Majestic Cafe, Porto: Is It Worth the Queue?

The Majestic Café on Rua de Santa Catarina is Porto’s most famous café, a mirrored Belle Époque room with a century of history and, most days, a queue at the door. Here’s what it costs, when to go and whether it’s worth it.

Quick answer: the Majestic is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 11pm, and closed on Sundays. An espresso costs about €6 and a pastel de nata about €3, so treat it as a sight with coffee included. Go at 9am or in the evening for a shorter queue.

A short history

In December 1921 a group of Porto merchants set up a company called Café Elite and leased the ground floor at 110 to 116 Rua de Santa Catarina. The café opened on 2 December 1922, already named the Majestic for its Parisian glamour, in a design by the architect José Pinto de Oliveira. Many guides give 1921 as the opening year, but the café marked its centenary in December 2022.

From the 1960s it slowly declined. It was listed as a building of public interest in 1983, the year Agostinho Barrias bought it and stopped it becoming a bank. Restoration began in 1992, and the Majestic reopened on 15 July 1994 with its original furniture restored.

What you see inside

• The room: long and narrow, lined with large Flemish mirrors in curving carved-wood frames, under a decorated plaster ceiling.
• The details: plaster faces, figures and flowers on the walls, ornate metal lamps and leather seats that replaced the original red velvet.
• The facade: carved marble, with two little cherub-like boys either side of the entrance.
• The winter garden: a leafy conservatory at the back, linking through to Rua Passos Manuel.

The J.K. Rowling story

J.K. Rowling moved to Porto in late 1991 to teach English in the evenings, and worked on the first Harry Potter book by day. She left for Edinburgh in late 1993.

The Majestic is often sold as the café where Harry Potter was written. In May 2020 Rowling said on Twitter that she sometimes wrote there, calling it probably the most beautiful café she had ever written in. She didn’t say what she was writing, so the Harry Potter claim is popular but unconfirmed. The same day she said she had never visited Livraria Lello; see our Livraria Lello guide.

Prices

From the menu on the official website in October 2026 (dated January 2025). Prices include VAT, and no service charge or minimum spend is listed. Check at the door, as prices can change.

Item	Price
Espresso	€6
Cappuccino	€8
Pastel de nata	€3
Rabanada à Majestic (French toast)	€10
Francesinha	€28, or €31 with chips
Afternoon tea (3pm to 7pm)	€40 per person
Majestic breakfast (until 1pm)	€50 per person

The house speciality is the rabanada, Portuguese French toast usually eaten at Christmas, served here all year in a creamy egg custard with dried fruit. At meal times you may be offered a €10 couvert of bread, olive oil, pâté and olives; you only pay if you eat it.

Hours and getting there

• Hours: Monday to Saturday, 9am to 11pm. Closed on Sundays, and it may close on some public holidays, so check ahead.
• Address: Rua de Santa Catarina 112, a short walk north of Praça da Batalha.
• Metro: Bolhão station is about five minutes’ walk away. From São Bento it’s about ten minutes on foot, uphill.

How to beat the queue

• Go at opening: at 9am the room is usually at its quietest.
• Avoid the peaks: the queue is usually longest around lunchtime and in the late afternoon, especially in summer.
• Try the evening: it’s open until 11pm, and a late dessert or glass of port often means a shorter wait.
• Come back later: if the line is long, walk on to the Capela das Almas and the Bolhão and try again.
• Dress and photos: there’s no published dress code. Keep the narrow aisle clear while you take photos.

Is the Majestic worth it?

Yes, once, if you go for the room rather than the food. An espresso costs about six times the €1 you’d pay at a neighbourhood counter (see our Portuguese coffee guide), and a pastel de nata about twice the usual price. You’re paying for one of Europe’s finest café interiors, and on those terms it delivers.

The best value is a coffee and the rabanada at a quiet hour, about €16 in all. Skip a full meal unless the setting is the point: for a francesinha, the specialists are better value. See our francesinha guide.

Other historic cafés

• Café Guarany: on Avenida dos Aliados since 1933, known as the musicians’ café. It’s usually open every day, 9am to 10pm, so it works on a Sunday.
• A Brasileira: opened in 1903 on Rua de Sá da Bandeira. The building is now a Pestana hotel, but the café is open to everyone, usually 8:30am to 10pm.
• Bolhão market counters: an everyday coffee and pastry among the stalls. See Portuguese desserts for what to order.

Nearby

• Capela das Almas: about five minutes north, covered in almost 16,000 blue-and-white tiles added in 1929. The outside is free to see.
• Bolhão Market: stalls open 8am to 8pm on weekdays and 8am to 6pm on Saturdays, closed on Sundays and public holidays. See our Bolhão Market guide.

For an easy morning, have coffee here at 9am, walk up to the Capela das Almas, browse the Bolhão, then head down to São Bento. See the Baixa and Porto in one day.

FAQ

What are the Majestic Café’s opening hours?

Monday to Saturday, 9am to 11pm. It’s closed on Sundays.

Did J.K. Rowling write Harry Potter at the Majestic?

She has said she sometimes wrote there while living in Porto, but not what she was writing, so the Harry Potter link is unconfirmed.

Can you book a table at the Majestic?

Most visitors just queue at the door. For a meal or a group, try phoning ahead on +351 222 003 887.

How much is a coffee at the Majestic?

About €6 for an espresso and €8 for a cappuccino, against about €1 for an espresso in an ordinary Porto café.

More: what to eat in Porto and Porto on a rainy day.

See also: things to do in Porto, the best restaurants in Porto and Livraria Lello.

Prices and details change, so please double-check before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us in the groups.