A Pérola do Bolhão, Porto

A Pérola do Bolhão is a traditional grocery on Rua Formosa, facing Bolhão market. Its tiled Art Nouveau frontage shows women representing distant places, a visual link to the goods once brought from abroad. The business began trading on 23 May 1917, when António Rodrigues Reis opened it with tea, coffee and spices.

Today, its shelves and counters hold cured meats, regional sausages, hams, cheeses, wines, biscuits, sweets, nuts, and dried or candied fruit; a hot roast suckling pig arrives every day. Alheira, made with poultry, bread and garlic, is among its homemade specialities. The shop has altered only as modern regulations demanded, and António Reis, the founder’s son, was born in the rooms above and has remained there. A grandson now helps operate the family business, whose owners continue to serve customers themselves.