If we tell you to go early, it's for a reason...
We are talking about the coolest area of Porto, and Porto is getting rabidly cool , so little joke. Bombarda is the backbone of the most avant-garde creative movement in this attractive city, and to prove it, one piece of information: it is said to be the street with the most art galleries in Europe.
But not only that, but its ideologues, young portuguese artists , they have known how to make it a Social phenomenon that hatches every two months, when all the art houses they open their exhibitions at the same time . that saturday, the area is full of life, and the cafes, organic shops, fashion ateliers and interior gardens welcome talent lovers and the curious alike into their original outbuildings. And now, also to you -albeit virtually-.
that art does not stop
GALLERIES AND STREET ART
Do not lose detail, because the art here is everywhere. Graffiti, stickers, mosaics and even knitting (art with wool) they will catch you off guard from any corner shooting at you with their pills of irony, vindication or pure and hard beauty. The same happens with its exhibition spaces, which include the most striking of the national contemporary creation and sometimes also international.
spaces to which stare from amazement to amazement they are Arthobler, Serpente, Trindade, Fernando Santos, Presença, Artes Solar Santo António or Quadrado Azul, but our favorite is O! Gallery . This place brings together the best of Portuguese illustration -with something from here and there- chosen with exquisite taste and sold to fair and affordable prices . tip: go with time and money to spare or you will regret it.
When you enter here it will be difficult for you to leave
ACCOMMODATION
Guess what: in Miguel Bombarda there is a hotel-gallery ! The Gallery-Hostel is located in a beautiful house from 1906 reformed that maintains everything the flavor of the typical homes of the area, and it's not just a figure of speech: in his kitchen they prepare traditional homemade dishes that delight the guests.
we also love the style of the Favorite Pensao: modern and vintage at the same time, elegant and with personality. More than a pension, this accommodation is a small and exclusive hotel with a garden of those that become the best part of the trip.
All the flavor of Porto and a lot of creativity
EAT, DRINK AND ENJOY
In this area, the offer is wide and goes beyond the indigestible -but delicious- francesinha. It is rather pulled by the reinvention of the classics , like the typical cod, which they transform into a succulent hamburger at Bugo.
In Pimenta Rosa , on the other hand, they do urban cuisine and Some cakes that take away the feeling. They serve them in beautiful and super cozy little garden of the Miguel Bombarda Shopping Center, which you have to enter yes or yes.
Breakfast or snack here
For drinks and performing arts, nothing better than Breyner 85, a multifunctional space that has room for both rehearsal rooms and stages for theater, karaoke and concerts . They also organize club or movie nights, and they even own a music academy and recording studios . For every taste!
Also a must-see -and we miss those who don't go- is ** Rota do Chá , one of the places with the most soul in Bombarda.** Its three floors of restaurant, tea house and shop -with loads of different atmospheres- they have a colonial and asian air so lovely that you will want to stay and live there. More than 300 teas, another Portuguese dream garden and delicious food at a good price make it of the establishments preferred by locals . And for us.
We want to live here!
TO BUY
At this point it is clear that, if you like design, you're going to have to break the piggy bank on this blessed street. For avant-garde furniture , the best thing is to go through Carisma or Piurra ; for vintage lamps , L* de Luz is a paradise on Earth; the " silly" without which you don't know how you could live until now, you will see them in Arte Em Parte .
Imagine your house like this
Shall we continue? Note: the perfect clothes and beautiful people are in Muuda -where workshops and even lunches are also held by reservation- and the exclusive, personalized and limited edition clothing, in Storytailors and Meow Frou Frou. And if what you're looking for is original souvenirs , stop by Aguas Furtadas.
What if there is more? Of course, there are many more little shops that are worth a visit and whose indie purity distances Miguel Bombarda from any usual commercial street . To get to know them all, there is nothing better than taking a walk there and discover ** a city with which it is easy to fall madly in love .** And that, damn it, it's next door!
When there is a parade in Muuda, it gets mixed up