7 Best Restaurants in Northern Portugal, Portugal

Off a small square, behind an unassuming, grey façade is "The Kitchen"—a smart, modern space where you can enjoy the beautifully presented fruits of chef António Loureiro's years of study of regional cuisine across the country. He and his team showcase the best local produce in season, reducing food miles and waste by using herbs and vegetables from the restaurant's upstairs garden and turning offcuts into amuse-bouches. If you can afford it, opt for one of the tasting menus (€140 for ten "moments" plus €70 for wine pairing, or €110 for seven, plus €55)---they're what brought this relative veteran a Michelin star. They will do a vegetarian (or vegan) tasting menu if you let them know ahead of time, and there are also non-alcoholic drinks pairings. You can also order à la carte, and there's a three-course set lunch menu (€35) Wednesdays through Fridays---though if you want it, you must specify that when you make your reservation. The wine list is particularly strong on vinho verde, and many of the wines are organic.

This riverside restaurant 9 km (6 miles) from Régua, on the left bank of the Douro, draws gourmets from far and wide with Michelin-starred chef Rui Paula's take on the cuisine of his native region, in which bacalhau and polvo (octopus) loom large, as well as tender Bísaro pork and Maronesa veal. You'll pay from €140 for a tasting menu (and from €100 for wine pairing); vegetarian menus can be arranged, with notice, and there is a children's gourmet set menu (€40) and several à la carte options.

This venerable gourmet haven in the luxury Casa da Calçada hotel re-opened in early 2025 under Francisco Quintas, Portugal's youngest chef to win a Michelin star. Quintas lets his imagination run riot, wowing diners with playful combinations of flavors---smoky, spicy, acid, or sweet---and textures that range from creams to powders. There are two tasting menus, one with 13 moments (€140, plus €70 for Portuguese wine pairing or €95 for foreign wines) and one with 15 (€160; from €90 for wine), inspired by the chef's experiences at top restaurants in France and elsewhere, and featuring local ingredients such as trout, eel, and truffles, plus delicacies from abroad. The staff can offer expert help in choosing wine from a vast list that includes vinho verde made from grapes in the hotel grounds.

Vila do Conde native Paulo André has worked with top chefs around Portugal; he is now applying his ample talent just steps from the Rio Ave, producing eye-catching, delicious creations from the best local ingredients. Tasting menus cost €90 (plus €55 or wine pairing) or, for the more complete version, €120 (plus €70 for wine), but you can also order à la carte, with signature mains including sea bass with creamy clam-and-prawn rice, garnished with seaweed and trout roe, pigeon foie gras with beetroot purée and blueberry sauce, and lamb with salsify and Jerusalem artichoke purée. The desserts don't disappoint, either: try the rhubarb and hibiscus combo, or the lemon curd and ricotta cannelloni. 

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.

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.