Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
We've compiled the best of the best in Viana do Castelo - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
In a renovated mansion near the waterfront, this eatery is a prime destination for seafood; start with fish soup or sapateira recheada (stuffed crab) and continue with main dishes such as roast octopus or the unusual house bacalhau, which is fried and stuffed with bacon. Desserts include a pudim de Abade de Priscos (an especially rich crème caramel pudding) that some say is the best in the country.
So famous that it was featured on a postage stamp in 2017, this vintage pastry shop is best known for its bola de Berlim donuts, overflowing with pastry cream. Also popular are the cinnamon biscuits, pão de ló à Jorge Amado (a sponge favored by the late Brazilian writer on his periodic visits), and Manjerico de Viana, an eggy tart that tastes like sweet basil. It was originally invented at the nearby Pastelaria Zé Natário, opened in 1970 by Manuel's brother José.
You wouldn't know it from the bright, modern decor, but O Laranjeira is Viana's oldest pensão, and its restaurant serves some of the best traditional Minho cuisine around. The business is now in the hands of the third generation, who are innovating while respecting tradition and preserving the soul of the place. Any of the fresh fish dishes is a good option, but so is the roasted kid.
This small café is the perfect place to soak up the Minho atmosphere. The proprietor makes his own pastries, cakes, and croquettes.
This smart dockside restaurant and terrace in a former warehouse is owned by a family of fish wholesalers (with their own boats) who since 2008 have been serving customers some of the best seafood around: the only meat here is on the kids' menu. Monkfish features most days, as do navalhas (razor clams), while the vegetables used are all organic. Start with a fish soup, bolinhos de bacalhau (cod cakes) or Galicia-style octopus, before moving on to fresh grilled fish or their spectacular cataplana stew. If you have a sweet tooth, end with a lindinha---a flaky pastry stuffed with sweet ground almonds.
