The historic centre of Porto will soon have "a new gastronomic and cultural centre". This is Time Out Market Porto, located in São Bento train station, which will bring together 14 restaurants, 2 bars and a range of cultural experiences. It will open to the public in May 2024.
A decade after inaugurating the concept in Lisbon and replicating it over the years in major cities such as New York, Chicago and Dubai, Time Out Market will open in Porto in May this year, although the exact opening date is not yet known.
This new 2,000 square metre space is located in the south wing of the century-old São Bento Station and promises to bring dynamism to the city of Porto. Specifically, Time Out Market in Porto will have a total of 16 gastronomic venues, according to the official website:
- 14 restaurants
- 2 bars
- outdoor spaces with terraces
It also has a 21-metre iron and glass tower, "which recovers the image of the elevated water tanks of railway stations", the document explains. This tower has two units with a privileged view over the city.
"We are dedicated to making Time Out Market Porto a new gastronomic and cultural centre for the city and an asset for downtown Porto," said Inês Santos Almeida, general manager of Time Out Market Porto.
Between traditional and contemporary spaces, Time Out Market Porto will feature names such as Fava Tonka, Curb, Casa Inês, Meia-Nau, Okra Pizzaria, Tábua Rasa, Brusco Burger and Padaria Ribeiro, joined by chefs Nuno Castro, Rafaela Louzada, Vasco Coelho Santos (with one Michelin star), Rui Paula (two stars) and Ricardo Costa (two stars), as reported by the Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Negócios.
"Time Out Market is a concept that values and celebrates the best of Porto and we are very excited to be opening our doors soon. We've selected award-winning chefs, renowned restaurants and some local treasures - all representing Porto's incredible gastronomic scene. We've brought them together in a unique space, renovated by Souto de Moura, one of the biggest names in Portuguese architecture. We are dedicated to making Time Out Market Porto a new gastronomic and cultural centre for the city and an asset for downtown Porto," says Inês Santos Almeida, general manager of Time Out Market Porto, quoted in a press release.
Time Out Market Porto is the result of a revitalisation project designed by Porto architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, who won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2011. The work to restore this space in São Bento - which was used as a support area for the train station - began in March 2023, with an investment of around 7.5 million euros.
Time Out Market Porto is now due to open to the public in May, after being originally scheduled to open in November or December 2023, but was eventually postponed. At the time, Time Out's communications office justified the postponement by the size of the project in question.
Time Out Market Porto has been shrouded in controversy
It was in 2016 that the architectural project to redevelop the south wing of São Bento Station and bring Time Out Market Porto to life was presented. But it was soon criticised, particularly by the then Councillor for Urban Planning, Rui Losa, who called Time Out's proposal for the station, classified as a national monument, "unqualified". That's why, in 2017, the developer even decided to suspend consideration of the Prior Information Request for the market.
The project was then approved in May 2019 by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage, despite criticism from the International Council on Monuments and Sites - ICOMOS, UNESCO's advisory body for heritage, which recommended that the project not be accepted.
In a first opinion, dated 2nd April 2018, ICOMOS argued that the project was an "example of excessive demolition" and "façadism" and did not "take into account international recommendations on intervention in built heritage". One of the pieces that generated the most criticism was the 21-metre tower, which was considered "intrusive" by UNESCO.
In January 2021, the project emerged as one of 14 works or projects that endangered the heritage value of Porto's Historic Centre, classified as a World Heritage Site since 1996, included in the most recent World Report on Monuments and Sites in Danger.
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