Restaurant in Porto, Portugal
15 courses, live fire, no alternatives.
Gastro by Elemento runs a single 15-course tasting menu built entirely around wood-fire cooking, with Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025 and a 4.9 Google rating. At €€€, it is the value case for serious tasting menu dining in Porto. Book the counter seat for the full kitchen experience.
Gastro by Elemento runs a single 15-course tasting menu. There are no alternatives, no à la carte fallback, and no way to cherry-pick. If that format suits you, book as soon as your dates are confirmed — this is not a walk-in restaurant. With a Google rating of 4.9 from 108 reviews and consecutive Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 and 2025, demand is steady and the room is not large. For a special occasion dinner in Porto at the €€€ price point, this is one of the stronger cases you can make.
The format is a wood-fire kitchen built around Chef Ricardo Dias Ferreira's commitment to live-fire cooking. Every dish on the 15-course menu passes through either a wood-burning stove or a wood-fired oven. That constraint is also the concept: the cooking is primordial in approach, seasonal by necessity, and the menu shifts as product availability changes. You are not booking a fixed experience , you are booking into whatever the kitchen is working with that season.
The room reads industrial but has been finished with care. There is a proper dining area that feels composed without being stiff, and then there is the counter. Sitting at the counter in front of the kitchen is a meaningfully different experience: you watch the fire, you see each course come together, and the aromas from the stoves reach you directly. For a date, anniversary, or any occasion where the atmosphere of the meal matters as much as the food, request the counter when you book. It is the better seat in the house.
Wine pairing is offered by the sommelier and is designed specifically for the menu. At a tasting menu restaurant where the food is this seasonal and the courses number 15, the pairing is worth taking seriously rather than treating as an optional add-on. It is the intended way to eat here.
Gastro by Elemento sits at €€€ in a Porto contemporary dining scene where several of the most-discussed restaurants operate at €€€€. That single price tier makes a difference. You are getting a Michelin-recognised tasting menu format, a kitchen built around a coherent and technically demanding cooking method, and a sommelier-led wine programme at a price below what Euskalduna Studio, Pedro Lemos, or Antiqvvm will cost you. The experience does not feel discounted , the room is considered, the format is disciplined, and the fire-cooking approach produces results that justify the progression through 15 courses. This is the value case for fire-forward contemporary dining in Porto.
For comparison, if you want to understand where Gastro by Elemento sits in the broader Portuguese fine dining context, the benchmark restaurants are operating at higher price points and holding Michelin stars: Belcanto in Lisbon, Casa de Chá da Boa Nova in Leça da Palmeira, and The Yeatman in Vila Nova de Gaia all operate above this price tier. Gastro by Elemento is the entry point into serious tasting menu territory in Porto without crossing into full splurge pricing.
This restaurant works well for a date or anniversary where you want a structured, multi-course evening with real kitchen theatre. The counter seating delivers a front-row view of live-fire cooking that most restaurants in Porto cannot replicate. It is also a good option for solo diners who want a full tasting menu experience , counter seats are natural for one person and the kitchen activity gives you something to engage with throughout the meal.
It is not the right choice if you want flexibility. One menu, 15 courses, no substitution path described in available information. If someone in your party has significant dietary restrictions, confirm directly with the restaurant before booking rather than assuming accommodation is possible.
For Porto more broadly, see our full Porto restaurants guide, and if you are planning a full trip, our Porto hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the rest. Other Porto restaurants worth considering alongside Gastro by Elemento include Le Monument, dop, Fauno, Mito, and Vila Foz. If you are travelling further afield in Portugal, Vila Joya in Albufeira, Ocean in Porches, and Il Gallo d'Oro in Funchal represent the starred tier. For contemporary tasting menu comparisons outside Portugal, Jungsik in Seoul and César in New York City operate in a comparable format at higher price points.
For a comparable price tier, dop is the most direct alternative , contemporary Portuguese cooking in a formal but accessible setting. If you want to spend more and go further technically, Euskalduna Studio is Porto's most ambitious progressive tasting menu restaurant and operates at €€€€. Pedro Lemos and Antiqvvm are both Michelin-starred and priced above Gastro by Elemento, so factor that in if budget is a consideration. For something more relaxed at a lower price point, Almeja at €€ is worth checking.
Yes, and it is the recommended option. The counter seats face the kitchen directly, so you watch the wood-fire cooking in real time throughout all 15 courses. If you have a choice, request the counter when booking rather than leaving it to chance on the night.
