Test At Oporto, we do things The Portuguese Way.
It’s an attitude as much as it is a flavour. All-in passion. Big, bold taste. A little spontaneity.
Our story starts with our founder, Antonio Cerqueira. Back in 1986, he opened a small chicken shop in North Bondi, bringing with him the flavours and spirit of Portugal. He didn’t just serve food - he shared a way of life. One where meals are vibrant, generous and made to be enjoyed. Where flavour comes first, and everything is done with heart.
That same spirit lives on in everything we do today.
We flame-grill our Portuguese chicken, never fry it. We baste it with our iconic sauces. We use fresh ingredients and 100% Australian RSPCA Certified chicken. Because when you do things properly - when you care about every detail - you can taste the difference.
But The Portuguese Way is more than what’s on the plate.
It’s about going all in. Being bold. Bringing energy, warmth and a little unexpected joy to every experience. From the first bite to the last, its food made with passion and served with personality.
That’s our philosophy. And that’s what makes Oporto, Oporto.
The Story of Oporto
If you were to ask 10-year-old Antonio, our Oporto founder his deepest aspirations, he would have said, “have my own restaurant”. An unusual response from a Portuguese country boy. He would fulfil this dream 15 years later when he landed in his new home, Bondi Beach, Australia.
Antonio introduced Bondi to an unpretentious new style of food, with fresh, fiery and intense flavours of citrus, garlic and chilli. He cooked his chicken using his traditional Portuguese charcoal method ‘Churrasco’. Australia loved a barbie, but they’d never had it this way.
Oporto was born but it wasn’t an overnight success. Amongst his first loyal customers were the Bondi lifeguards and it was the lifeguards and surfing locals who inspired and co-created the Bondi Burger, which you could eat in one hand while holding a surfboard in the other.
Oporto has never been fast food, it’s slow food, served fast. The flame grilled chicken and legendary sauce would become as iconic as Bondi Beach itself.
