Experience Home Dinners in Porto with Withlocals

"We had a fantastic time with Patricia. The food and conversation were just amazing. She welcomed us into her home and shared stories. We learned so much! This was the best part of our entire trip to Portugal. Thank you, Patricia! "

"I had a great time with Helena! She is very warm, open and friendly. I joined her experience with my early teens. We went to the local butcher shop and supermarket together and then enjoyed chatting and appetizers while cooking together. I especially loved a glass of vinho verde with requeijão de ovelha! I liked this cheese so much that I ended up buying it several times during the rest of my stay in Portugal. For the main course, she asked me in advance what we wanted, and although it was hard to choose as they were all appealing, we decided on the bacalhau dish. It was nice to see how to prepare bacalhau, a traditional ingredient that is an essential part of Portuguese cuisine. Also, since it was right around Easter time, she prepared Easter cookie baking for my daughter and she had fun cutting up the cookies and decorating them with chocolate. Thank you for a lovely relaxing evening!"

"Helena was wonderful. She was very accommodating to our food preferences. She is a warm and welcoming person and was very easy to communicate with to set up the class. It was lovely to experience the cooking class in a local home. It is an experience you will enjoy while you are there and remember for a long time after. "

"The four of us really enjoyed our time with Patricia and Rui. They were interesting and knowledgeable on many subjects. It was lovely to spend time in their home to see how they lived. Patricia had prepared a delicious Portuguese meal for us. She explained how her main dish was prepared so that it could be duplicated at home. We then were able to participate by preparing the dessert. The time flew by. "

"We had the nicest evening with our very welcoming hostess Helena. We started with engaging conversation over a variety of appetizers including cheese, olives, breads, and ham.. along with a very nice white port! Dinner focused on the best arroz de marisco either of us had ever had.. accompanied by a nice Vinho Verde! A very unique experience.. highly recommended!. "

"Love the experience. Helena was a great host and food was delish. "

"We felt so welcomed by Helena and thoroughly enjoyed the show experience of cooking a traditional meal with her in her home! Worth every minute!"

"We met Helena at the Porto public market, enjoyed some wine together, and shopped for dinner. She brought us to her apartment and we cooked together, learning more about food, Portugal, Porto, and sharing stories. Helena is a wonderful hostess and cooking teacher. We learned how to make bacalhau stew and crème brûlée on a platter (with blowtorch!). And then we enjoyed our dinner together. I can't imagine a better way to begin our first visit to Portugal."

"Helena very kindly and warmly welcomed us into her home. A few days before we arrived, she gave us some food options to choose from, with prompt replies to all of our messages. On arrival at her home, she offered us a Portuguese aperitif. We opted for white port, which was accompanied by delicious starters of sardines, two types of bread, tapenade, the juiciest olives you’ll ever taste and fresh local cheeses and cured meat. Helena had purchased everything fresh from a local market that day. We obviously ate too much of these lovely appetisers (we challenge you to resist!) but soldiered on to savouring the delicious dinner she had prepared. We opted for a traditional pork and rice dish, which was one of a variety of options she’d suggested a few days beforehand. Helena offered us a range of drinks to accompany dinner, with us opting for a lovely local red wine. We were treated to a homemade crème caramel for dessert, which Helena blow torched at the table, optimising the yummy fresh crunch and taste. Helena offered us fresh fruit afterwards, which we reluctantly declined as we were pleasantly and pleasingly stuffed. Dinner chez Helena was an absolute treat and makes a welcome change to restaurant dining. The dishes were well prepared, home cooked and ingredients locally sourced, as were the the range of drinks. Helena offered us more of everything. We highly recommend dining with Helena. She’s easy to chat with, friendly, interesting and interested, she’s a lovely host and provided lots of delicious local, fresh and plentiful, home cooked traditional food. We would definitely opt to dine with Helena again. Thank you, Helena! "

"Patricia welcomed us into her home. We were greeted at the door by her husband and he immediately offered us a drink and charcuterie. We then began making the pastry. Patricia was patient and informative throughout the lesson process. We were served a traditional lunch. During lunch we learned about porto culture. At the end we ate our pastel de natas. They were delicious and we hope to make them at home with our family. The best part was leaving with the feeling that we are part of the family. "