Easily 5 stars! No-frills ambiance, but a totally authentic mom-and-pop restaurant. We had a real…read morePorto Francesinha sandwich (which means "little French girl" in Portuguese)--hot, hearty, and much bigger and richer than a regular sandwich. We ordered three sandwiches, two glasses of house vinho verde, one beer, and one lemonade for just 30 euros. Not only a famous spot in Porto, but also great food and excellent value. Simple setting, good service, and great prices make this a perfect choice.

I have to admit that neither Jamie W nor I were all that excited about trying the Francesinha,…read morePorto's signature sandwich, because it's a "heart attack on a plate" as Anthony Bourdain described it. Its nearest cousin is the Croque Madame only more gluttonous with multiple kinds of meat and an excess of melted cheese. Bourdain went to O Afonso to try his first Francesinha when he visited Porto. However, current consensus motivated us to come here after we watched more recent YouTube travel videos from Jamie Oliver and others. This looked like a more classic, retro-style diner like Mel's Drive-In, but there was no mistaking what everyone was ordering here whether they were tourists or locals. Tables were pretty snug, but we managed to squeeze ourselves in against the wall. We knew we had to get the 13,2€ Francesinha Santiago because it was the classic rendition (Photo 8). Fortunately they allowed us to share an order because our tablemates let us know other places around town don't allow you to do that. It was quite a sight with the fried egg on top of a monstrous sandwich covered by multiple, overlapping slices of a Portuguese cheese called queijo flamengo. The sandwich itself consisted of two thick slices of white bread toasted to golden brown. Inside was Portuguese wet-cured ham, bologna, grilled sirloin steak, fresh sausage, linguiça, and mortadella. It was all doused with their house francesinha sauce made of beef gravy, tomato paste, onion, garlic, piri piri chiles, beer, brandy, and port wine. A pile of fries surrounded the sandwich (Photo 10). Wow, I just spent two paragraphs describing the francesinha and didn't mention whether I liked it or not. I did - but I also realized it was one-and-done for me. We managed to have a couple of the 2,7€ bowls of soup. Jamie had the Caldo Verde (Spinach Soup) (Photo 9), and I had the Canja de Galinha (Chicken Soup) (Photo 7). Both were satisfying, and mine had orzo. Yes, that was enough food. FOOD - 4 stars...that was quite a mountain of a sandwich AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...very popular spot with seating squeezed together SERVICE - 4.5 stars...a veteran server treated us very well TOTAL - 4 stars...come hungry and enjoy RELATED - Exploring Porto? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/7s1tZV5h5M

Don't think, just walk in. EXCELLENT!!!!! Everything from the service to the food is perfection.read more

Got screwed real hard at this place. Came gere with my family, 2 kids 3 adults. Waiter told us he…read morewould check in on us how much food we could handle after 3 dishes. Well he didn't, and the fourth dish he made 5 full portions of lobster pasta, big plates even for us, and same size for the kids. We could of course's not finish this by any chance, let alone the kids. So by this move he doubled our bill, and that's what I call a good scammer. If you decide to go here I suggest you not trust the staff here.

Enjoyed the food a lot, but we were seated at a bad table - in the entryway to some room the staff…read moreused, so waitpeople were constantly bustling right by me in and out. No idea who thought it was a good idea to put a table there. And the service was incredibly slow, took forever for our meal to arrive (much longer than at other restaurants with good food and relaxed service). You might have a better experience if you get a better table and the kitchen/waiter get the food out in a more timely fashion, but good food could not make up for the overall less than ideal experience.

I'm wondering if this restaurant is now called Almada 331? If it is, we ate there last night and it…read morewas fantastic. The host was very welcoming, the food excellent and the prices reasonable. Wanted to go again tonight but I think it's closed in a Tuesday.

