Beyond The Barrel: From Decadent To Down-home In The Heart Of Porto

A great way to explore parts of Porto that we wouldn't have discovered on our own. Carine was very knowledgeable and a lovely guide. She also gave us a recommendation for dinner which was excellent.

Wonderful experiencing smaller,long- time family food establishments. We would have not found them on our own.

We had a great time tasting the different flavors Porto had to offer. Pedro guided us through breakfast and lunch with snacks in between. He provided information about the foods and the city as we went. The food and drinks were awesome. It was a long tour but the time passed quickly. Come hungry and spend the day.

Marcel was a wonderful and very attentive guide with a lot of interesting and useful historical and local knowledge. We got to try a slew of unique tastes and drinks, stopping at shops and restaurants that welcomed us warmly and new our host well. Great tour to start your time in Porto with as you’ll want to continue your time there with your new insight into the Porto culinary scene

My husband and I, traveling from New York, had the most enjoyable and delicious introduction to Porto thanks to Ricardo. He made every effort to ensure that our small group saw the “real” Porto, not the touristic version. From breakfast to lunch with plentiful snacks in between and after, he took us to off the beaten track destinations where the locals go to eat. At the same time, we journeyed through neighborhoods we would never have known to explore were it not for Ricardo. He was able to take a group that ranged in age from 4 to 65 and keep us so happy, engaged and well fed for the several hours we spent together. He is a kind and gracious individual and a lot of fun too! We couldn’t recommend his tour more highly!!

This is the second Culinary Backstreets tour we’ve done and it didn’t disappoint! First, the group size is always very quaint which makes it so you really get to interact with the guide. Second, the pacing of the tour was great many stops with different types of food and history along the way as you pass famous buildings. I cannot recommend this tour enough especially if you have the chance to have Marcel as your guide!

Marcel was awesome! He took us to some great local spots, gave us rich cultural experiences, and a lot of historical information too. All of this, of course was sprinkled with incredible food and wine. The small group made it personable and easy to talk and ask all our questions. The visit to the chocolate shop was a highlight. His recommendations for the rest of our time in the Porto area were a bonus! I highly recommend this tour and doing it early on your trip!

We loved our Porto food tour with Carène. We were a family of 5, coming to Porto for the first time. Carène met us on time and made us feel so welcome! She is very warm, speaks fluent English, and knows so much about Portugal and Porto history, customs, traditions, in addition to the food. We visited local purveyors, definitely out of the typical tourist trap locales. We felt very lucky to meet restauranteurs who grew up in Porto, took over their parents or grandparents’ restaurants and shops, and welcomed us warmly. And every meal was delicious!!

Carine was a lovely guide and we experienced wonderful food and explored places in Porto we never would have found on our own. We were with another couple we were traveling with and this tour was a highlight of our trip to Porto! Love Culinary Backstreets!

wonderful day shared with a knowledgeable local guide. We thoroughly enjoyed criss-crossing Porto and being introduced to local vendors and specifically Porto specialties. There was an extreme sweet focus (which is apparently true to the city) but by the end the guide was prepared to adapt our stops to suit our more savoury tastes. Superstar

Carmin Castro was highly knowledgeable , most helpful , and fun . The stops chosen were each interesting and diverse ranging from local food, wine, cheese , & chocolate. Highly recommend Carmin & Culinary Backstreets

This tour exceeded our expectations! Ricardo was an excellent guide, a Porto native who exuded love and enthusiasm for his city and its culinary delights. The stops were well curated, the foods and wines we sampled were absolutely delicious. As we walked around he told interesting stories about various sites in a fun and engaging way.

Our second, CBS, the previous one was in Lisbon. A drizzly afternoon did not dampen the warm welcome of our guide Carine, Some wonderful stops and food all with a blend of history and local flavor that these trips imbue. Loved the bar that was a converted church, the little grocery and the last Tasca where we all became FC Porto fans!! Other people do “Food Tours” These tours are the genuine local experience!!!

Loved the variety of places we visited! Marcelo was great! We enjoyed the tour and the historical back ground and context given. The amount of food was worth the cost and the amount of time spent on the tour was also. I could tell how passionate Marcelo is about the the places and the owners of those places our small group visited making it an intimate experience! Each place we went to had it's own vibe and that felt like a taste in it's own in addition to the food we got to taste! My favorite was our first breakfast spot- the owner intentionally wanted to make visitors feel at home and I felt I was invited into his house! The coffee, freshly squeezed juice, fresh bread and cheese were deliciously rustic and freshly made and I loved hearing about the owners connections to his vendors- family or family friends! It all felt so familial and I was excited to find more of that in the rest of the tour. That's what Culinary Backstreets does best. Thank you!

