Casa d’Oro is an italian restaurant located on Porto’s riverside, almost under the Arrábida Bridge. Talk about rooftop terrace views. This one is really worth it. Especially on a summer night, while you’re enjoying a pizza, some Lambrusco and great company! The menu is italian but it’s not only about the pizzas and the pastas.
Let’s start with a fun fact about the building: it used to be the headquarters for the engineers that monitorized the construction of the Arrabida bridge. They lived in this house. Nice, uh?! The house is divided into three main rooms: the restaurant on the lower floor (right on the river!) and the pizzeria on the first floor and on the rooftop terrace.
Now, back to the menu. Many think that italian cuisine is all about pizza and pasta. They’re wrong. That’s why Maria Paola Porru decided to put together a menu that reflects different italian regions. You can start with the carciofi alla romana (roman artichokes) or with the uovo fritto con tartufo (fried egg with truffles). Don’t forget this is an italian restaurant so there’s and infinity of dishes to eat! And plenty of good food to taste. If you’re into something more traditional and gourmet, try the ossobuco alla milanese (veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth).
When you get to dessert, don’t skip the panna cotta. It is absolutely delicious! Of course the chocolate mousse with passion fruit might be another delicious choice.
This building used to be the house of the engineers responsible for the construction of the Arrábida bridge.
I must confess I’m a sucker for pizza (there’s one with figgs and prosciutto that is to die for! YUM YUM!) and I’m also a sucker for the view so… I guess your stuck with my biased opinion! Go for the pizza. Go for the terrace on the rooftop. And do have the panna cotta for dessert! Oh, and another biased opinion: the view is wonderful during the day but at night it is stunning! You’ll be able to see te river from the Arrabida bridge to D.Luís brigde. All the lights will be on. Can you picture Porto like that? Yeah! Pretty cool, right?
Close to Casa d’Oro is the Tram Museum. If you walk up Rua da Restauração, you’ll be able to reach Palácio de Cristal and the Coardoaria area (where you’ll find the Clérigos Tower, Lello & Brothers bookshop and other downtown Porto attractions). You can also go to Ribeira (if you walk towards the Tram Museum) or go to Foz, if you go towards the seaside. As the walk will be long, you can take the tram (from Infante to Foz and vice versa, which stops really close to the restaurant) or you can rent a bicycle and enjoy the ride along the Douro river and enjoy either Porto’s riverside or seaside! Or both if you have the energy.
Just an itsy bitsy small reminder: this is not the most budget place for pizza in Porto! And, if you’re into Portuguese food, you can grab a bite at Taberna do Cais das Pedras.