A Visit to Mercado do Bom Sucesso, in Porto (Portugal)

Hello there!

It's been a while since I last contributed to the #MarketFriday initiative created by Hive account@dswigle.
Check out her post, if you want to participate as well: Market Friday checks out Barbados

Today I bring you a set of photos taken on a not-so-cold winter day, at the Mercado do Bom Sucesso near the Rotunda da Boavista, in the city of Porto. (These names are quite funny, when translated to English. It's the Good Success Market near the Good Sight Roundabout.)

Here's the front entrance to the building.

There's a sidewalk cafe where you can enjoy some rays of sun, but don't sit there waiting to be served, because no waitress will appear. You are supposed to go inside, pick your food and drinks by yourself and take them outside.

The reason for this is that the outdoor tables are a common area, not exclusive to any of the businesses you'll find indoors.

Inside, you'll find tables scattered all over the place and, once again, they are all shared by the various businesses. This way, a group of friends or a family can sit at a table and everyone can go order at different places, avoiding the traditional fights "where and what will we eat?"

There are more tables available at the upper floor.

A big screen TV was installed on the top floor, I imagine it's mostly used when there are football games. And I mean real football, with a round ball and played with the feet. 😝

Now, you might be wondering: what the heck is this? What kind of market is this?

And your question is very pertinent, since this used to be a traditional market which has recently been remodeled and converted into a modern space, where all the stands sell nothing but ready-to-eat food and drinks.

You can find a lot of variety, from quick snacks to complete meals, desserts and coffees.

The place looks very luxurious, which is a big contrast to how this market used to be: a very traditional market, with the usual stands of flowers, fresh fish, vegetables, fruits, jams and so on.

I'm afraid all of that is now a distant memory of the past. I'll leave you an old YouTube video here, so you can see the difference between now and then:

Also, check out this article, with some beautiful photos from this past era:

Mercado do Bom Sucesso by Paula Calheiros (May 25th, 2011)

Let's return to the present, with a few more photos about the place.

Here's a closer look of those 2 young girls who had their eyes set on a couple of cakes:

Here we see a lot of people waiting to be served... and a gentleman who can't seem to find a free table to enjoy his meal.

These two lovebirds are taking a moment of quiet to share some secrets with each other. Are they gossiping about the customers? Or about their colleagues?

In this animated GIF you can see a girl storing the money in the cash register... while her neighbour was preparing a tea pot. Those cakes must be delicious... but very fattening, too.

Here's an overall view of the market. On the left you can see a natural juices stand. They're good but expensive!

Yet another overall view of the market. As you can see, there are no free tables. This new and modern concept attracts a lot more customers than the traditional markets. This is what the new generation wants. It's progress, they say.

While some customers wait for their food, a worker is taking a moment to make a phone call.

Here's another colourful stand, full of delicacies that will make your mouth water...

A customer and worker seem to have a close relationship. They were chatting about who-knows-what?

In this area, you can see a modern clothing shop at the back... and next to the tables, there is a stage which is used sometimes by local artists to give some life to the place. Mostly at nights, during the Summer.