4 Best Restaurants in Aveiro, Coimbra and Central Portugal

Two former salt warehouses have been lovingly restored to create a sophisticated dining room with a lofty ceiling and exposed beams. The specialty at this award-winning space is bacalhau---it's prepared in several inventive ways. Salpoente also hosts regular art exhibitions and features live music, ranging from sultry jazz to fado, on weekends.

This pastel pink bakery looks every bit as sweet as its freshly baked treats, which attract huge lines of cake-loving locals. From pretty cakes topped with edible flowers to sugar-free, gluten-free chocolate brownies, the vitrine is a feast for the eyes, and everything tastes as good as it looks.

This upscale restaurant is easy to find—it occupies the upper floor of the city's fish market. Widely considered to be the best place in town for fresh seafood, its specialties include caldeirada de enguias (eel stew) and arroz de bacalhau e gambas (rice with cod and prawns). The surroundings are a charming combination of industrial design and traditional tiles, with plenty of gleaming metal and large picture windows overlooking the canal.

A vegetarian alternative to Aveiro's seafood-focused dining scene, Raiz offers wholesome dishes that could tempt the most hardened of carnivores. The menu is completely plant-based and has daily lunch specials such as spinach crepes with Mexican-style tofu scramble. There are gluten-free menu items every day, and a meatless version of Brazilian feijoada on Wednesday.