Such an enjoyable dining experience! The most impressive…read moreaspect about this place to me is being able to feel the passion and love with which the owner serves his dishes and wine. I tried barnacles for the first time, then he showed me how to properly eat them, and proceeded to answer all of my somewhat random questions, such as: why is this street blocked off from cars on weekends; where is this cheese from; how did you start this place; can I buy this exquisite lemon jam from you; etc. Loved my experience here and highly recommend it!

Yes, when you visit Porto, you have to have some of the namesake fortified wine. But you'll really…read morebe missing out if you don't try a Francesinha. It's a local specialty sandwich, typically with ham, sausage, some kind of beef, melted cheese, and a fried egg, served in a bowl of spicy tomato sauce. If that sounds like a lot, it most certainly is. Of course, a bowl of fries to dip in the sauce is recommended as well. The neighborhood near the Marques metro station is a good one to stay in, with a pleasant downhill walk to the main sights, and a direct subway ride back. Francesinha Cafe cements this as a great place to visit. The physical space was a couple of notches nicer than I expected a sandwich joint to be - it turned out to be a very nice little restaurant with a limited menu. We weren't sure if we should split a sandwich and fries between two people - it turned out that a whole sandwich each, and splitting an order of fries worked out well for us. Porto is a terrific place to visit, and the Francesinha is the icing on the cake.

Even thought they don't speak much English, it doesn't matter. Super friendly and amazingly…read moredelicious food. Do NOT hesitate to stop and have one of the best Francesinhas in the city of Porto!

Change owners already. Different name and foods. We are very upset about the information inaccurate.read more

This restaurant was recommended to me by friends prior to my visit to Porto! I wanted it to be the…read morefirst place I had drinks and tapas upon my arrival to Porto! Note: Be aware that some shops and restaurants will close mid afternoon and open back up in the evening (this one closes at 3:30p and opens back up at: 6:30p) because they stay open late most nights! The staff are bi-lingual in many languages which makes for a nice diverse group of diners! The restaurant isn't large and fills up quickly..always a good sign of a local place you want to visit! The food was AMAZING! We had a meat/cheese plate; fried Octopus patties; grilled prawns in garlic sauce; Cod Croquettes and some sausage is a flaky type of pastry! We ordered Sangria as well! The Sangria..White and Rose was not too sweet..but deceivingly delicious..so we had a few glasses and were a lil tipsy throughout the meal! The bill was more than reasonable for all that we had that night! I loved how everyone was friendly in the restaurant and gave us other cool places to visit while in Porto! If you happen to be in the area..do yourself a favor and stop by for some authentic Portuguese Tapas!

5 for beauty, zero for prices!! What a tourist trap. I walked in on a quiet morning wanting a small…read morecup of coffee or drink prior to an appointment I was early for. I was absolutely shook at the prices. 7€ for a pingo? (A sip of expresso with a drop of milk and the cup is slightly bigger than two or three thimbles. To compare, you can go most anywhere else and pay about 1€ for a pingo.) 8/9 euros for a hot chocolate? You can get cup of milk for 3/4 euros though, at the store you can get a whole liter for .89€ Listen, I am 100% sure being in this cafe is a dream for some potter fans but it is sad that the prices are that insane, but... clearly people pay them. I politely excused myself and I walked across the way and had two pork rissóis and a cup of coffee (not a baby pingo- think cappuccino size) for 3€... and for free, the real Portuguese experience with locals. The people I engaged with were lovely and kind here. This review is for the prices. Not the food, drinks, or service. Let's be real, of course ambiance is off the chart gorgeous. So if you don't mind a 50€ tab for 3-4 baby, baby coffees maybe just take a picture from the outside and call it good. There are more local and authentic things to do in Porto than pay 7€ for an orange juice or pingo.

Delicious food and amazing service. My husband and I shared the club sandwich, cheesecake, port…read morepairing, and the Oporto Passion cocktail. The environment is upscale and welcoming with live piano music. The only downside was the tourists actively wandering around filming the patrons and staff. Recommend for a drink, but a little pricey for the area.

