Cachorrinho, Portuguese hot dog. The first meal I had in Porto and all of Portugal. And I enjoyed it immensely!
After studying gastronomic information about Porto, I already knew that Porto would be largely about bread and cheese dishes. And honestly – I didn’t mind and I was looking forward to it. As my very first Portuguese meal, I chose their local version of a hot dog called cachorrinho (loosely translated as “puppy”).
However, the preparation is very different from the hot dog we know. The bottom half of the bread is prepared on a contact grill with a fresh pork sausage. Once the sausage is ready, cheese is added, the top half of the bread, and the meal is baked again under the grill until the cheese melts. Then the cachorrinho waiter chops it into small bites right in front of you and pours a little spicy sauce over it. And how does it taste? Great!
This way, cachorrinho is actually a plate of bites, ideal for beer. After all, that’s what is most often drunk with cachorrinhas. I tasted cachorrinho at the Gazela bar, which was also visited by Anthony Bourdain in episode 8 of season 9 of “Parts Unknown”. And I couldn’t have chosen better. I was seated at a marble bar, behind which only locals sat, sipping beer and interspersing it with tasty cachorrinhas.
From the bar stool, you also have a perfect overview of how cachorrinha is made. Especially the moment of cutting into “bites” is effective and very fast. Waiters and cooks in Gazela make one serving of this delicacy after another, the order takes only a few minutes. The portion costs 4 EUR, a small Super Bock beer in a frozen glass then 2 EUR.
Bistro Gazela is located on the top of a hill, and if you head towards the Douro river from there, you will be offered a truly beautiful view of the narrow streets, steep surrounding hills, port wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia, and especially the famous Luís I bridge.
Enjoy Porto!
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