15 x Best Breakfast & Brunch in Porto, Portugal

PORTO ESSENTIALS

Accommodation: Booking.com / Hostelworld

Getting there: flight (Skyscanner), train (Omio), bus (Flixbus)

Activities: GetYourGuide / Viator

Food tours & activities: EatWith

Getting around: walk / Metro / bus / taxi

Guidebook: Lonely Planet Porto

Related reads: 80 things to do in Porto & the ultimate 3 day Porto itinerary

Where to eat brunch in Porto

There are plenty of brunch cafes in central Porto but some are expensive and touristy. Cafes like Majestic and Vogue offer a high-end dining experience which might be exactly what you’re after, but you also might prefer somewhere more relaxed and affordable. Don’t worry, I got you!

Likewise, neighbourhoods like Ribeira and Vila Nova de Gaia offer a couple of potential options although these areas are typically more about touristic restaurants and port wine.

In my opinion, the best brunch cafes in Porto are located close to Cedofeita which is known as a trendy part of Porto just north of the UNESCO centre.

With no more ado, here are my top picks for brunch and breakfast in Porto, Portugal…

My first brunch in Porto (mere hours into my trip) remains one of the best. There’s nothing Portuguese about this cafe in Boavista, near Casa da Música, but it’s a cool place to eat with inventive breakfast dishes.

Negra Café is bright and modern with a touch of old-school glamour. I loved black and white photos of iconic celebrities, all with a superimposed cup of Negra Coffee in their hands. Every element fits the bill from the velvety sofas to the retro props like typewriters and old TV sets.

Sometimes, aesthetically-pleasing cafes fall short where the food is concerned but this isn’t the case at Negra Café. I ate a delicious pancake stack with bacon, avocado, a fried egg, maple syrup and crispy fried onions.

They also serve egg dishes, topped toast, croissants, pastries and healthy fruit bowls.

I paid €10 including orange juice; cheap for a Brit fresh off the plane!

Address: Rua de 5 de Outubro 93. There’s also a more central cafe at Rua Guedes de Azevedo 117 (Baixa) and another near the beach in Matosinhos.

Opening times: 9am-7.30pm, daily.

Época isn’t somewhere you’d stroll by as it’s slightly outside the city centre. Have it on your radar; it’s a real gem with natural, vegetarian ingredients.

The short but sweet menu is built around their homemade sourdough. The star dish is the Turkish eggs but you can also opt for Mexican eggs, French toast, buckwheat pancakes, and fancy porridge and granola dishes. 

It’s a relaxed, unassuming cafe with lots of natural light, hanging lanterns and shelves of organic wine for purchase. 

There are a couple of two-person tables, a window bar and one large table with 6 or so seats. Unless you can bag that one, it’s better for pairs or solo diners than groups. 

Brunch and coffee cost me €10.60.

Address: Rua do Rosário 22, 4050-522 Porto.

Opening times: 9am-4.30pm, Weds-Sat; 12.30-4pm, Tues.

One of the most atmospheric places for breakfast in Porto is Do Norte Café by Hungry Biker on Rua de Almada, just off Praça da Liberdade. Its rave reviews are justified: the interior is cute and homey with a vintage ski aesthetic, and the food is fantastic.

The menu isn’t as long as Zenith or Nicolau’s but it has everything you need including creative dishes like salty waffles with smoked salmon. I’d never had anything like this for brunch before but it somehow worked perfectly.

They also have speciality coffee and other drinks; I can vouch for the blueberry and almond milk smoothie. Like many Portuguese cafes, wine and cocktails are served alongside soft drinks.

Whatsmore, the breakfast deal of avocado, salmon, toast with jam and butter, yoghurt with fruit and honey, and coffee or tea will only set you back €14!

Address: Rua do Almada 57-59 4000, 4050-036 Porto.

Opening times: 9am-4pm and until 5pm on Sat & Sun.

My Coffee Porto doesn’t have a huge range of brunch options but it’s a cute spot with fantastic views. You’ll find it halfway down the staircase between town and Ribeira. On a sunny day, you can sit outside and look across the Douro River.

As well as some of the best speciality coffee in Porto, this tiny cafe serves tasty smoothie bowls. The red smoothie bowl with banana, almond milk and peanut butter was delicious. Vegans will be happy here.

They also serve a few sandwiches, salads and pastries. For a simple breakfast in Porto, head to My Coffee Porto as early as you can; there are only a couple of tables.

Address: Escadas do Codeçal 22, 4000-173 Porto.

Opening times: 9.30am-6pm, daily.

6. Swallow Decadent Brunch, Baixa

Swallow Decadent Brunch is an interesting spot in the city centre with an industrial-chic feel and colourful artwork. The food is distinct from the other brunch cafes in Porto: the menu is American-inspired with OTT dishes like pancakes with bacon and maple syrup; chicken and waffles with mac and cheese; French toast and more.

For a calorie blow-out in cool surroundings, this is your spot. Finish up with excellent speciality coffee and desserts including cinnamon buns and chocolate brownies. Breakfast dessert is a thing; you’re on holiday!

Address: Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, Rua dos Caldeireiros 144, 4050-368 Porto.

