Tapas are bar food, yet in Houston, most are sold in large, fussy restaurants. Oporto is the exception: it’s more of a wine bar. A Portuguese one, at that. Below waist level, the narrow room looks European—there’s an old, sturdy wood bar with stools, and tables with white cloths. Above, the atmosphere goes awry; the upper halves of two walls are garishly colored and covered with equally garish contemporary art. It’s a good thing it’s so dark in there.

The lunch menu focuses on salads, pizzette, and panini, but it’s the nightly Portuguese tapas menu that’s most interesting: steamed mussels in tangy white wine broth; salt cod—a Portuguese and Spanish staple rarely found in Houston—served in a salad of potatoes, chickpeas, olives, and egg; and canja, a chicken-and-rice soup with a rich broth and lemony-mint exotic edge. Also interesting is homemade sausage served with spicy piri-piri oil.

The focus is on wine, so ignore those pandering “-tinis.” Not including dessert Ports, there are about ten different Portuguese wines—not a lot, but probably Houston’s largest showing. There are also smaller-production wines from Spain and Italy, as well as some South and North Americans. Nightly specials make this place an even better bet—on Tuesdays, bottles are half-off, and Sunday paella is only $12 per person.