Real food.
As it always was.

From Arouca to Rua do Campinho.

The man behind the kitchen is José Canelas, born in Arouca. He started in the trade at fifteen, at the legendary Montenegro in Porto — the house the whole city knew as «A Mamuda». It was in those kitchens that he learned the craft, and there that he met Maria da Soledade, the owner's niece.

They married and never left the restaurant business. In 1980, together with their colleague Fernanda, they opened their first place, where they stayed for nearly forty years. There they built a name on hake fillets with bean rice, hake head à Rosa do Adro and salt-cod fritters — dishes people still ask for by name.

In November 2017 they opened Senhor Zé, on Rua do Campinho, steps from the Batalha. They brought the recipes, the pots and the way of doing things. The terracotta walls, the white tablecloths and the set tables are the same scene as always — only the address changed.

The menu follows the seasons. Saturdays bring tripas à moda do Porto; Sundays, Portuguese stew, kid goat or oven-roast veal. Midweek it is salt cod done many ways, fresh grilled fish and meats that call for bread to mop the sauce. Honest prices, portions for people who like to see a clean plate.