Porto Spot Hostel

Porto Spot has been collecting reviews since 2012, and at 5,042 reviews it's the most-reviewed hostel in this round-up — a track record, not a hype bubble. It sits on Rua Gonçalo Cristóvão, two minutes from the Bolhão metro station (line D, yellow, which also runs over the Luís I bridge to Gaia) and ten minutes from São Bento.

The thing that separates Porto Spot from every other budget hostel in the city is the in-house cook. Most nights he runs a communal dinner — typically 15€, three courses, Portuguese home cooking (bacalhau, grilled sardines, rice-with-something depending on the day). Reviewers cite it by name. It's the cheapest way to eat a real Portuguese dinner in town, and the 'how was your day' conversation around the shared table is how you meet everyone else staying that week.

The spaces are modest. There's a living room with a TV and DVD player (yes, actual DVDs — they run movie nights), a games room with board games and a foosball table, a fully-equipped shared kitchen, and a small back terrace. Dorms have bunks with curtains, reading lights, lockers, and air conditioning. Showers and bathrooms are shared on each floor — not en-suite.

Breakfast is included most rate classes and is served in the kitchen. Not a Gallery-level buffet, but fresh bread, fruit, eggs, Portuguese cheese, and strong coffee.