There’s no better way to get to the heart of a city than by eating your way through it with a local, and that’s exactly what we did with Taste Porto — the city’s longest-running food tour company, praised over the years by Anthony Bourdain, Rick Steves, Lonely Planet and The Guardian.
We took the Downtown Food Tour, and one thing has genuinely changed for the better since our visit: the historic Mercado do Bolhão was mid-renovation when we went, closed and fenced off. It’s since fully reopened, and the tour — now branded the Downtown & Bolhão Market Food Tour — is back to including the market as one of its core stops. If you’ve been holding off because of the renovation, that’s no longer a reason to wait.
Quick Facts
| Tour name | Downtown & Bolhão Market Food Tour |
| Duration | 3–3.5 hours |
| Departs | Monday–Saturday, 10 am and 4 pm |
| Group size | Small groups (intimate, not a coach-load) |
| Dietary needs | Vegetarian-friendly; ask ahead for other requirements |
| Gives back | A portion of every ticket supports a local homeless charity |
Our Experience on the Tour
Our guide walked us through six distinct tasting stops, each paired with a piece of the city’s history — exactly the format Taste Porto still runs today, even if the specific venues on your tour may vary slightly by the day.
Chaves pastries kicked things off — a flaky, moon-shaped pastry that can only legally carry the name if it’s made in the town of Chaves itself. We tried both the savoury (feta and mushroom for the vegetarians in our group) and the sweet chocolate-hazelnut version. It’s a meal in itself, and a genuinely surprising way to start a food tour.
Mercado do Bolhão was next — now fully restored and open, this is the city’s grand 19th-century market, with fruit and vegetable stalls upstairs and fish and flowers below. We stopped at a family-run wine house tucked into one of the lower-level stores, tasting muscatel wine, cured sardines, local cheese, and a curious “cheeseless cheese” pastry called queijadinha.
Flor dos Congregados, on one of Porto’s oldest narrow streets, has been run by the same family since 1852 and serves the city’s famous “Terylene” sandwich — pork loin marinated for 20 hours and roasted in a wood oven. Vegetarians get a bowl of caldo verde, a comforting kale and potato soup.
Café Guarany, an art deco institution dating to 1933, is where we stopped for the best coffee in town — a proper Porto cimbalino, sipped sitting down, the way locals actually drink it.
Leitaria da Quinta do Paço delivered the tour’s biggest surprise: a lemon curd eclair that outshone the chocolate version entirely. Genuinely one of the best things we ate in Porto.
The tour finished at Taberna do Largo, a family-run spot with hand-picked wines, cheeses and cured meats, sausage cooked in front of us, and a warmth that made the whole final stop feel like being welcomed into someone’s home.
Along the way, our guide walked us up to a miradouro (viewpoint) above the river, pointing out the Port wine cellars across the water and giving genuine local context you simply don’t get wandering on your own.
Our Verdict
This remains one of the best things to do in Porto, full stop. You get real food, real history, and a guide who clearly loves their city — not a tourist-menu version of any of it. With the Bolhão Market fully back in the rotation, the tour is arguably better now than when we took it.
Practical Tips
- Book in advance — Taste Porto is well-established and popular, and slots fill up, especially in peak season.
- Come hungry, skip breakfast — this is genuinely a full meal spread across six stops.
- Mention dietary needs when booking — vegetarian options are handled well; other requirements are best flagged ahead of time.
- Wear comfortable shoes — Porto is a hilly city, and the tour includes a fair bit of walking, some of it uphill.
Taste Porto FAQs
Is the Taste Porto Downtown Tour worth it? Yes — it’s consistently rated one of Porto’s best food tours, and going with a local guide gets you into family-run spots you’d likely walk straight past on your own.
Is Mercado do Bolhão back on the tour route? Yes — the market has fully reopened after its renovation and is once again a core stop on the tour.
How much walking is involved? A moderate amount over 3–3.5 hours, including some uphill sections — comfortable shoes are a must.
Can vegetarians do this tour? Yes, the Downtown Tour caters well for vegetarians, with substitutions at each meat-based stop.
Does Taste Porto offer other tours? Yes — alongside the Downtown & Bolhão Market Tour, they also run a Vintage & Port Wine Tour, a Craft Beer & Food Tour, and a self-guided Food Passport option. Book here
Final Thoughts
Taste Porto delivered exactly what a good food tour should: real local food, real history, and a guide who made us feel like we were being shown around by a friend rather than herded through a checklist. With the Bolhão Market back open, there’s now one less reason to wait before booking this one.
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