Yes. The counter in front of the kitchen is a natural fit for solo diners , you have the kitchen activity as a focal point and the format of a tasting menu means the meal has its own pacing and structure without requiring a companion. At €€€, it is a reasonable spend for a solo special occasion dinner in Porto compared to starred alternatives at €€€€.
Book as soon as your dates are confirmed. The restaurant holds a Michelin Plate, scores 4.9 on Google, and runs a single-menu format in what is likely a small room. Booking difficulty is rated easy, but that reflects the process rather than availability , do not assume you can book a week out for a Saturday dinner. Two to three weeks ahead is a reasonable minimum; more if you are travelling in peak Porto season (June through September).
At €€€ for a 15-course tasting menu with a wood-fire kitchen and sommelier wine pairing, yes. The Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 confirms the cooking is operating at a credible level. You are getting a format that costs significantly more at comparable Porto restaurants , Euskalduna Studio, Pedro Lemos, and Antiqvvm all sit at €€€€. If the tasting menu format works for you and you want live-fire contemporary cooking, this is the price-to-quality argument in Porto.
It is well-suited to it. The 15-course format creates a natural arc for an evening, the counter seating has genuine theatre from the wood-fire kitchen, and the sommelier pairing gives the meal a curated quality that feels considered rather than generic. For an anniversary or birthday dinner where you want substance over spectacle, and where €€€ works better than €€€€, this is the stronger choice compared to more expensive Porto alternatives. It will not feel like a neighbourhood bistro with candles , the cooking and the format carry the occasion.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gastro by Elemento | Contemporary | €€€ | Chef Ricardo Dias Ferreira opts for a primordial style of cooking in which fire plays a leading role. Here, everything is prepared on a wood-burning stove and in a wood-fired oven, which impart a special touch and flavour to the dishes. The restaurant exudes an industrial air that includes an elegantly decorated, cosy dining area; however, be sure to try sitting at the counter in front of the kitchen, so you can watch the entire preparation process and inhale the aromas wafting from the stoves. The offering revolves around a single tasting menu, comprising 15 courses that evolves in line with the products available each season. Enjoy the experience with an exclusive wine pairing suggested by the sommelier!; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Euskalduna Studio | Progressive Portugese, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Almeja | Portugese, Contemporary | €€ | Unknown | — | |
| Pedro Lemos | Modern European, Contemporary | €€€€ | Unknown | — | |
| Antiqvvm | Creative | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Le Monument | Contemporary | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Euskalduna Studio is the closest comparison — it also runs a single tasting menu format at a higher price point (€€€€) and has stronger awards traction. Almeja is worth considering if you want something less structured. Pedro Lemos and Antiqvvm both operate at €€€€ and lean more classical in approach. Le Monument is the option for a full luxury-hotel dining experience. Gastro by Elemento sits at €€€, making it the most accessible of this group without dropping significantly in ambition.
Yes, and it is actively recommended. The counter seats face the kitchen, giving you a direct view of the wood-burning stove and wood-fired oven in action. For a 15-course tasting menu built around live-fire cooking, counter seating adds genuine context to every course — it is not just a solo-friendly workaround, it is the better seat in the room.
Yes. The counter in front of the kitchen is purpose-built for this format — you are watching the kitchen work through 15 courses rather than sitting alone at a table. A single tasting menu with no à la carte fallback also means solo diners and groups are on exactly the same footing, which removes the usual awkwardness of solo fine dining.
Booking details are not publicly listed, so check the venue's official channels through their address on R. Maria Adelaide Freitas Gonçalves 13. For a 15-course tasting menu with a single seating format and counter seats that are specifically called out as the prime spot, last-minute availability is unlikely — especially on weekends. Book as early as you can confirm your date.
At €€€ for a 15-course tasting menu with wood-fire cooking and a Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025, the value proposition is strong relative to Porto's competitive dining tier. Several comparable restaurants in the city operate at €€€€ for a similar format. The sommelier wine pairing adds cost but is included as part of the structured offering — factor that in when comparing sticker prices.
Yes, with one condition: the person you are booking for needs to be comfortable with a fixed 15-course tasting menu and no substitutions. If that format works, the combination of counter kitchen theatre, live-fire cooking, and a structured wine pairing makes for a coherent evening with a clear arc. It is a better fit for a date or anniversary than for a group with varied preferences.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
