3 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.

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.