I Went to Gazela for One Cachorrinho. I Ate Two.
I was wandering around Porto by myself with nowhere I really needed to be.
Which, honestly, is one of my favorite ways to explore a city.
I had stopped by the Porto Cathedral, walked around for a while, and eventually started thinking about lunch.
There was one place I had been looking for.
I had heard about their cachorrinhos before coming to Porto. People will usually describe them as Portuguese hot dogs, which is technically true.
But also doesn’t really explain what’s about to happen to you.
So I started walking.
Gazela isn’t a big place.
I walked in and managed to grab a spot at the bar, which ended up being exactly where I wanted to sit.
Because eating the sandwich is only part of the experience.
You get to watch them make them.
The guys behind the counter have this whole operation going.
Bread gets sliced.
Sausage and cheese go in.
The sandwiches get pressed.
Sauce gets brushed over the top.
Then they get chopped into these little pieces and sent out across the bar.
One after another.
It almost feels like watching an assembly line, except the assembly line is producing tiny spicy sandwiches and everyone around you is drinking beer.
My kind of factory.
I ordered a traditional cachorrinho, a Super Bock and some sparkling water.
Then I watched them make mine.
The Cachorrinho
Calling this thing a hot dog really doesn’t do it justice.
The bread is thin and crispy from the press. Inside you’ve got sausage and melted cheese. Then there’s that buttery, slightly spicy sauce soaking into everything without turning the bread into mush.
And because they chop it into little pieces, you just keep grabbing another one.
And another one.
Then suddenly there aren’t any left.
SHLAYED.
I finished mine, took a drink of my Super Bock and looked back at the guys making more of them.
There was really only one move.
Run it back.
I ordered another cachorrinho.
The second one was every bit as good as the first, and there was something especially satisfying about sitting there by myself and ordering it without giving the decision much thought. I was wandering Porto, found the sandwich I had been looking for, and it was good enough that one immediately became two.
Of course I SHLAYED it!
In hindsight, I only made one mistake: I should’ve run back the Super Bock too.
Worth the Walk
This is the kind of meal I love finding when I travel. No big reservation or elaborate plan. I had spent the afternoon wandering around Porto, stopped at the Cathedral, got hungry and went looking for a sandwich.
A little while later, I was sitting at the bar at Gazela with an empty plate, an empty beer and two cachorrinhos under my belt.
That’s a pretty good afternoon.
Very reasonably priced as well!
SHLAYED: 9.2/10
A++ Would eat two again.
Next time, two Super Bocks as well.
NRDLIFE.
