The “Transparent Building” is a somewhat strange (and mostly) glass building with 4 floors with pleasant restaurants and caffès with one of the best ocean views in the city. It was built when that whole area was re-arranged some 10 years ago, with long sidewalks stretching along the ocean, from Matosinhos until Foz. It is intended to be “transparent” not to block the ocean view from the Parque da Cidade (in the back).

The restaurants and caffès are quite trendy, with mostly outdoor seating areas to enjoy the sun and the ocean. The area can be very windy, from the North, but the chairs and tables are well protected, so there are people there all year round… as long as it’s not raining. During the sunny weekends it gets very crowded and busy, so I prefer to go there during the week.

One of my prefered caffès is the one in the corner, called Picaba (in the picture), serving real icy açaí from Brasil (€3 to €5 a bowl), along with other healthy dishes, salads, sandwiches, wraps and juices. I’ve tasted quite a few dishes here, but my favourite one is definitely the açaí.

There are also other caffès and restaurants, like a pizzeria, or an ice-cream shop at the ground floor. On the top floors there are other restaurants, the most well known is a large Cufra Grill (francesinhas), adding to its original location in Avenida da Boavista no.2504. There’s also a good bike shop, the Bang&Olufsen space, and a surf school/shop.