The best francesinhas in Porto

This might be the most famous Francesinha house in town. Made with fresh-baked traditional bread that's sliced to the exact same consistency and size, Café Santiago's francesinha is stacked with mortadella, smoky sausage and tender steak before it's topped with ham, egg and cheese, and its famous sauce on top. According to owner Isabel Ferreira, the secret is in the sauce, which is also known as ‘the essence’ of the mighty sandwich. Crowds queue out the door through lunch and dinner, which has ultimately led to the opening of Santiago da Praça, a second space just a few metres above the original.

Address: Rua Passos Manuel, 226, 4000-382, Porto

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from noon to 10.45 pm; closed Sunday

Find local favourite Inês Diniz at Time Out Market Porto, in the south wing of São Bento Station. The spot serves up top-notch Portuguese classics like octopus fillets and rice – and now, one of the best francesinhas in the city (fun fact: she was asked to create it especially for the market). The francesinha is made with slow-roasted veal in olive oil, wine, garlic and herbs, with grilled linguiça sausage and mortadella from Bolhão Market, as well as cheese and ham. The sauce is enhanced with beer, but is subtle and balanced, the bread is slightly thinner to better hold the filling. The chips are cut into rounds, too,  ‘just to be a little different.’

Address: Time Out Market, Ala sul da Estação Ferroviária de São Bento. Praça de Almeida Garrett, 4000-069, Porto

Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday from 10am-11pm; Friday and Saturday from 10am-midnight

Bufete Fase wouldn’t be the same without a line of people at the door, beer in hand, enduring a stoic wait to taste one of the best francesinhas in town. Those who go often know this well, and have coffee at the counter to give way to other customers. The ingredients of this Francesinha here are slightly different from normal; the sausage is at the top of the dish, and there’s extra roast meat beneath. It’s serious business, but it’s one of the best. 

Address: Rua de Santa Catarina 1147, 4000-457, Porto

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from noon-4pm; closes Saturday and Sunday 

Francesinha Café is another name that often comes up when talking about one of the best francesinhas. Well-loved across Porto, you can order it with chips and an egg right away – but Sr. Fernando, a proud purist of the dish, recommends enjoying it in its most authentic form. The sausages come from Leandro, but the mortadella and chorizo are sourced from Italy. Expect a rare, tender and juicy beef fillet, along with a rich sauce with a silky texture and a deep coppery colour, developed over long hours of slow cooking. It’s light, slightly tangy, and has a subtle beef flavour that makes all the difference. If you’ve still got room, try the prego no pão as a starter – it’s the other big star of the house.

Address: Rua da Alegria 946, 4000-048, Porto

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 12.30pm-3pm, and 7pm-10pm; closed Sunday and Monday

Anthony Bourdain loved it here. Need we say more? One of our critics visited O Afonso and liked it so much, that he confessed to nearly ordering a second round (once you've tried one, you'll know how utterly insane that is). The bread is toasted, the meat is tasty, and you get a generous helping of potatoes, too. 

Address: 4050 610, Rua da Torrinha 219, Porto

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from noon-3pm, and 7pm-10pm; closed Monday

If you like to eat francesinhas and eat at the counter, O Golfinho is a place where you can and should do both. The space is small, but the francesinhas are the big bet of this house, and that's what really matters here. They earned four stars from our critics for their food and their atmosphere, so it's bloody worth a go.

Address: Rua de Sá de Noronha 137, 4050-526, Porto

Opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday from noon-3.30pm, and 7.30pm-10.30pm; Tuesday from 7.30pm-10.30pm; closed Monday

What if we told you that there was a beer specially made for the Francesinha served at Brasão Cervejaria? Well, it's true. Brasão and Sovina have teamed up to create the perfect marriage, and we couldn't ask for a better pairing. Brasão is now a must-visit in Porto.

Address: Rua Ramalho Ortigão, 28 Baixa, 4000-035, Porto

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from noon-3pm, and 6.30pm-11.30pm; Friday to Sunday frm noon-4.30pm, and 6.30pm-midnight 

This is home to the ‘best francesinha in the world’. Why is the expression in quotation marks? Because it was dubbed the best by Lado B's owners and we really can't negate it. Besides the francesinha, Lado B has everything you want in a brewery: hot dogs, good chips and ice-cold beers (ask for a fino).

Address: Rua Passos Manuel, 190/192, 4000-382, Porto

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from noon-4pm, and 7pm-11.45pm; closed Sunday

If you’re heading to a concert at Casa da Música, you’ve already got dinner sorted. Lemos Café is a small, traditional spot where the francesinha has gained a loyal following. You can order it as is, with an egg and chips, or even its XXL version (if you’ve got the appetite for it). The steak is huge and tender, the sausages are plentiful, and you get a serious portion of homemade chips too. The sauce follows tradition, but is a little more spicy. if you’ve got room, try one of their homemade cakes for dessert. 

Address: Rua de 5 de Outubro 447, 4100-176, Porto

Opening hours: Wednesday and Thursday from noon-3pm, and 7pm-10pm; Friday and Saturday from noon-3pm, and 7pm-11pm; closed Sunday to Tuesday

The current owners have had Yuko for almost 20 years now. Here, there are three options of francesinha and all feature ham, which isn't typical of the dish. The traditional uses its classic sausage, but the Francesinha da Casa (the house francesinha) includes a very large beef steak and smoked sausage. Meat lovers should definitely give this one a go.

Address: Rua de Costa Cabral 2331, 4200-232, Porto

Opening hours: Open daily from 12.30pm-2.30pm, and 7pm-midnight

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