Xau Laura — Restaurant in Porto

After 2 years of anticipating this moment, me and my partner and I finally managed to have a dine-in meal at Xau Laura, and I can definitely say that this was well-worth the wait. As tourists, we visited Porto in 2023 and were only able to try the passionfruit cheesecake. This cheesecake was so delectable, fresh, and light that it left a strong impression on us. We had made up our mind to dine-in at Xau Laura the next time we visited Porto. Fast forward to 2025, and our wish was fulfilled. The lovely family who runs the restaurant has clearly created a lively community space where everyone is welcome. Despite it being a busy Friday night, we managed to secure a few seats. Everyone at the restaurant was super-polite and attentive and ready to help us with the menu. We ended up ordering the Sande de pernil (the pork sandwich) and the bacalhau la laura (the salted cod with veggies). The pork was cooked to perfection and melted in our mouths as we bit into the sandwich. This juicy pork with the crispy yet soft bread, served with a side of freshly cooked potato crisps, offered the right blend of textures and flavours to comfort us. The cod, once again, was simple and absolutely delicious. Even though I'm not a massive fan of salted cod, the love and care that was put into the dish made me dive right in and left me feeling content. We finished our meal with the red cheesecake, which had a berry compote on top. Once again, we were blown away by how light and refreshing the cheese cake felt. We left the restaurant with our palates satisfied and hearts warm from all the hospitality and delicious food that we were offered. Anyone who is ever in Porto, tourist or local, this place is an absolute gem. I look forward to visiting Porto again with the dreams of biting into that sande de...

We were in Porto at the beginning of October 2022 after a destination wedding. We happened to stumble upon this locale after exploring the Tram museum and river boardwalk during the morning.

This restaurant specializes in pork sandwiches that are simple in terms of the sum of ingredients, but the sum of their parts are pure magic due to the mastery of cookery at play. The magicians in question are twin brothers who (from what I recall, opened this restaurant in homage of their dear mother "Laura").

We ordered some appetizers (I remember moelas, which were amazing) + pork sandwiches and cod cakes. To say we were blown away is an understatement of the century. On top of that, the twins came out with free glasses of Port wine.

Given that I'm Canadian, tipping an amazing meal is customary for me, but I know that it isn't the same in Portugal. Regardless, I gave it a shot and was denied by the twins. After a solid several minutes of failing at getting them to accept my tip, they said: "We would be happier if you just came back!" Heart officially melted.

For anyone reading this while in Porto. PLEASE GO EAT HERE. The love in their cooking and food is exemplary, but it goes beyond that. It doesn't feel like you are at a restaurant here but more so, like someone has invited you into their home kitchen. To feel that as a client, is bloody priceless.

P.S. If the owners are reading this, we ended up sneaking our tip under our used napkins on our table so we hope you found it. (ha ha). If not, I'm sure someone else could have used it.

Can't wait...

Absolutely incredible. The BEST place we ate at in Portugal, and we ate here 3 times in 4 days. Amazing with our infant, and every dish was absolute winner and incredibly affordable.

1. the Sandwich. MMMM. The Star! We had it every time we were here. Thick pork slices dripping with flavor and tenderness, with funky smooth melted cheese and crusty bread... what else is a sandwich?! Probably the best sandwich in my life.

2. the cod fritters. Fried so light and with a potato and cod filling, incredible. At 4 for 4 euros it is one euro each...!!

3. the house wine. Seriously refreshing and good, worth more than the price.

4. we had the tagliatelle (amazing mushrooms), the moelas/chicken gizzards (so flavorful and tender, thick with collagen), the portuguese sausage (filled with smoky meat and flavor), the laura salted cod, and the DOP steak, and desserts. All were good. There wasnt a miss on the menu.

5. the HOSPITALITY. My goodness. The two brothers who are the main face of the restaurant are so genuine and kind. And their flavors back it up! Amazing meals.

If I am ever back in Portugal, I'll visit Porto mainly to come back to Xau Laura. I'm...