastry shops do
double-duty as lunch spots, so wander around and see what people are having. Good loc-
ations abound on the pedestrian Rua do Sampaio Bruno and on the side streets of Rua
do Almada (one block west of Avenida dos Aliados). The dining's more atmospheric in
Ribeira, but these are convenient if you're staying in the center.
Restaurante Guarany, established in 1933, has been the musicians' coffee shop for
generations. You'll enjoy Art Deco elegance with a Brazilian flair (read brochure for the
charming story of the murals) and crisp yet friendly service. I'd skip the salads and zero
in on the fine €14-18 meat and fish plates and daily specials (daily 9:00-24:00, Avenida
dos Aliados 85, tel. [phone]). There's no extra charge for live music (fado, Cuban,
Brazilian, Thu-Sat from 9:30, schedule at www.cafeguarany.com ).
ImperialMcDonald's, famously inhabiting the former Imperial Café at the bottom of
Avenida dos Aliados, is the most elegant fast-food spot you'll ever munch fries in.
Restaurante Regaleira (just around the corner) is a venerable local bistro with no
tourists and a great scene (cheaper lunches at bar, open daily except Sat, Rua do Bon-
jardim 87, tel. [phone]).
Restaurante Abadia gives customers a warm welcome and has two floors of happy
eaters—locals and tourists—dining on large portions of straightforward Portuguese
cuisine. This 300-seat place is a no-brainer for a fine, central meal. Split a huge half-
portion of their Porto-style tripe with your travel partner, balanced with something a
little more predictable, such as a sizzling mini-hibachi of roasted chicken and potatoes
(€11.50 meia dose s and tasty omelets, €20 splittable dose s, specialty is grilled cod, Mon-
Sat 12:00-15:00 & 18:30-23:00, closed Sun, head one block east of Sá da Badeira near
Bolhão market to side street Rua do Ateneu Comercial do Porto 22-24, tel. [phone]).