Opening times: 10am-5pm, Weds-Sun.

8. 7G Roasters, Gaia

If you don’t know what you fancy, cross the bridge to Gaia. At 7G Roasters, you can relax in a spacious warehouse-style venue while looking through a menu comprising pancakes, smoothie bowls, various egg-on-toast dishes and non-brunch items like burgers, wraps, tacos and sharers.

Better yet, this is a speciality coffee roastery so there’s zero chance you’ll have a bad brew. My flat white was perfect, as was my hash brown, bacon and egg brunch.

I’d read 7G was good for vegans but on visiting, there only seemed to be veggie toast, smoothie bowls, a falafel wrap and a brunch package with a veggie burger and avo toast. Pretty basic.

If you have value in mind, there are several breakfast packages including a Mexican one. Dishes cost €6-8 and the packages cost €12-17 (the most expensive one being the vegan one which doesn’t seem fair).

I returned two hours after brunch to try the banoffee pie I’d seen in the counter while paying. It was amazing!

Address: Rua de França 52, 4400-174 Vila Nova de Gaia.

Opening times: 9.30am-7pm.

This technically isn’t a brunch cafe in Porto; it’s a 45-minute Metro ride or 20-minute drive away in Matosinhos, the closest beach town to Porto. This area is famous for seafood restaurants but, if you’d rather start your day with a delicious brunch, I can recommend Breathe Brunch Feel.

Despite the slightly strange location inside the leisure centre, this is a lovely cafe with an outdoor terrace surrounded by trees where you can enjoy your meal. I tried the veggie pancake stack with eggs, mushrooms, avo and crispy fried onions, as well as the eggs benedict with smoked salmon. Both were delicious.

They also serve speciality coffee and, if you needed more reasons to visit, the prices are reasonable.

Address: EST. da Circunvalação 15687, 4100-183 Porto.

Opening times: 8am-7pm, Mon-Fri; 9am-4pm, Sat; closed Sun.

Related read: the best day trips from Porto including Matashinos

11. O Consulado, Cedofita

If the line is too long at Diplomata, take a chance on O Consulado. They also offer build-your-own pancakes with toppings like blueberries, liquid chocolate, peanut butter and coffee cream.

This cool cafe in Cedofita has tiled floors and exposed brick walls. It’s a walk from the city centre but worth it for the inventive breakfast dishes, and the prices. Pancakes with scrambled eggs, bacon and a hot and cold drink will only set you back €9!

Smoothie bowls, bagels, tacos and burgers are also on the menu.

Address: Rua de Cedofeita 382, 4050-174 Porto, Portugal.

Opening times: 10am-7pm, Tues-Sat.

12. Nola, Baixa (best vegan brunch in Porto)

For a healthy, guilt-free brunch in Porto, make your way to Nola Kitchen. The organic breakfast dishes are simple in that they don’t contain unnecessary additives, oils or processed sugars, yet decadent in other ways.

My pancakes were topped with coconut, cashew, miso-date caramel and maple syrup. The mix of contrasting sweet and salty flavours was spot on. The short menu comprises pancakes, topped toast, shakshuka or snacks and sharer plates.

Wash it down with quality coffee made from regular or plant milk (stocked by Porto business, Combi Coffee Roasters). Most dishes at Nola are vegan but there are a few vegetarian ones that can be made vegan on request. Prices are reasonable: I paid €10 for brunch and coffee.

The cafe itself is cute and cosy with funny signs like ‘we have shots that won’t make you call your ex’. Overall, a cool and forward-thinking brunch spot in Porto.

Address: Praça D. Filipa de Lencastre 25, 4050-259 Porto, Portugal.

Opening times: 10am-11pm daily (closes 9pm on Sundays).

Brunch in Porto – notable mentions

Here are a few places that aren’t my top picks for breakfast in Porto but still have some redeeming features.

I’m giving a mention to Garden Porto Café because it’s a beautiful cafe with a wide range of brunch dishes from eggs to pancakes and smoothie bowls.

However, I didn’t think the food was great. I ordered the €8.50 royal eggs which arrived stone cold. When I sent them back, they returned lukewarm.

The muffin was bready rather than toasted and the ‘roasted tomatoes’ was actually just one tomato. I also ordered a peach juice and was presented with a sugary bottle you could buy from a supermarket for half the price.

This was not my favourite breakfast in Porto. But I only tried one dish and the reviews are good, so maybe it’s worth a try. The staff are friendly and I can’t deny it’s a lovely space. They offer some interesting-looking brunch cocktails and mocktails like mimosas and matcha iced tea.

Address: Rua de Fernandes Tomás 985, 4000-220 Porto.

Opening times: 10am-7.30pm, daily.

15. Combi Coffee Roasters

Like Fabrica, this is more of a coffee shop than a place for full-blown brunch. However, Combi Coffee Roasters do serve a handful of dishes including smoothie bowls, focaccia, croissants and other baked goods.

For a light breakfast with excellent coffee, visit this atmospheric cafe in Porto’s Bonfim neighbourhood.

Address: Rua do Morgado de Mateus nº29, 4000-334 Porto.

Opening times: 9am-5pm daily.