6 Best Restaurants in Braga, Northern Portugal

A meal in this long-established restaurant is worth a climb (or drive) to the top of the hill that's home to the Santuário Nossa Senhora do Sameiro, not least because views from the spacious, elegantly decorated dining room are superb. As for the food, it is predominately northern Portuguese---recently complemented with Brazilian-style barbecued meats. It's possible to eat here for around €10 per head, but if your budget stretches further, you might start with the alheira—a garlicky regional sausage, served with sautéed grelos, or turnip tops—before moving on to the house bacalhau, featuring heaps of fried onions, or cabrito assado (roasted kid). There's also a tapas bar next door.

In business since 1858, this local landmark serves a wide variety of light dishes and pastries, and has lovely views of the fountain in the square outside. The dining room is refined and elegant, but the tables outside are most in demand.

Eat well for less at this welcoming restaurant in an old house in the center of Braga---one of the few traditional eateries still going amid all the wine bars and souvenir shops. The house bacalhau (codfish) is fried in olive olive but they also prepare it com broa (with a cornbread crust); among other tasty options are octopus fritters---here served with puréed apple and chestnuts---and a range of steak dishes. For dessert, if you haven't yet tried pudim abade de Priscos---made with egg yolks and port wine---this is a great opportunity to do so.

Well-heeled locals are happy to drive the 15 kilometers (10 miles) from Braga to this fashionable restaurant in the village of Moure, housed in a hotel in the French Maison Albar chain that is set in acres of greensward dotted with contemporary sculpture (and whose owner also likes to show off his supercars). On the menu overseen by Michelin-starred chef Julien Montbabut are delicacies such as veal cheeks stewed for 12 hours, pork presa (a flavorful cut from the shoulder) that is served with a wonderful locally produced couscous, and bacalhau (salt cod) with migas---breadcrumbs fried in pork fat with cabbage and black-eyed peas. Among the desserts is a variant on the popular bolo de bolacha (biscuit cake)---here assembled at your table.

Despite the unusual location, amid industrial units a 10-minute drive out of town, this Michelin-starred gourmet haven helmed by youthful chef Rui Filipe draws foodies with its seafood-heavy menu of regional dishes. First-time visitors are recommended to go for the "Tradition" tasting menu (€110)---though you may also order à la carte---but there is also a more daring "Innovation" one (€145). Either way, vegetarian or other dietary requirements can be catered for, with a bit of notice. There are various types of wine pairings on offer (from €60): the place is owned by a leading wine distributor and you can also sample some of vast range, along with gourmet snacks, in the attached wine bar.

The tibia, a traditional local pastry, takes center stage here, but prize-winning pastry chef João Benjamim Araújo and his team turn out a wide range of other sticky delights, most of which also originated in Braga. Grab a coffee and choose whether to sit inside the beautifully renovated historic building or on the terrace---both of which are great places for people watching.