The Iconic Porto Francesinha Sandwich: Lunch, Dinner & Socks

The Francesinha! A hearty Portuguese sandwich from the city of Porto. It should be on the list of the Ten Best Sandwiches in the world. It can be found in many different restaurants in Porto, each place creating their own version or variation. When I was planning my recent visit to Porto, I made sure to consider where to enjoy a Francesinha. 

I had my first Francesinha back in 2015, at Tasty on the Hill in Medford, although they no longer serve this sandwich. (You can check out that prior article for more background on this sandwich.) The restaurant was owned by a Portuguese native, and once offered six different Francesinha sandwiches. Their Traditional version was made with American cheese, ham, steak, linguica, hot dog, fried egg and bacon. Their sauce recipe was a secret, though it was supposed to contain 12 ingredients, a family recipe that originated about 30-40 years ago. 

Then, in 2018, I traveled to Portugal for the first time and had my first Francesinha in Porto, at Capa Negra II. The sandwich seemed to contain steak, linguiça, ham, and melted cheese, accompanied by an ample portion of French fries. It was a heavenly sandwich, and I eagerly devoured every bite. I also had a Francesinha at the Porto Airport, although that was a bit of a disappointment. From that trip, I also acquired a Recipe for Francesinha, which was originally sourced from Daniel David da Silva, the man who is likely to have invented the Francesinha. 

On my recent trip to Portugal, we spent a day walking around the city of Porto, and one of my goals was to enjoy a Francesinha for lunch. Based on various recommendations, including from Roy Hersh of For The Love Of Port, I decided on dining at Bufete Fase, at 1147 Rui Santa Catarina. This restaurant, established in 1984, basically serves only Francesinha sandwiches, although they also offer steak and fries. The restaurant is only open from 12-4pm on weekdays, and accepts only cash. It's said that the owner may soon retire, so the window of opportunity to dine here is closing. It's a small, cozy restaurant, with two dining rooms, seating less than 20 people. 

You can watch Chef/Owner José Meneses Pinto Filipa prepare Francesinha sandwiches. 

Their Francesinha is made with thick slices of bread, without their crust, and filled with sausage, roasted pork and steak. It's topped by melted cheese, linguiça and their home-made sauce, of which you have a choice of spicy or not. We opted for the spicy sauce, and split the sandwich in half, although I ended up eating 3/4 of the sandwich. The meats were all tender and flavorful, and the sauce was complex, spicy and delicious. It wasn't overly spicy, but had a tasty kick to it. The French fries were nicely crispy and you should definitely dip them in the sauce. An excellent sandwich, which I would highly recommend too. 

One evening, while we were in Vila Nova de Gaia, the restaurant I had hoped to dine at was closed for a private function. So, we needed to find a quick replacement, and ended up on the waterfront, finally deciding on the Rabelos Restaurante. And they had a Francesinha on their menu!

I opted for the Francesinha and it was pretty good, although a few bites of the steak were a bit tough. The bread slices were thinner than Bufete Tase, and did have the crusts. The sauce was tasty enough, although it wasn't spicy, and dipping their crispy fries in the sauce was a good choice. Overall, it was a good sandwich, although I wouldn't place it in a list of the top Francesinha in the city.

While wandering down Santa Catarina, one of the major shopping streets in Porto, we stopped at Bairro Arte, a funky store with all sorts of unique items, and found Francesinha socks! Of course I needed to buy a pair. 

I miss the Francesinha, and allegedly there are a few restaurants in the New Bedford/Fall River area that sometimes serve them. Maybe I need to make a road trip. And I do have the recipe for one, so maybe I need a shopping trip to gather all the ingredients.

Have you ever enjoyed a Francesinha? If so, where?