Bahian food is one of the great regional cuisines of Brazil and Porto Seguro is a good place to try it. The staples are moqueca — fish or seafood stewed in coconut milk, dendê palm oil, and coriander — and acarajé, deep-fried black-eyed-pea fritters served by baianas in white lace from street carts, usually filled with vatapá and dried shrimp. Most restaurants in town also serve standard Brazilian beach fare: grilled fish, rice, beans, chips, and the inevitable caipirinha.
The strip along the Passarela do Álcool concentrates the tourist-facing restaurants. For better cooking, look at the smaller streets behind, or eat at the barracas on the northern beaches at lunch — many of them have a surprisingly good kitchen.