Porto · Portugal
Conga, Casa das Bifanas
A practical guide to Conga, Porto's bifana house: what to order, how to eat at the counter, what it costs, what time to go and how to avoid the tourist bifanas nearby.
Worth it for one thing, the bifana. It's a 15-minute stop standing at the counter: fast, loud and cheap.
Conga is Porto’s best-known bifana house, on Rua do Bonjardim. It’s a loud, efficient neighborhood counter with only one dish that matters: thinly sliced pork loin cooked in a wine, paprika and piri-piri sauce, served on a roll that’s first dipped in that same sauce.
Our experience
We got there at 10:50 on Friday, after the Capela das Almas, and ordered a bifana and um fino, standing at the counter. We gave it 15 minutes and moved on, because the Sé cloisters closed at 12:15 and before that we wanted to see Santa Clara, which closed at 12:30. We chose it because it was the benchmark bifana in every guide we read and it was on the way. The full day is in our day 6.
A bit of history
It started as a casa de petiscos, the kind of place that serves croquettes, fried fish, beer and wine to neighborhood workers. Later it was bought by a couple who had come back to Portugal from Angola after independence. They cut down the menu and focused on the bifana, with their own recipe that the family still guards: the cut, the spices, the cooking time and the bread dipped in the sauce.
For years it was known only in Porto. In the late 2000s food blogs and travel guides discovered it, and in 2012 the room was renovated without changing the recipe. Today the crowd is half locals and half visitors.
The Porto bifana
The bifana is usually credited to Vendas Novas, in the Alentejo. Lisbon’s is a grilled cutlet with mustard; Porto’s is braised, saucy and mildly spicy. Conga is the textbook example of the northern version.
What to see, in order
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The bifana
Thin slices of pork loin cooked in a sauce of white wine, paprika, garlic and piri-piri. It's the only dish you're here for.
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The dipped bread
Before assembling the sandwich they dip the cut roll in the simmering sauce. Watch the counter: it's handed to you in about 15 seconds.
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Um fino
That's how you order a small draft beer in Porto. In Lisbon it's an imperial; here that gives you away as a visitor.
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The walls
Rotary phones and old family kitchen appliances hung up as keepsakes.
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The papas de sarrabulho
A Minho and Douro stew with pork blood, bread and cumin. Only if you like strong dishes.
Tips we wish we’d known
Tips
- Order in one sentence: "Duas bifanas e dois finos, por favor".
- If you want more heat, ask for it "com piri-piri"; there's a bottle on the counter.
- Eat it fast: the dipped bread goes soft in a few minutes.
- Check for number 314–318 on the door. There's a second family location on the same street with more tables, but this is the historic one.
Do
- Eat na barra, standing. The little tables on the left exist, but the counter is the ritual.
- Pay cash if there's a line; cards work too.
- If the line is too long, Casa Guedes, near the Bolhão, has another famous sandwich: roast pork shoulder (pernil).
Don’t
- Don't order the francesinha here: they make it well, but it's not their specialty. That's what Café Santiago is for.
- Don't fall for the €8–10 "authentic" bifanas at the picture-menu restaurants around Batalha and Santa Catarina.
- Don't expect warm service: it's fast and brisk, like any counter in Porto.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a bifana at Conga?
Between €3.30 and €3.60 according to the 2026 menu. With um fino, the stop comes to about €5 per person.
How is a Porto bifana different from a Lisbon one?
In Lisbon it's usually a grilled cutlet, marinated in wine and garlic, with mustard. In Porto it's thinly sliced pork simmered for hours in a paprika and piri-piri sauce, with the bread dipped in that sauce.
Do you need a reservation?
No. You just walk in and order at the counter.
Is it very spicy?
No. The piri-piri gives it a mild heat. If you want more, ask for the sauce on the side.