The best places to drink wine in Porto – we had a lot of fun with this one, and we think we found some real gems! This list features some of the best wine bars in Porto, as well as some more general bars that are perfect for enjoying a glass of vinho.
The gorgeous north-western city of Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city, is set in one of the most famous wine regions in the world, the Douro Valley. So, on the two occasions we’ve decided to spend a month living and working there, we knew we’d be drinking a lot of delicious wine!
Now we don’t pretend to know much about wine (well, we do sometimes pretend we’re experts because we’ve been to like two wine tasting sessions), but this guide is about more than just the wine menu. Some aren’t speciality ‘wine bars’ at all!
The thing about Porto is that everywhere sells a selection of delicious local wine. People – visitors and locals alike – enjoy taking the time to sit in a gorgeous setting and enjoy a glass, and it’s always paired with a great atmosphere and conversation. So we decided to curate a list of the best places to drink wine in Porto so you know all the best spots.
Capela Incomum
Capela Incomum – literally translating as ‘unusual chapel’ – is just that, a unique little restored chapel on a side street with an impeccably decorated and atmospheric interior and outdoor seating area. This is the most heavenly place to enjoy a lovely glass of well-priced wine (€3+) in cosy surroundings, complete with candles and calming music. They have a great light bites menu too with traditional Portuguese petiscos.
It’s not in any of the main tourist areas, so unless you know about it, you’re unlikely to stumble upon it. It’s actually right next to the gorgeous hotel, bnapartments Carregal, where we stayed on our first ever trip to Porto, and that’s how we found it!
This little gem is definitely up there amongst the best wine bars in Porto, and we highly recommend you try it out!
Vinofino
Onto our next favourite wine bar in Porto, Vinofino, and this one is located on the popular and very central pedestrianised street, Rua das Flores.
Vinofino is everything you could want from a wine bar in Porto: it’s cosy, atmospheric, welcoming and has a great selection of wines. If it’s warm, you can sit outside and people watch, and if it’s chilly or raining, sit inside at one of the oak barrel tables surrounded by shelves stacked with wine bottles.
Vinofino has an extensive menu with a glass of house wine starting at €2.50, and there is a simple selection of snacks available including cheese and charcuterie boards. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable, and the service is impeccable.
Aduela
This place is definitely less wine bar, more bar. We don’t want you to expect a quiet, peaceful, classy affair as this taberna gets super lively at night and there’s always a queue trailing outside the door. The reason we think it’s one of the best places to drink wine in Porto is because of its great atmosphere, delicious snacks, the fact that it’s always packed with locals, and because they actually serve great wine!
The staff are really knowledgeable about their drinks and encourage you to try your wine before you buy a glass. They also sell a great range of sangrias, beers and cocktails. Try the mojito! This place is exceptionally cheap and you’re bound to have a great time there.
Bacchus Vini
We must have walked past this cute little wine bar hundreds of times – it’s right next to the iconic Dom Luis bridge, up the slope away from the busy touristy restaurants. In that sense, the setting couldn’t be better, especially in the evening as the sun sinks over the Douro.
Porto’s riverfront area, either on the Ribeira side or in the Vila Nova de Gaia neighbourhood, is our favourite place to spend time in the city. We’re not going to lie – this idyllic riverside location is the main reason Bacchus Vini features on our list of the five best wine bars in Porto, but if it’s too rainy or cold, its rustic interior is also very inviting.
The wine menu was interesting and varied, and the staff were incredibly friendly, offering lots of advice about the wines and giving us their own suggestions.
Churchill’s 1982 Garden Bar
This has to be one of the best places to drink wine (or anything) in Porto full stop!
Churchill’s is the last remaining independent British port house in Porto. They produce a selection of ports as well as delicious Douro wines. Their lodge is located in Vila Nova de Gaia where you can do a guided tour and tasting. They also have the most beautiful river-side garden at the back of the lodge that’s open to the public.
You can pick up a picnic blanket from the entrance and pick your spot, or you can sit at a shaded picnic table. They serve a simple selection of their very own wines (priced around the €5 per glass mark) and port wines, or you can try an interesting port cocktail creation! Feeling peckish? Enjoy your drinks with a meat or veggie grazing table!
The views from Churchill’s 1982 Garden Bar are out of this world. It’s an oasis of tranquility just outside of the busy city centre, and the perfect spot for a relaxing tipple.
Note that this is a fair walk from the city centre, especially since most people stay on the other side of the river. But the lovely atmosphere and views are well worth the stroll! Opening hours are 1–8pm.
A Cave Do Bon Vivant
This wine bar is slightly different from the others on our list in that it’s French and the owners only serve organic wine. This is fantastic because it supports small, local artisan producers and makes for some unique and interesting wines!
As with any good wine bar, the decor is stunning and very unique. We didn’t see a wine list, but the owner gave us a generous glass of his wine of the day. At €4 a glass, this is one of the pricier wine bars in the city, but we expect there are cheaper varieties available. A Cave do Bon Vivant stocks wine from all over Portugal and France, with several others coming from Spain, Georgia, Italy, Germany and the USA.
There is a really genial and friendly atmosphere here, and it’s very relaxed. It’s a little further away from the busy centre, but it’s reasonably easy to find nonetheless.
Bilha Nova
If you want to enjoy a reasonably priced and delicious glass of wine in one of the only sunny evening spots in the city, head to Bilha Nova, one of the best wine bars in Porto.
We stumbled across this bar one glorious evening when we were trying to find somewhere to sit in the sun. As with many old European cities, tall buildings and mazes of streets block much of the late afternoon sunlight, especially in Autumn and Winter, and it’s usually pretty chilly in the shade! That’s why Bilha Nova was the perfect find, and we actually returned on quite a few sunny evenings.
With a lovely decked outdoor area just a few streets away from the Clerigos Tower, Bilha Nova offers a great wine list and an interesting menu of small snacks and main dishes. The interior is also beautifully decorated, so it would be the ideal wine bar for a cold, rainy evening.
We hope you find our list of the best wine bars/places to drink wine in Porto useful! Definitely try one or two out on your next trip. You may even stumble across a great wine bar that we haven’t mentioned here! If you do, pop it in the comments below!
