Dog-Friendliness and Cafés in Porto

Date: 09/03/2024 14:56:11

#useful

I was filming a video circle for my friends with my dog lying inside a café while people stroked her head, and I realized that I had never written this post.

Portugal likes dogs. Maybe it’s even too lenient toward dog owners who frequently refuse to clean up.

But if you go to any café around the city, you’ll encounter the obligatory red crossed-out dog sign. It’s the standard.

But pet-friendliness doesn’t work here like in other countries. Like in many other areas, it’s very personal: you need to communicate and make friends. If the establishment owner knows you and your dog, there is a high chance that you will be allowed inside together.

This is especially true for popular local cafés/bars/churrasqueiras 3-in-1 with dim lighting, an obligatory TV, an optional pimba in the background, and a wide selection of ice cream and cigarettes.

Plus, you can always use the esplanada — the tables outside. It’s also the unwritten rule that dogs are always welcome there, climate permitting you to use it all year long.

I’ve lived in two bairros (small districts) in Porto: Lordelo do Ouro and Aldoar. In both, I easily managed to find establishments that were absolutely OK with my dog (and larger dogs) inside. I see two main provisions for this:

You are open for communication and friendly, and always say hello to the owner passing by. Your dog is friendly and not aggressive. In addition, there are a couple of projects about dog-friendliness that I encountered.

• https://dogallowed.com/ collects places that are dog-friendly by default. For now, it looks like it only has places in Lisbon.

• https://www.instagram.com/petfriendly_pt — a project that is more of an advertising site for short stays. I hope it will grow into something more useful.

P.S: Mais uma… I mean, a bonus illustration for this post. This is at Café Gomil (Matosinhos).