Updated August 2020
As the perfect half-way point between breakfast and lunch, brunch is bound to be everyone’s favourite meal. Scrambled eggs, toasts and bacon at 2pm?! It used to be just plain laziness, but now it’s an alternative fancy meal and the perfect excuse late-risers had been hoping for years on end! Rest assured though, Portuenses do love their brunch! In fact, if you’re looking out for some insane places where you can have brunch in Porto, then your quest ends here!
4 AMAZING PLACES THAT SERVE BRUNCH IN PORTO
SWALLOW DECADENT BRUNCH
Lumberjack Breakfast
Photo courtesy of: Swallow Decadent Brunch
Ready for something completely new? Inaugurated amidst the coronavirus pandemic (aren’t they the most fearless?), Swallow Decadent Brunch is the very first American inspired brunch place in Porto! If you’ve grown up watching Hollywood flicks where famous actors had fluffy pancakes, mac and cheese and insane amounts of refill coffee at fictional breakfast places, then you are in for one hell of a ride! Offering an authentic American brunch experience in the hustle and bustle of Porto’s downtown, its menu includes all the Uncle Sam-approved staples one would expect of a place like this. To get a perfect sample of all the things that make this unique restaurant such a perfect addition to the city’s brunch scene, we recommend that you order their Lumberjack Breakfast, a juggernaut dish which includes pancakes, hash browns, artisanal sourdough bread, eggs (any way you like), crispy maple bacon, maple syrup and fresh fruits. Hummm, ‘Murica! Swallow is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 6pm.
Rua Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 144
O DIPLOMATA
It’s busy, it’s crowded, it’s loud and it has the best pancakes in the city – welcome to “O Diplomata”. Located in the city centre, this small and cosy space which used to be frequented by some of the city’s most famous writers and poets has amazing options that can be fitted into everybody’s taste and budget. For that reason, we couldn’t simply leave it out of the equation when discussing the best brunch in Porto! Its walls are decorated with retro elements (talk about those old-school phones!) and the overall atmosphere is quite vintage, which, along with those perfectly stacked pieces of heaven they call pancakes, will do wonders for your instagram account! Order an açaí bowl to go along with those pancakes and you’re good to go. O Diplomata serves brunch every day between 10am and 4pm.
READ ALSO: 10+ Spots in Porto you Must Try if you are a Breakfast Addict
ZENITH BRUNCH & COCKTAILS
Photo by: Inês Costa Monteiro
If you’re looking out for the most instagrammable brunch spot in Porto, a visit to Zenith is in order! The brand might have expanded into Lisbon and Madrid in the meantime, but let’s not forget where the dream started. That’s right, their original industrial chic café was first opened in Porto and is the kind of place where you can find all the brunch classics – french toast, granola, pancakes, poached eggs, croissants, bagels, smoothies, coffee – dozens of delicious options that you can pick according to your preferences! Keep in mind they do not accept reservations, so remember: the early bird gets the worm! Zenith is open every day from 9am to 7pm.
READ ALSO: Five Best Porto Specialty Coffee Shops
CHELO COAST HOUSE
Photo by: Daniel Seabra
Bike shop, surf store, coffee house and eco-friendly haven – Chelo has it all! Located by the beach in Matosinhos, this beautiful coast house owned by a very friendly, helpful and funny foreign couple (Marie and Marcelo) has now added a delicious, healthy and budget-friendly brunch to the list of reasons why you should pay it a visit. Their brunch, which is only available on Sundays (for the whole day though), costs 7€ and is composed of wheat porridge and fresh fruits sprinkled with chia seeds; macrobiotic toasts with butter; scrambled eggs; yogurt with muesli or granola; and a hot drink. It’s yet another example that healthy and delicious can go hand-in-hand together! Chelo Coast House is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 10am and 7pm.
READ ALSO: 4 Porto’s Coolest Stores with Coffee Shops Inside
BIRD OF PASSAGE
***Permanently closed since June 2020***
The nest of every specialty coffee lover, Bird of Passage is your go-to place in case you’re an aficionado of coffee culture. Once inside, you will find Porto’s silhouette drawn on the wall, and a fresh space with both private and communal tables – perfect to mingle with other travellers or even some locals. As for their menu, Bird of Passage serves healthy fruit bowls, homemade cakes, banana bread, and several toast options suited to everyone’s needs (from the hippie vegan who loves avocado to the meat lover who needs pulled pork to survive) – and you can have it all while soaking up the sun in their beautiful back terrace! Bird of Passage is open from Wednesday to Monday between 8h30am and 5pm.
Ready for some brunch in Porto? Which of these places made your taste buds pop? Let us know on the comments section!
