Cantinho do Avillez in Porto: a very good Portuguese bistro

Cantinho do Avillez offers typical Portuguese dishes in a bistro atmosphere right in the heart of Porto.

For this second dinner in Porto, I decided to stick with simple, traditional cuisine but to change the atmosphere: after the friendly Gruta and its simple, modern cuisine, I switched to something more traditional and bistro-style!

At the bottom of the page you’ll find a summary of articles about this trip to Porto.

The concept

It’s the Portuguese equivalent of the French bistro, with traditional cuisine.

More interestingly, this is one of the many restaurants owned by chef José Avillez, who can be described as the “Portuguese Ducasse”, with no fewer than 15 properties in Portugal and Dubai, most of them bistro-style, but with a double Michelin star and a Michelin star in Lisbon and a Michelin star in Dubai.

The setting

IMG_6783

The bistro style is again in evidence, with simple decor and closely-spaced wooden tables giving a warm, friendly feel.

IMG_6786
IMG_6787
IMG_6785

The menu

Richer than the previous day, it is composed of simple traditional Portuguese dishes.

IMG_6789
IMG_6792
IMG_6803
IMG_6791
IMG_6793

The meal

As soon as I arrived, I was greeted very cordially and seated at my table, just opposite the open kitchen.

IMG_6796

By the time I’d made my choice, I’d ordered bread with truffle and tomato butter and a few olives.

IMG_6795

The olives are a little lemony and the truffle butter is a real killer.

I place my order and wait to be served, watching the spectacle of the kitchen in front of me.

The starter arrives fairly quickly.

Shrimps with white wine, lemon juice and coriander sautéed in olive oil.

IMG_6797


Like yesterday, it’s a little light in quantity, but it’s tasty and very good, and as I love coriander… But the dish could be a little spicier.

Confit cod flakes with Mara bread, savoy cabbage, green beans, low-cooked egg and spherified olives.

IMG_6802

This time, it’s much more consistent than the day before.

The olives are like jelly beads that explode under the palate, the egg acts as a binding agent between the fish and the cabbage, and it’s really very good.

Toucinho-do-céu with raspberry sorbet

IMG_6804

Given the name and my limited knowledge of Portuguese cuisine, I didn’t know what to expect, but at least it’s guaranteed to be homemade.

The cookie is a little dry and heavy, but happily iced, and the whole thing is served in a chilled terrine with fruit and sorbet.

And that’s the end of this excellent dinner for a bill of 77 euros, including aperitif, wine and digestif.

Atmosphere

Lively as a bistro, so a little noisy, electro lounge music in the background, maybe a little loud but covered by the voices.

Service

Young and very pleasant staff.

Bottom line

A very successful dinner with simple, tasty dishes and a lively atmosphere.

The articles about this stay in Porto

#TypePost
1DiaryPreparing a trip to Porto
2HotelMoxy CDG
3LoungeAir France Roissy 2F lounge
4FlightParis-Amsterdam – Air France – Business Class – A220
5FlightAmsterdam-Porto – KLM – Business Class – Embraer 195
6HotelRenaissance Porto Lapa
7RestaurantGruta
8RestaurantCantinho do Avillez
9RestaurantCafeina
11RestaurantIn Diferente
12DiaryVisiting Porto
13LoungeANA Lounge Porto
14FlightPorto-Paris – Air France – Business Class – A319
15DiaryDebriefing my trip to Porto
Bertrand Duperrin
Bertrand Duperrinhttp://www.duperrin.com
Compulsive traveler, present in the French #avgeek community since the late 2000s and passionate about (long) travel since his youth, Bertrand Duperrin co-founded Travel Guys with Olivier Delestre in March 2015.
1,324FansLike
954FollowersFollow
1,272FollowersFollow
370SubscribersSubscribe

Trending posts

Recent posts