Bonfim, Porto: A Complete Neighbourhood Guide

Bonfim is a quietly confident neighbourhood: it’s not full of must-sees but it’s a sleepy, authentic part of Porto where locals have been living their whole lives. If you want to escape the expensive restaurants of varying quality in busy Baixa, head to Bonfim to eat at neighbourhood cafes and snack bars for a couple of Euros.

These days, Bonfim exhibits only the first signs of gentrification. You’ll soon sniff out speciality coffee and vegan cafes in Bonfim. However, it doesn’t seem overrun with modern influences. Bonfim is the perfect blend of 80% traditional and 20% cool.

Work it into your Porto sightseeing itinerary to see a totally different side to the city.

If you’d prefer to buy second hand than new, Bonfim has a bunch of vintage stores selling clothes and homeware. Do Arco da Belha is a vintage furniture and wine bar where you can sip Portuguese beverages while browsing the items.

Just around the corner, Retro City Porto has a huge range of clothes, bags, shoes and accessories. Rummage to your heart’s content!

Igreja de Santo Ildefonso

From Bonfim, take a short walk to Igreja de Santo Ildefonso, one of the most famous sights in Porto. The facade of this church was designed by Nicolau Nasoni, the architect responsible for half the city. It features 11,000 painted azulejos (tiles) and is free to go inside.

Next, where to eat in Bonfim, Porto…

Bonfim is quickly becoming one of the best Porto neighbourhoods for speciality coffee. See what I mean about the traditional and modern blending together!

Read next: 16 best coffee shops in Porto

Dona Mira is a cosy neighbourhood cafe with a hidden garden and funky artwork. Sit outside while enjoying speciality coffee, cake and brunch/lunch dishes. In the evening, it’s a good place for tapas and cocktails.

After from Combi, I’d say Mesa 365 is the best place for coffee snobs in Bonfim. Since it’s usually quiet and the Wi-Fi is strong, it’s ideal for remote workers (unless they get distracted playing with the cafe dog – I’ve been there!).

Although the coffee is decent, I didn’t love the brunch here: as you can see from the photo, the avocado bagel had the thinnest spread of avocado possible! It was only €3.50 but even so.

If you love kombucha, you’re in for a treat. Most Porto cafes that serve it will likely be purchasing it from Aquela in Bonfim. To save money and get it straight from the source, head here between 3 and 7pm on weekdays.

It’s not a cafe but a store. Pay €2.50 for a reusable glass bottle (1.5L) and fill it up with kombucha for €6. Flavours include passion fruit, mint and coffee. If you can’t decide, the staff will let you do some kombucha-tasting before you buy.

Why Bonfiim has become the vegan hub of Porto remains a mystery but I’m not complaining. If you’re a vegan traveller, Bonfim is the perfect base because you’re literally surrounded by plant-based food options.

If we’re talking vegan buffets in Porto, I prefer daTerra but I can’t deny Suribachi fills a spot when in Bonfim.

At Suribachi, you can choose a small or medium plate and load it with fake meats, grains, pulses, veggies and salad. There’s always a soup of the day, as well as fresh juices and vegan desserts. For a healthy, filling meal in casual surroundings, it’s a gem.

It used to be super affordable but in late 2021, they bumped up the prices considerably so I haven’t visited as much since.

Anyone with a sweet tooth will fall in love with Odete Bakery thanks to their cakes, fruit tarts, croissants and other baked goods. It’s fairly pricey but you can’t deny the quality is phenomenal.

It’s also one of the best places in Porto to stock up on quality sourdough bread. The sourdough pizza is divine, best washed down with their organic wine.

O Porto dos Gatos

Possibly the best thing to do in Bonfim is curl up with a cat at this heavenly cafe. They seem happy and well cared for (something I’m always conscious of at animal cafes), plus this vegan cafe serves a range of Portuguese and non-Portuguese dishes, all with cat-themed names.

O Porto dos Gatos has an inside eating area, a lovely outdoor terrace, and a ‘cat room’ where you can befriend the cats. Order one of the francesinhas with fake meats or try the topped toast dishes; the one with courgette, ‘feta’ and balsamic is delicious.

Finally, there are coffees, cold drinks and cakes. This is one of the highlights of Porto’s Bonfim neighbourhood for sure!

Vegana by Tentugal is a vegan restaurant in Bonfim serving typical Porto dishes minus the meat. Try francesinhas and cachorros (hot dogs in francesinha sauce) as well as general vegan dishes like burgers and sandwiches.

Honest opinion – I’ve had better francesinha sauce so I would recommend ordering the burgers or sandwiches here instead. For francesinhas, read my vegan Porto guide.

It’s not healthy fare but vegan junk food. We all need some junk food from time to time, right? They also make the best vegan pastel de nata in Porto, in my opinion.

Craft beer / cocktail bars in Bonfim

Don’t come to Bonfim for a crazy night out: there are better parts of Porto for example Galerias de Paris Street in the city centre. Bonfim is better for cocktail bars and brewpubs than mainstream clubs.

Here are a few bars to check out…

The cocktails at TerraPlana Café are ridiculous. Overwhelmed with options, I ordered the Amazon cocktail with Sagatiba Cachaça Pura, lime, lemon, guarana, oleo-saccharum (a type of sugar syrup I believe) guava and cashew foam. Just wow!

There are a huge array of choices you’ll have never heard of as well as the classics. I haven’t tried the pizza here yet but apparently it’s good. On weeknights, you can get the pizza of the week with a wine or beer for €10.