In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The francesinha house the lists pair with the dish most often is Café Santiago: 16 English, 4 Portuguese and 4 Brazilian publishers. Cervejaria Brasão, Lado B and Francesinha Café follow. Café Santiago and Lado B are closed on Sundays, Bufete Fase at weekends and Cufra on Mondays. Brasão, Lado B and Yuko Tavern each serve a vegetarian version. The cachorrinho, the sausage-and-cheese roll, is Gazela’s. Or book a tour: the Porto: 3-Hour Food Tourad is from €64 for 3 hours.
📊 The evidence behind this guide. This pass counts the publishers, of the 62 English, 30 Portuguese and 6 Brazilian named in where to eat in Porto, that name a house together with the dish. Counts are publishers, not pages, and the three languages are shown apart. There is no verdict here: the counts show who names what, not who is best. How the guides are made
⚠️ Check the day. Café Santiago and Lado B are closed on Sundays, Bufete Fase on Saturdays and Sundays, A Regaleira on Mondays and Cufra on Mondays.
The houses the lists name most
The count is the number of publishers that name the house on a list together with the dish. The counts for Brasão cover all six of its sites.
| House | Sources | English | Portuguese | Brazilian | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Café Santiago | 24 | 16 | 4 | 4 | Rua Passos Manuel and Praça dos Poveiros |
| Cervejaria Brasão | 19 | 10 | 6 | 3 | Six sites, among them the Aliados |
| Lado B | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | Rua Passos Manuel |
| Francesinha Café | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | Rua da Alegria |
| A Regaleira | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | Rua do Bonjardim |
| Cufra | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Avenida da Boavista |
| O Afonso | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | Rua da Torrinha |
| Bufete Fase | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | Rua de Santa Catarina |
| O Golfinho | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Rua de Sá de Noronha |
| Capa Negra | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Campo Alegre, and Bonfim |
| Yuko Tavern | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | Two spaces in Porto |
The English lists lean towards Café Santiago and Francesinha Café, and the Portuguese lists towards Bufete Fase, O Golfinho and Taberna Londrina, a chain that began in Guimarães and is named for the dish by 4 Portuguese publishers and no English one. Time Out’s list of 14 April 2026 puts Café Santiago first, Casa Inês in the Time Out Market second and Bufete Fase third.
What a francesinha is
The name means “little French girl”. It is toasted bread, wet-cured ham, linguiça, fresh sausage and steak or roast pork, covered in melted cheese and a sauce of tomato and beer, usually with chips. Café Santiago prints its own recipe: bread baked in a wood oven, mortadella, fresh sausage, linguiça, steak, ham, a slice of cheese inside and four on top, a fried egg and the house sauce. Guia Repsol, the Portuguese guide, says port wine is the secret ingredient of the sauce.
A francesinha: the sandwich under melted cheese, in its sauce. Photo: Ih8connecticut, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
A Regaleira says the dish was created in its house in 1952 by Daniel David da Silva. Júlio Couto, the friend who named it, put the first one “somewhere in 1952” and said the original used a small bread roll, the pão bijou, according to Observador in 2018. Wikipedia gives 1953. The Regaleira that began it closed in 2018, and the restaurant reopened in 2021 at Rua do Bonjardim 83.
The houses
A francesinha topped with a fried egg. Photo: Moisun, Wikimedia Commons.
Café Santiago
Rua Passos Manuel 226 · Monday to Saturday 12:00 to 22:45, closed Sunday · Cited by 24 sources (16 English, 4 Portuguese, 4 Brazilian) · cafesantiago.pt
The house the lists name most for the dish, with two more on Rua Passos Manuel and Praça dos Poveiros. Guia Repsol names it among its Soletes, and Time Out puts it first. Order the francesinha with the house sauce.
Cervejaria Brasão
Six sites, among them the Aliados and the Coliseu · Cited by 19 sources (10 English, 6 Portuguese, 3 Brazilian)
A cervejaria, a beer hall, with a vegetarian francesinha made with its own sauce. Guia Repsol says the francesinha is baked rather than stewed in the pan.
Lado B
Rua Passos Manuel 190 · closed Sunday · Cited by 15 sources (10 English, 3 Portuguese, 2 Brazilian) · ladobcafe.pt
The Coliseu house of a small group, with a second Lado B in the Mercado do Bom Sucesso. Guia Repsol names it among its Soletes and says the vegetarian francesinha has tofu, vegan sausage and aubergine.
Francesinha Café
Rua da Alegria 946 · dine-in with reservations · Cited by 11 sources (8 English, 2 Portuguese, 1 Brazilian) · Facebook
A small room. Its page asks for reservations, and Portugal Things reports that only booked tables are let in. Guia Repsol names it among its Soletes. Time Out ranks it fourth in its francesinha list, and names it the best francesinha among its 15 best restaurants in Porto for 2026.
A Regaleira
Rua do Bonjardim 83 · Tuesday to Saturday 12:00 to 15:00 and 19:00 to 22:00, Sunday lunch 12:00 to 15:00, closed Monday · Cited by 9 sources (5 English, 3 Portuguese, 1 Brazilian) · aregaleira.pt
The house that says it invented the dish. It says it was founded in 1934, and takes bookings online.
