Porta has reopened and it’s still as much like a real Spanish bar as ever

If you want a taste of authentic Spanish nightlife, there’s nowhere more like the sort of atmospheric bar you’d find on the streets of Barcelona or Madrid than Porta. Plus, there’s no worry about needing to quarantine after a visit. So, a trip to Spain in the time it takes to get to Salford’s Chapel Street. Sounds good.

 There’s no need to book. Just perch on a stool at one of the high tables and prepare for a night of wine, chat, nibbles, more wine, snacks, G&Ts, laughter, beer and feasting tapas-style.

 The menu is full of tempting snacks like big green juicy Gordal olives and moreish sweet pickled Guindilla chillies – as well as mouth-watering tapas dishes like: Andalucian fried squid with aioli; bavette steak with pickled walnuts; chorizo stew; tenderstem broccoli with romesco.

 Everything on the menu is made in-house by Chef Joe Wright and his team. The Wright Brothers, who also own highly-regarded Restaurant Joseph Benjamin in Chester, are notoriously picky so Porta is the place to come if you’re a bit of a fusspot too. There’s nothing slapdash about the hours put into perfecting sauces or sourcing perfect ingredients. Amazing how they find the time with all that aviation pioneering going on.

 Why not pretend you’re on holiday? Long, late nights at Porta drinking Vermut or Manzanilla like the locals do (the Madrileños, not the Salfordians) and, during the day, if you’re working from home, surely you could sneak in a sunbathing session in the park? Perhaps the pineapple lilo in the bath is a step too far though.