This was the best thing I did in Porto – and the best way to get to know the city! Carine was the best tour guide – she was so fun and welcoming and I learned so much from her. Be prepared to EAT (come to this tour hungry!) because I was so full by the end, but I ate so much good food at places that I couldn't have found on my own. The energy of the tour was amazing and I would recommend this first thing to anyone going to Porto.

This was a good (though not great) your. It felt like our guide lacked some of the enthusiasm of the guide on our previous tour in Lisbon (also Culinary Backstreets). The value for money wasn't quite there either.

It was most informative and interesting. Our guide was very personable and the people accompanying us were most congenial. We really enjoyed having access to places we would normally not even been aware of. Overall, a very enjoyable experience.

The 5 in our group had a wonderful experience with Carine. Together with John & Liz from London we enjoyed Carine's deep knowledge and experience together with her warm sense of humour. I thought that over 5 hours would be a long time for the tour, but it went by effortlessly and we had so many superb tasting experiences it was impossible to pick a favourite. In addition to the food and wine a real highlight was meeting the passionate people involved in creating and maintaining the food traditions of Porto. I highly recommend treating yourself to a CB tour. You'll love it!!

Another great experience with Culinary Backstreets. Our guide Carine was fabulous - high energy, great humour and a lot of fun. I will say these tours are now feeling expensive for USD$150 per person - but you do get to see local hidden gems you would never find on your own.

i had an amazing time chatting with Carine and the other 2 guests as if we were old time friends. Carine was personable and let us in on many Portugese traditions and cultural insights. It went on for 6hrs because we enjoyed talking so much. The food and the businesses we visited felt local and authentic! I love how it starts off at truly off the beaten pathe nighborhood and slowly make it back to city center. Really worth $150, and even more so for solo-travelers because you get the try many things!

Our tour with Carine was exceptional! Her passion for sharing the foods of her city of Porto and her ability to bring the city to life with her insights were remarkable. Carine is warm and engaging and the hours spent touring through the different areas of Porto just flew by. We particularly appreciate Culinary Backstreets supporting the traditional family businesses that Carine introduced us to. The tour with Carine was the highlight of our visit to Porto and we very highly recommend this tour.

So much fun packed in a 4 hour tour of walking around the streets of Porto, eating and drinking at the most local and delicious spots picked out for us and getting to learn the stories and histories rich in this city. Our guide was super nice and sociable, and she also gave us welcoming and parting gifts of traditional Portuguese pastries!

This was our first Culinary Backstreets tour and we will for sure be doing more. Ricardo was an amazing guide…informative, kind, and truly loves his job as a guide. We loved all of the places we visited and the authenticity of each stop. And of course, the food was amazing!

A last minute cancellation meant that my mother and I got our incredible guide Marcel all to ourselves. For five hours we only stopped chatting to take mouthfuls of delicious food thoughtfully curated by Marcel and including vegetarian options for my mother. I would really recommend booking this tour the first day you get to town as Marcel’s knowledge of the city is encyclopedic and his recommendations for further activities are expert-level. He even spared some time on the schedule for some quick antique shopping which really made mums day. Obrigado!

Not only are food tours delicious and that the guides are very informative, it also gives you an opportunity to explore the city centre.

This was one of the best things we did while in Portugal - our guide Carine was fantastic and so knowledgeable about everything to do with Portugal. We got to try lots of different traditional foods and also walk in a neighbourhood out of the main tourist strips. Highly recommend !

We started our tour with Marcel from Cristal palace gardens. We walked around the small streets with historical and cultural references. Had five stops with local and unique food testing joints. The experience was unique and memorable.

Magalie was the best guide we have ever had in 5 tours…including Lisbon, Barcelona, Naples, Palermo, and Bilbao! Her combination of vast personal experiences in France, Germany, and Portugal, language skills, and knowledge were beyond our expectations! In addition, her warm, friendly, and extremely personal manner contributed to an exceptional experience for both my wife and I. I struggle to find superlatives to describe the wonderful tour we experienced!

Our second or third food tour with Culinary Backstreets. Their USP is that they avoid the tourist hotspots and you visit shops / cafes / restaurants that locals use and eat what locals eat and drink what locals drink. You will not see tourists. And your guide will explain what you are eating and why it is relevant to the city you are in. Fascinating mix of gastronomy, history and culture.

We had a very special day touring and eating with Marcel in Porto. The food stops were places we never would have come across ourselves, and we learned so much about this history of the city. Count yourselves lucky if Marcel is your guide!