Bufete Fase
Rua de Santa Catarina 1147 · lunch Monday to Friday, closed Saturday and Sunday · cash only · Cited by 5 sources (1 English, 3 Portuguese, 1 Brazilian) · bufetefase.eatbu.com
A lunch house open since 1984, by Guia Repsol’s account, that makes its francesinha with roast pork loin, as the original was. Its page lists cash as the only payment option.
Cufra
Avenida da Boavista, private car park floors -2 and -3, entrance through the Continente Bom Dia · Tuesday to Thursday 12:00 to 15:30 and 18:00 to 00:00, Friday and Saturday to 01:00, Sunday and holidays 12:00 to 16:00 and 18:00 to 00:00, closed Monday · Cited by 5 sources (4 English, 1 Portuguese) · cufra.pt
A francesinha “Real” with four giant prawns, counter seats for a quick meal and a giant screen with sports channels. It is in Boavista, a ride from the old town.
Yuko Tavern
Two spaces in Porto · Sunday to Thursday 12:30 to 14:30 and 19:00 to 00:00, Friday and Saturday to 01:00 · Cited by 4 sources (3 English, 1 Portuguese) · yuko.com.pt
Open every day, with a house francesinha from €11.50 and a vegetarian version. Its site recommends booking at weekends.
O Afonso
Rua da Torrinha 219 · Cited by 5 sources (2 English, 1 Portuguese, 2 Brazilian) · Facebook
A francesinha house whose page says Anthony Bourdain’s CNN crew filmed here on 15 February 2017. It also keeps a small Ayrton Senna museum in the window. It is not Lisbon’s As Bifanas do Afonso.
Capa Negra
Rua do Campo Alegre 191, and Capa Negra 1, Rua de Barros Lima 487 · Cited by 5 sources (2 English, 2 Portuguese, 1 Brazilian) · capanegra.com
Two houses. The Campo Alegre house is open Monday to Thursday 12:00 to 16:00 and 19:00 to 24:00, to 01:00 on Friday, and on Sunday 12:00 to 16:00 and 19:00 to 23:00. Capa Negra 1, in Bonfim, is open Monday to Saturday 11:00 to 23:00, closed Sunday, and says it has been open for more than half a century.
O Golfinho
Rua de Sá de Noronha 137 · Cited by 5 sources (1 English, 2 Portuguese, 2 Brazilian)
A small casa de pasto, a plain eating house, with a visitors’ book for the francesinha. Guia Repsol names it among its Soletes.
The cachorrinho
Gazela
Near São Bento station · Monday to Saturday 12:00 to 22:30, closed Sunday · Cited by 25 sources (14 English, 9 Portuguese, 2 Brazilian) · cervejariagazela.pt
The original cachorrinho, the Porto “little dog”: fresh sausage and linguiça with melted cheese in a toasted roll, cut in pieces and finished with a spicy sauce, according to Guia Repsol. Anthony Bourdain sat at its counter in 2017, according to Guia Repsol. Its own site lists more than one address.
Food tours
A food tour stops at several of these houses and the markets: see Porto food tours. The sandwiches, the tascas, the market and the starred restaurants are in where to eat in Porto.
Plan the rest
The Bolhão market and the pastel de nata shops are in where to eat in Porto, the fish is in Matosinhos seafood, and the bars with a view are in rooftop bars in Porto. Most of the houses sit within a mile of São Bento station: where to stay in Porto compares the areas. To fit lunch to the sights, see Porto in 2 days. Coming from Lisbon, see Porto as a day trip from Lisbon.
Common questions
Where is the best francesinha in Porto?
Café Santiago is the house the lists pair with the dish most often: 16 English, 4 Portuguese and 4 Brazilian publishers. Cervejaria Brasão follows with 10 English, 6 Portuguese and 3 Brazilian, then Lado B with 10, 3 and 2 and Francesinha Café with 8, 2 and 1.
What is a francesinha?
A sandwich of toasted bread, cured ham, sausage and steak or roast pork, covered in melted cheese and a tomato-and-beer sauce, usually served with chips. The name means "little French girl".
Where did the francesinha begin?
A Regaleira says it was created there in 1952 by Daniel David da Silva. The house where it began closed in 2018, and the restaurant reopened in 2021 at Rua do Bonjardim 83.
Can vegetarians eat a francesinha in Porto?
Yes. Cervejaria Brasão, Lado B and Yuko Tavern each have a vegetarian version. Lado B's is made with tofu, vegan sausage and aubergine, according to Guia Repsol.
Which francesinha houses are closed on Sundays?
Café Santiago and Lado B are closed on Sundays, and Bufete Fase is closed at weekends. A Regaleira is open for Sunday lunch only and closed on Mondays, and Cufra is closed on Mondays.
What is a cachorrinho?
The Porto "little dog": fresh sausage and linguiça with melted cheese in a toasted roll, cut in pieces and finished with a spicy sauce. Gazela is the original house, named by 14 English, 9 Portuguese and 2 Brazilian publishers.
