Calica is usually where my day starts, to shoot that caffeine into my veins and particularly to sweeten my morning, generally with a "pastel de nata" (cream pastry). It is probably the place where I've had lunch more times over this past year, so I think it would be a sin if I didn't mention it. So, what is Calica good for? Well, practically everything.
Calica is one of those places where you just know things will taste good. They might not have the best "pasteis de nata" or the best chocolate cake in all Porto, but everything is good and decent, and that is quite an accomplishment. The service is friendly and nice, the lunch menus are tasty and well prepared, and the bread is great. Some of the employers have worked there for over 30 years, and you can tell it has that maturity of a place which is used to doing all the right things.
The salads are actually enormous, although simple. And I must mention the croissant, delicious (especially when with cream), the "bola de carne" (meat bread) and the "lanches" (well...meat pastry? so hard to translate all these names!). Those are generally my choices.
So if you happen to be around Calica, don't hesitate to go there: you won't be sorry!
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