This was a fantastic experience and one of the best food tours we have been on. Ricardo was passionate, knowledgeable and fun. I can highly recommend this tour for food lovers and people interested in getting to know Porto like the locals.

Carine was a fabulous host! Our tour occurred on one of the hottest days in Porto and she was very conscientious of making sure we had plenty of water and stayed as cool as possible. She showed us many unique spots and we tried many different delicious Porto dishes. We also got to meet some very nice people on the tour. I cannot recommend this tour enough. It is a must do!

Magalle was a wonderful tourguide. Very knowledgeable and we had a delicious meal at each spot she took us to.

We really enjoyed our tour of the food scene in Porto with Carine. She took us to some amazing neighborhood gems. Carine was so warm and friendly, it felt like we were visiting family! It’s a great way to explore Porto too and learn about the culture and history of the city. Would highly recommend.

Fantastic opportunity to experience and learn new insights into regional food cultures in Porto. Is it possible to pick out a highlight? So many: introduction to chocolate from Sao Tome... the mysteries inside Favorita do Bolhao... Rissois de Povo... Marcel provided an excellent narrative, stirring in culture, history, food systems... stories and tastings. Obrigada!

This was an amazing tour experience, and a terrific way to spend most of the day while traveling. Our tour guide Carine was incredibly friendly and so knowledgeable about Porto's history, but also current cultural trends and conversations around food in Portugal. All of the staff that we met at different locations were also very friendly and were clearly excited to see Carine arrive with our group. She also gave us recommendations of other things to do in the city and even made a dinner reservation for the next night for someone in our group because she knew the location/staff. This was my first ever food tour and one of my first solo travel experiences as a woman from the United States, and she set the bar very high! There was more than enough food and drink to go around, and Carine emphasized that it was okay if we couldn't finish everything on our plate, so I didn't feel forced to eat too much, either. Highly recommend this tour! I will definitely look for other culinary backstreets tours whenever I go traveling from now on.

An excellent day, eating excellent food, with an excellent guide.

We highly recommend this trip! Although it may seem more expensive than some guided options, this trip is completely worth is in terms of the experience you receive, the food you get to consume as part of the tour, and the knowledge you gain about Porto. Our guide - Ricardo - was amazing! Friendly, attentive, deeply knowledgeable, and an interesting person. We would recommend this for families, couples, and people of all ages.

This was an excellent tour which provided both historical information on food as well as going to out of the way places to sample local cuisine. the food was excellent on the tour and we enjoyed sampling wine and port along the way. Our guide was superb providing a relaxed atmosphere for all to enjoy

A wonderful day! So great to visit all the small businesses and local restaurants. Guide was amazing, we learned so much!

This was an outstanding tour. The garden was a lovely place to start. Our guide was knowledgeable about the neighborhoods as well as the food we ate. The food was delicious. The time went quickly, and we appreciated the small (5) in our group.

We found Culinary Backstreets in 2019 and I use them as often as I can when I travel.

What a wonderful experience. The whole culinary experience went from breakfast through lunch to after lunch snacks including the most fantastic chocolate.

Culinary Backstreets never fail to deliver. This was our fourth tour with them and they have all easily earned a five star review. Marta was warm, knowledgable and thoughtful. Our tour visited places you won't stumble upon, it avoided the obvious and revealed the gems.

Enjoyable day with Marta eating and drinking like a local in Porto!

Carine provided a very good balance of history and introduction to food in Porto. I liked the curation of the places we visited - particularly the fact that we visited small businesses in a less touristy part of town (Cedofeita). I especially enjoyed the visit to the Amadeo Corrallo chocolate shop and Casa Diogo and learning about the provenance of the food items and how their businesses started.

Terrific tour. Great leader.

We love small group food tours and off the “beaten path” and this did not disappoint. We went to spots we would have walked past and not noticed and ones we would not have walked into. All the food and experiences were good or great. Our guide was not from Porto but was knowledgeable and added insights from her travels.

11/10 would do this experience again! This was my first Culinary Backstreets experience and definitely won't be the last. This tour was true to the spirit of eating like a local. The food spots and selections were absolutely amazing and wouldn't even have known to visit these spots if it were not for this tour. Our local tour guide was Carine and she was the absolute best. Not only was she knowledgeable about the food, history, the restaurants and cafes, the business owners, but she was also HILARIOUS and I was entertained for the whole 5-6 hours of the food tour! What started out as Carine as our local guide, after full bellies and exchange of laughter and stories, ended up with her as a friend. That's what truly made this experience unforgettable and felt truly local - it was just like walking through the streets of Porto, restaurant and cafe hopping, laughing, sharing stories from our past. Thank you Culinary Backstreets and Carine!