Cafe do Cais em Porto

As a party of ten we didn't think we would get a table when we first walked up to the restaurant one evening, while staying in Porto for the night. However, the friendly waitress went out her way to get a long table made up for us. Overall the restaurant was busy but once we had our drinks served and food ordered it came pretty quick. We all had starters and main and everything tasted great, we really enjoyed the food! We didn't stay for dessert but the location is perfect to enjoy the atmosphere of Porto with great views while eating.

Going on a trip isn’t just about exploring new destinations but also about escaping everyday life. However, there are some habits one can never give up, no matter how far from home – one of those habits is drinking morning coffee. Sitting by the banks of the Douro River, we settled into Café do Cais and ordered three macchiatos. The prices were slightly higher than in other cafés in Portugal, but the coffee was significantly better, closer to the taste and strength we Croatians are used to. The café's location is excellent, the interior beautiful, and the tables aren’t crammed together, so you have your own intimate space for morning relaxation with a stunning view of the Douro River, the Dom Luís I Bridge, and the city of Vila Nova de Gaia (yes, on the other side of the river is a different city – Gaia). P.S. There are some other things you can’t escape, like the people from the former common state (if you still remember it – it was called Yugoslavia). For instance, at the table next to us, some Bosnians were having coffee, in the Copenhagen Coffee Lab in Lisbon, it was a group of Croatian women, and on the Porto-Lisbon train, two Serbian couples sat in front of us (of course, two tall guys with their long legs blocked the passage for other passengers, and they got annoyed when people tried to pass by). In front of the Livraria Lello bookstore in Porto, a Croatian guy was loudly and unsuccessfully trying to be funny (luckily, no one but me understood him, and I felt second-hand embarrassment). At the viewpoint in Bairro Alto in Lisbon, while waiting in line for bifanas, Croatians stood behind me (they gave up when they heard the price of €6 – by the way, in Porto, at Confeitaria dos Clérigos, I had sensational bifanas for €1.80 each)