Porto is a coastal city in northwest Portugal known for its stately bridges and port wine production. In the medieval Ribeira (riverside) district, narrow cobbled streets wind past merchants’ houses and cafes. São Francisco Church is known for its lavish baroque interior with ornate gilded carvings. The palatial 19th-century Palácio de Bolsa, formerly a stock market, was built to impress potential European investors.
Clérigos Tower is the iconic baroque bell tower of Clérigos Church. An old tram follows the river to beachside bars in affluent Foz. Up the coast is fishing port Matosinhos, where seafood restaurants offer grilled sardines on the street. The 1886 Dom Luís iron bridge has a walkway that crosses the Douro River to the port wine lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia. São Bento train station's immense azulejo tile panels depict battles and rural life in Portugal. The famous Lello & Irmão bookstore has ornate art nouveau features, and the Serralves Museum traces the history of contemporary art.
So that's enough rambling, Porto has three brewpubs (May 2022) so what better place to start:
Cervejaria Artesanal Levare, Praça da Batalha 12A
Open: Daily noon to midnight.
Located up the hill from the fountain in the triangular square, through the archway this brew pub is down a covered alley, which opens into a courtyard with outdoor seating, which is pleasant in fine weather. The bar is decorated in an industrial style, with the brewing tanks above and behind the bar. A choice of about six of the beers brewed on site as well as a few bottles also flights are available. Helpful and friendly bar staff. Unobtrusive music. A large dining area upstairs on top of and in part overlooking the brewing area, with facilities for live music. Definitely worth a visit.
A Fábrica da Picaria, Rua da Picaria 72
Open: 11:00 - 00:00
A modernbrewpub designed in the era of time at height of the ultimate class, the fermenters are an integral part of the decoration since it is possible to walk all around. The brewing part is also visible but less sexy (although clean). There are 2 taps dedicated to the beers made on the site, then 3 others dedicated to the Craft range of the industrial Super Bock type! Homemade beers lack extravagance, but are pleasant to drink and well made. Super friendly staff who know there stuff. A great place to site is the panoramic terrace which is pleasant and quiet. Only 2 of their own beers are available at the same time is the only draw back here.
Fábrica Nortada, 210, R. de Sá da Bandeira
Open: Closed Monday Sun 16:00 - 00:00 Tues - Sat 12:00 - 00:00
A spaceous, trendy brewpub with the an industrial touch. Lots of money invested in this venue. A selection of approx 8-10 beers. You can see the beer being brewed. The downside is the long wait times for service and general lack of care from what seemed to be a young and inexperienced crew behind the bar. Service with a smile would make the beer taste better, :). Otherwise a great place.
Catraio - Craft Beer Shop, Rua de Cedofeita 256
Open : Sun, Mon, Wed - closed : Tues, Thurs - Sat 16:00 - 00:00
A small bar - beer shop on a pedestrian street with some seating outside and a few tables - standing only inside apart from the seating at the small bar. The selection of beers 10 beer taps of quality (national and international with Wild Beer for example). The setting is quite nice. Special mention to the beer garden which is effective and quiet. Very nice ambiance, very good service and good prices. A for sure must visit if you like trying local beers.
Letraria Craft Beer Garden Porto, Rua da Alegria 101
Open: Mon, Wed, Thu 17:00-0:00 Fri, Sat 17:00-02:00 Sun 16:00-23:00 Tue closed
The setting is modern and in tune with the times. The "front part" is very small with half-a-dozen places and its has a small bar/counter but once tou go down the stairs ... POUF! A larger room and above all, a cute beer garden full and quiet. In addition to homemade beers (but not brewed on site) that have plenty of beer geeks, the rest of the selection (about twenty taps in all) is also of quality. As if all that was not enough, the kitchen is well-stocked, and also involves cooking with beer. Very nice staff. In short, the ultimate craft bar, or not far? A must do in Porto.
Armazém da Cerveja - Craft Beer Bar/Shop, Rua Formosa 130
Open: Daily 16:00 - 00:00
Small cosy place with small beer garden that is walking distance from Latraria (round the corner). The staff speak English, and card payment is accepted, flights not served
A very good beer selection from 7 taps but emphasis on bottles beer snacks served. Not to be missed!
Cervejaria do Carmo, Praça Carlos Alberto 124
Open: Mon-Fri 13.00-02.00, Sat 15.00-03.00, Sun 15.00-0.002
A pretty small bar with a nice patio with a nice city view. Note: This place is somewhat hidden, so it's easy to pass by. The owner/barman is super friendly and know's a lot (and I mean a lot) about the Portugese beer scene. Try to visit this place during weekend 'cause sunday and monday he might be out of beer 'cause place is quite popular. Prices were fine considering Portuguese craft prices (high!). Please also bear in mind that there's just not that much craft going on yet in Portugal. Wine and Port are so much cheaper.
As 7 Maravilhas, Rua das Taipas 17c
Open: Wed-Sun, 13:00-00:00
A small, intimate little space (seats about 20-25), cool and classy with an old-style bar with nice snacks and about 80 beers, of which about 50 are from Portuguese craft producers. Pricy by the standards of Porto but it’s a pretty nice spot. Well worth a visit.
Pattria, Rua dos Mártires da Liberdade 30
Open: Shut Mon-Wed; Thurs-Sat 17.00-02.00; Sun 17.00-24.00
A nice minimalistic bar, unfortunately with a minimalistic tap selection as well (only 2 taps on, out of 5,on Saturday night). The place has a good vibe though, and friendly highly knowledgeable staff will guide you through the ever-changing list of 100+ bottles. Very slightly off the beaten track but that improves it.
Gulden Draak Bierhuis Porto, Rua José Falcão, Nº82
Open:Mon-Thu: 16:00 - 00:00 Fri-Sat: 16.00 - 02.00 Sun: closed
A modern type of place. Very clean and very bright with higher prices than most of the other places in neighborhood. But the staff are friendly and helpful. Taps are mainly well Van Steenberge beers you can get anywhere else in Europe. But bottle list has some rarities.
Caves da Cerveja, Ramos Pinto 710, Cais de Gaia, Vila Nova de Gaia
Open: ???
A modern, purpose-build bar among a bunch of shops and bars that are next to the river (but sadly without a view on it or the other side), where all the Port houses are. This place is all about pretense. Pretending to be a brewpub, pretending to serve unique craft brews... but even the pretending to be a beer bar fails. Sure, there’s 5 or so taps of various styles, and then some bottles, but it’s all factory produced and boring stuff. People seem to come here more for the food (surprisingly, as it’s just okay and certainly not cheap for Porto). So unless you just want to visit/tick a Portuguese place, it’s not really worth your time.
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