Nobody recommended the place. It was a door in a steep alley up from the riverfront, with a chalkboard sign out front. Inside it was small and busy with locals. It was lunchtime, we were hungry, so we rolled the dice.

What came out was a plate of shrimp, still sizzling, cooked in that Portuguese small-plates style. The owner told us it had been caught that morning. We split a bottle of vinho verde, the young, light wine from Portugal's north, and it was perfect with the shrimp at lunch. We regret nothing. The owners couldn't have been nicer.

In July we'd have eaten on the riverfront with everyone else. In late November, chilly and slow, we had time to wander uphill and take a chance on a chalkboard.

On Monday, November 28, 2022, Portugal played Uruguay in the World Cup. We watched at Gulden Draak, a Belgian beer hall in downtown Porto, and we got there early.

As the room filled, the manager started making people share tables so everyone could sit. That's how we spent two and a half hours with five strangers from Brazil, Chile and Romania. Nobody at our table was Portuguese, including us.

We started with a Westvleteren 12, a Trappist beer you almost never see outside Belgium, then moved on to Belgian blonde ales. One of our best nights in a city built on port happened in a Belgian beer hall. We've made peace with that.

Portugal won 2-0. Bruno Fernandes scored both goals, the second a penalty in stoppage time, and our whole table cheered like we'd grown up there. By the end we were laughing and adding each other on Instagram. Four years later, we still watch each other's stories.

Neither happens in a packed summer. Late November gave the city room for us: seats in the alley restaurant, and a bar manager with time to sit strangers together. It's the reason Porto is on our short list of places to live someday.

Go in late November: It's chilly, so pack a real jacket. That's the trade for having the city to yourself.
Walk up from the riverfront: Take in the view, then head uphill to eat, away from the tourist traps.
Trust the chalkboard: A handwritten sign and a room full of locals told us more than any app could.
Watch a match in a bar: Gulden Draak Bierhuis, Rua de José Falcão 82, pours 16 beers on tap and stocks more than 200 labels. Get there early and expect to share a table. That's the point.
Where we stayed: Sé Catedral Hotel Porto, a Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel on Rua Chã, right next to the cathedral. Great location, great breakfast. We paid about $130 a night in November 2022.

We never got the restaurant's name, and we'd have to walk those alleys for weeks to find it again. Which is fine. That's the trip we'd tell you to take.

What we’re drinking this week:

Transmontano. The name means "behind the mountains," and that's exactly where it comes from: Portugal's remote northeast, just north of the Douro. Most of what the region makes is red, and it gets a fraction of the attention its famous neighbor does. If you've ever had a glass of Mateus Rosé, you've already tasted it. Where to find it? Try your local wine shop - that’s what we did. This is an ode to our memory of Porto. Cheers!

See you at the table,

Brian & Alicia

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