This was our favorite restaurant experience in Porto. I found this recommendation from Reddit and…read moreit did not disappoint. My husband loved the octopus and my son enjoyed the lamb. I thought the veal was also amazing. We came for dinner twice. It is a must when you are in Porto. Service was excellent and the ambiance and view from the windows was lovely.

Recommend reserving the top floor (third fl) for a truly beautiful view while dining. Both, the…read moresecond and third floors have a balcony, and French doors that open out to a picturesque view. Unfortunately, the food fell short, despite the gorgeous presentation, the reason for the 4 star rating. The octopus was fresh, however over cooked. Similar with the rack of lamb, tough around the edges. The service is quite lax, if you're not on a schedule, then that shouldn't be an issue, otherwise recommend being proactive. Come here for the view, the ambiance, and to share drinks and the experience with partner/date, family and friends.

A.azingly friendly staff! We did not realize there were only 15 minutes until closing, but the…read morestaff were still incredibly kind and helpful, all with smiles. We got the food to-go so they didn't have to wait for us to finish, and even out of a box it was delicious! So much so, we decided to go back for breakfast the next morning. Unfortunately, the power kept going out and we needed to catch a bus out of town, so we didn't get to try more. The savory pancakes were phenomenal though - I got the ones with fried onion and avocado. The ambience reminds me of 70s-80z Tokyo in the best way possible! A very "tokyo vice" feeling. There were also a few people working on computers, so it seems to be a great place to stay awhile and relax. Excellent music choices as well!

Stopped in right before closing time and ended up getting food take away. The acai smoothie was…read moregood and the eggs Benedict on top of a pancake was different! The hollandaise sauce was really good and you can't go wrong with breakfast for dinner!

Go for the famous "cachorrinhos," aka little sausage sandwiches, stay for the vibe and the rest of…read morethe menu. I'd read about this place online and was glad we went. It's one of those incredibly soulful spots that I feel are, low-key, becoming extinct in big cities, where everything is starting to look homogenized. We queued for about 15 minutes and grabbed seats at the bar. This was with awful weather and before peak tourist season, so I imagine the lines can get quite long. Pro tip: don't head inside just because you see someone leave. I made that mistake and was told to wait for someone to call me over. The people working here have zero sense of urgency, and that's part of the magic. You're in Portugal. Relax. The cachorrinhos were great, but we also had a steak sandwich that was phenomenal. Think greasy street food in a compact, hole-in-the-wall spot. Pair it with a beer and fries, and you've got the perfect lunch. They take cards!

This is definitely one of several places I wished I'd had time to go back to more than once, or…read moreindeed, ideally, that they'd somehow decide to open an offshoot in the exact place I live in the US (counterpoint, that that would *suck* for my arteries)... I'm very glad we stopped here while we were in Porto. I'm also glad we managed to find two *seats* together - the place is tiny, and well-attended. It's a bit cramped if you're dining in, but worth it (assuming you can find a seat.) I was also spoiled after the first fried cheese-dog arrived like 2 minutes after ordering it, despite it being so busy - the pica pao took a longer time (not an unreasonably long time), as did the second cachorrinho I decided I needed to get even though I wasn't *terribly* hungry after sharing the first two items, cause it was so good, and I knew I wouldn't be back any time soon, if ever (was fine by me, as I was also enjoying trying a bunch of Portuguese spirits for cheap - 3.5 euro for a decently large glass of ginja, 3-5 euro for various Portuguese brandies... they thought I was weird ordering a large glass of ginja, but it goes *so* well with the salty deep fried food served here.) Cachorrinhos are super unhealthy obviously, being basically a fried hot dog stuffed with cheese, but excellent, totally worth the roughly 5 bucks. The pica pau Americo was also a pretty good value, as a "small" is... not small. I figured I should try both of the things they were most known for - the pica pau was great too, but if I were ever back, I'd probably just stuff my face with wonderful fried crispy cheese dogs.