meat and fish platter, Caldo verde (green soup), and a shot from 'Bartenders Only' bottle
“So what’s in your Francesinha sauce?”
I asked the bartender when he said the most important part of Francesinha is the sauce.
He pointed to one of the bottles on the wall and said, “This.”
Then he went on to, “This, this, this, this, and this.”
This was our second time visiting Casa Paraiso during our stay in Porto, which happens never when we know our stay is limited to a few days. We found this restaurant on our day of arrival when we left our Airbnb with hungry stomachs and a sense of relief knowing we wouldn’t have to wait until 8:30 pm to eat dinner(we’ve been in Spain for the past 40-something days).
We carefully studied the menu posted outside, printed on a simple white paper. In it was a menu without any embellishment or unnecessary fluff; the name of the menu, next to it the price for the half portion, and the full. What’s a half portion? I asked my husband, but how would he know anyway? Turns out, the half portion is not half portion at all(at least for me). Half portion is for one really hungry person that's determined to max out, or two decently hungry people, or maybe an appetizer for three.
It’s not just the generous portion that brought us back here, but the warmth, the welcoming that's present but not obvious to tell, and the familiarity you wouldn’t have thought to find in a city you’ve just arrived in.
Funny enough, we never had the chance to eat Francesinha while we were in Portugal.
📍 Restaurant Info:
Casa Paraiso 2 or Churrasqueira Paraiso
Rua do Paraíso 250, 4000-234
Porto, Portugal
Comments