I was on the lookout for a decent local restaurant when I stumbled upon this gem. We arrived early…read moreand ended up waiting in line before it opened, unaware of its popularity. Given its small size, with only five tables inside, we waited at least an hour for a seat.
The food did not disappoint. We started with the black pig cheek served with bread, and it was surprisingly delicious--big chunks of pork, a bit spicy, juicy, and not at all dry! Next, we tried the "a brás," which features fried potatoes, onion, and egg. It was fantastic, but you have to eat it quickly as the thinly sliced potatoes get soggy fast. Of course, we had to order the Francesinha, Porto's traditional dish. It's quite heavy, consisting of a sausage, ham, and steak sandwich smothered in melted cheese. While it was interesting to try, it was a bit too much for me to finish, and I don't think I would order it again.
We also enjoyed the octopus and codfish, both of which were pretty good--the octopus drizzled with olive oil and the codfish flaky. We paired our meal with a local wine, which was decent.
Overall, the food was great and definitely worth a visit. It was surprisingly affordable given the generous portions we ordered!