Just like a pun about the Londoner Portobello Road Flea Market, this Porto Belo (literally “beautiful Porto”) has a whole lot of beauty from the city: within this vibrant neighbourhood (just check all the spots around Clérigos here on the website) the square is lovely with these tiled (“azulejo” in Portuguese) traditional houses now so well restored, a nice garden with the traditional red benches, cool music, and a lot of things to look at and to buy.
Well, it certainly isn’t as large as the Portobello, but the weather is so much better for sure! Even though the number of sellers isn’t that big here either, their offer is pretty varied and of good quality. You can find old vinyl LP records (mp3… what is that?); traditional Portuguese toys (my favourites), both newly made and really old ones, mostly made of wood or tin; some Portuguese antiques; handicraft; handmade soaps; books and magazines; or organic and homemade food (cakes, desserts, jams, …) among others. Just pick one from each seller and you’ll have a lot of Porto to take home!
In this square you have Pizzeria Tarantino, closeby the Café Piolho, Padaria Ribeiro, the Café Luso (a traditional Porto café, renovated some time ago but I haven’t been there yet), and many other spots. Some 50 meters away from the garden/square you can see the amazing walls of the 18th century Carmo Church, totally covered in “azulejos”, with a baroque stone front.
Enjoy the great weather, the sun, and the music!