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L'Orange (282 357 297)
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Excellent food and exemplary service
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For a special evening, we always head to
L'Orange, which is a bit more expensive than most, but the food is
so well prepared and the service and ambiance make it all worthwhile.
Duck, Steak, Lamb and Fish dishes are all tasty as well as a selection
of Vegetarian options put together with care and thought.
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Casa das Palmeiras (no reservations)
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Superb location. Just add food.
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For ambiance, quality, cost and comfort you
cannot beat a home cooked BBQ. With succulent cuts of meat from the butcher at Pingo
Doce, or fresh fish from the municipal market and organic vegetables
from Da Terra farm shop, guests renting the Villa at
Casa das Palmeiras will be spoilt for choice. There is even a selection of
BBQ recipe books to help you add some more adventurous salads, sauces or
marinades. |
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Ele & Ela (282 357 509)
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Best cooking in the town
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Currently
best cooking in Carvoeiro is to be found at the cosy
Ele E Ela right in the middle of town. An eclectic menu,
which changes frequently but best described as wild flavours from
all over the world with Portuguese ingredients, meats, fish and some
inventive Vegetarian options too. Desserts always worth leaving room
for.
The setting is perhaps less elegant than many others, but once
inside, the atmosphere is very professional where food and wine come before
anything else. |
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O Salmao (282 357 031)
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Home cooking in Monte Carvoeiro Square
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A beautiful setting and always a varied, but distinctive menu with excellent fish dishes as well as
my favourite lamb chops and an inventive Vegetarian selection cooked by Ed
in the back, while Christina looks after front of house with her daughter
Ana
(both pictured here with Ingrid). Ed hails from Yorkshire, Christina is
Portuguese but speaks impeccable English with a Portuguese-Scottish-Yorkshire accent
that has to be heard to be believed, and if you engage her in conversation
as the evening wears on, believe us, you'll hear a lot of it !
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Tastes (282 085 740)
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A bit different, but sylish.
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Colloquially referred to as Tapas, this is
not Tapas as you expect. Dishes created by the chef at Ele & Ela (q.v.)
are offered in small portions from a very diverse menu offering a large
selection of fish, meat and many vegetarian options too. The wine list
is extensive, and Champagne is offered by the glass.
As you would expect from its heritage, the cooking is superb. The
recommended 3 dishes per head is about right, but you can certainly have
more. You can also enjoy some expensive wine and end up paying a lot more
than a more traditional restaurant. As we say, its not tapas, but it is
enticing. |
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O Alambique (282 449 283)
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An oasis in the country
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O
Alambique in Poηo Barreto has been going strong for 7 years. We only found it in
2007 and are we glad we made the journey. It's a 10-15 minute drive from
Carvoeiro past Silves and in the middle of nowhere, but when you arrive,
the tables are very well spaced out and the food is all delicately
cooked with fresh herbs from their own garden. This restaurant is
truly International with a German owner/front of house, Japanese chef,
Brazilian cook and Moldavian kitchen help. Steaks that I could cut with
a fish knife, and truly imaginative Vegetarian dishes  co-exist with
creative fish dishes that you are unlikely to find elsewhere.
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Chrissy's (282 341 062)
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Friendly fine dining
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Louis and Debbie have taken over this well established French/Belgian style smart restaurant in the centre
of Lagoa and have kept the
same menu, but added a few touches to enhance the taste experience.
The food is very elegantly presented.
Clearly
a lot of care has gone into the preparation and the subtle tastes were
just what we needed. Excellent Lagoan house wine to accompany the 3
course set
meal makes it a worthy expedition from Carvoeiro, but at these prices
its special occasions only and not for an average night out.
(Closed Sun and Mon) |
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Bon Bon (282 341 496)
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Glorious setting - at a price
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Bon
Bon can be found quite easily just under the water tower on the
road from Sesmarias to Lagoa. You can sit outside and watch a wonderful
sunset, overlooking the mountains of Monchique. The service is warm and
discreet, the dishes are beautifully presented. The menu is enticing to
read, and some great Vegetarian options. Some say the food is great,
some say it isn't. We say that if you were to close your eyes and ignore
the setting, the ambiance, and the presentation, your taste buds would
be quite disappointed. No Credit cards accepted, so at the end of the
meal your cash reserves will also be severely depleted. |
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Barnhard's (282 357 297)
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Warm welcome in Ferragudo
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We always get a friendly Irish welcome from Geraldine at
Barnhards.
This unlikely looking restaurant, on
the main road heading down the hill into Ferragudo, heralds an International
menu headed by Lamb Shank, or some very interesting Turkey Breast or
home cooked
Chicken special (not piri piri again!). Good Vegetarian selection as well as
varying fish dishes are always a bit different. Some fun surprises for the children
with activities and a menu to suit.
Also check out their freezer filler service, or
If you are
thinking of having a large Barbecue, they can supply everything you need
from fresh salads to seasoned and marinated meats. |
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Some more nice ones ...
