Francesinha
Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 8:18 am
David Spriggs passed along this article on another quest for finding Francesinha greatness: http://www.hioporto.com/search/label/ga ... 7547602368
Forum for Port, Madeira & Portuguese Wines
https://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlopforum/
https://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlopforum/viewtopic.php?t=18528
Hmm... I don't like their rating system. Size, ingredients, and sauce all make at least some sense (size? really?), but space and attendance (which I assume means service) are qualities of the restaurant and not the food. That'd be like rating Port and including the shape of the bottle in your rankings.Roy Hersh wrote:David Spriggs passed along this article on another quest for finding Francesinha greatness: http://www.hioporto.com/search/label/ga ... 7547602368
Me either, those are amazing!Roy Hersh wrote:I stiill have yet to ever find a Francesinha that is better than what I've had at Bufete Fase.
The restaurant is MUCH larger than it used to be. When I first went in 2007-2008, there were literally only 11 seats in the entire restaurant. Tiny doesn't begin to describe it, because those 11 seats were crammed in tight. But by 2014 they had purchased (or rented) the shop on the corner and expanded into it for seating. That area is probably 3x the size of the original restaurant, so if I had to guess I'd say they probably seat 40-50 now. Still relatively small, but not the problem that it used to be.Mika H wrote:Bufete fase gets my vote too but hugely popular Cafe Santiago comes close. As with Bufete fase you better get ready to queue for the restaurant tables.
Cool thanks. Always looking for new places to try.Mika H wrote:"What are the BEST restaurants for Francesinha?"
Well, here's a Porto native Sara's take on that: http://portoalities.com/en/where-can-i- ... -in-porto/
Nice list. Thanks for posting.Mika H wrote:"What are the BEST restaurants for Francesinha?"
Well, here's a Porto native Sara's take on that: http://portoalities.com/en/where-can-i- ... -in-porto/
In French, "brasserie" when used for an eating establishment just means a more casual setting that serves food at your table and typically also serves a variety of drinks. It's effectively a step up from a bistro. I started to say that it's roughly equivalent to an American "diner" but that's not quite right... at least in my head a brasserie is usually somewhat nicer than a diner, possibly because you'd never sit at a counter in a brasserie.Eric Menchen wrote:In France a good number of places labeled as "brasserie" don't actually brew. The name is perhaps a carry-over from a time when such places commonly did, but no longer do.
Those do all sound tasty! But I'm not sure I can trust a list of the "best" Francesinhas in Porto that includes neither Bufete Fase nor Cafe Majestic!Mika H wrote:"What are the BEST restaurants for Francesinha?"
Well, here's a Porto native Sara's take on that: http://portoalities.com/en/where-can-i- ... -in-porto/
Bufete Fase is a bit out of the way, so perhaps not considered. But three of the places listed are within a few blocks of the well known Majestic, so I tend to think that was intentionally left out.Glenn E. wrote:Those do all sound tasty! But I'm not sure I can trust a list of the "best" Francesinhas in Porto that includes neither Bufete Fase nor Cafe Majestic!
I was about to reply "but Bufete Fase is only a couple of blocks from Cafe Majestic, too!" but then I checked Google Maps and it's actually 1 km. I knew it was a bit of a walk, but never realized it was actually quite that far!Eric Menchen wrote:Bufete Fase is a bit out of the way, so perhaps not considered. But three of the places listed are within a few blocks of the well known Majestic, so I tend to think that was intentionally left out.Glenn E. wrote:Those do all sound tasty! But I'm not sure I can trust a list of the "best" Francesinhas in Porto that includes neither Bufete Fase nor Cafe Majestic!