Picaba Natural Café is one of my favourite spots in Porto. It’s located just by the sea, on the south corner of Matosinhos Beach, in a building called “Edifício Transparente” (Transparent Building) for it’s big glassed walls and windows.
They serve mostly healthy food and excellent fruit juices. Good sushi too! It´s a very nice place to have lunch (they do have a lunch menu everyday) and you can stay for awhile watching the surf or even go for a surf class in one of the schools just a few steps away.
The esplanade is the place to be but, if it gets windy, the tables inside and the seats over the sushi counter are also friendly and nice. There’s also a big TV screen inside playing mostly surfing and outdoor clips or a soccer match if our local FC Porto or national team is playing. :)
The place is a popular hangout on weekends. You’ll mostly find modern, trendy people and a few couples playing around with their kids. And, of course, lots of folks surfing, jogging, bicycling, skating, etc. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, nothing can beat Picaba!
Just behind Picaba and Edíficio Transparent there’s the Porto City Park, a big grassy park with jogging trails, soccer fields, lakes with funny ducks, etc. It’s a very nice park if you’re in the outdoor scene!
To get to Picaba, just make your way to Praia de Matosinhos (Matosinhos Beach) down from Av. da Boavista or walking north if you are coming from Foz (to your right if you are facing the ocean) and find the glassy building. By Metro, take the Matosinhos “Sul” exit and walk straight to the beach.
My friends Patrick and Luís run the place. Let them know you saw Picaba on Local Porto and who knows they throw you a “brigadeiro” for dessert! Don´t know what a “brigadeiro” is? Mmm… don’t know what you’re missing! :)