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Pictures to come, but it's the food that's important !
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O Barradas
(282 443 308)
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In very pleasant surroundings, sophisticated, yet informal, the cooking and in particular,
the wines are predominantly from Northern Portugal.
Choose any of the Lamb dishes, Veal steaks or, the jewel in
the crown, an enormous
Veal chop that is to die for. Forget about chips, but have their special sautι potatoes
with onions. Skip starters and enjoy lots of beautiful little bits in the "couvert"
which are
sufficient to set you up and allow room for a mouth-watering dessert menu
offering a number of flambιed choices.
A couple of Vegetarian pasta dishes as well as some fish
options are available.
We'd suggest you get help from Luis, the owner with your wine choice.
He has a fanatic love of his Douro collection and won't necessarily force you to
select the incredibly expensive wines that he does have on offer and will "allow"
you to drink if you really have a fat wallet. Definitely a special evening out, its one of the more expensive restaurants
in the Algarve, but worth every Euro.
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Happys
(282 357 692) |
Go here for a "different" evening.
Libbe, your Dutch host creates a party atmosphere in this very small
restaurant which is always fully booked throughout the season.
Specialities are their hanging kebabs, and "fish and chips" like
no other. Vegetarian option available, but that's not why we go
there. |
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La Bella Vita
(282 358 556) |
A beautifully redecorated
Italian/International style restaurant adjacent to the reception
area at Club Atlantico. High on our list for special occasions,
but not too expensive for a good evening out either. |
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Rei Das Praias
(282 461 006) |
Set right on Caneiros Beach, it
looks more like a cafe, but has an absolutely splendid setting,
and grills some fresh fish that is truly excellent. It's
expensive for what you get, but an experience worth booking days
in advance for. There is one Vegetarian option that was frankly not very inspiring. |
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Maximes
(282 357 852) |
Half way up "Restaurant Hill" on the left, serves large plates of
highly decorative food that's also very tasty. Special care is given
to the small selection of Vegetarian options. |
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Villa Medici
(282 358 017) |
Another popular and good quality
Italian restaurant on the right hand side near the top of
"Restaurant Hill" |
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Casa Velha do Pescador
(282 358 840)
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This Portuguese restaurant breaks
the mould of tourist restaurants described below. Found up the
hill just past Benagil beach on the right hand side near the top
of the hill, where there are two adjacent restaurants. Casa
Velha do Pescador is the lower of the pair, it's very nicely
decorated, the menu is a bit more expensive than Restaurant
Hill, but we noticed many Portuguese families eating here, and
above all, we enjoyed the presentation of the food and the
creative vegetarian options so absent in many other Portuguese
establishments. |
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Elliotts
(282 356 096) |
Newly established in 2007 in the
delightful Monte Carvoeiro square, this restaurant has a bit of a
hit and miss history. However, when it's a hit, the food is
rather splendid. Your hosts make that extra effort to welcome you
and walk you through the menu, the cooking, the food and match
the delivery to your tastes and desires. Some spectacular
reviews by friends and visitors, but we've also experienced the
occasional average meal. |
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The Village Inn
(282 412 036) |
This is not easy to find in the
little town of Mexilhoeira da Carragaηγo, but they advertise in
Free Map with good instructions to a small cosy restaurant that's
worth the effort. From the beginning of the meal with some of
the more unusual Couvert in the area, through imaginative meat and
vegetarian dishes, the food is always faultless. This was the first and only
veggie friendly
restaurant for miles when we first started going to Carvoeiro in
1999, and they are still popular and full, so book before you
make the journey. |
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Portuguese eating I
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Some of the tourist places
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There are quite
a large number of simple traditional Portuguese restaurants in
the main town, particularly up "Restaurant Hill". We find them
all very similar in terms of the menu with grilled fresh fish of
the day as top choice. Or you can try grilled lamb chops by the
plateful, steaks with various sauces or the specialities of
Chicken piri-piri or Cataplana (fish stew in a cauldron -
usually for 2 persons).
The other thing
they all have in common is the typically informal, friendly
service from the waiting staff, but we cannot help feeling that
they have adapted readily over the past few years to the
burgeoning North European tourist influx. This becomes apparent
in the prices, which have risen noticeably, the inclusion of
special children's menu (fish fingers, burgers, pizza), and
sadly, the feeling of conveyor belt cooking.
Here are just a few:
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A Galι
(282 357 330) |
Probably the best cooking amongst its ilk on "Restaurant Hill".
This tiny establishment about half way up on the right, is always packed to the gills, and booking is
a very good idea. Usual fare of grilled fish, pork and lamb, but their chips are to die for !
There are a couple of vegetarian options - enjoyable, but not quite up to the standard of the rest of the menu. |
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Casa Algarvia
(282 357 604) |
Towards the top of Restaurant Hill
on the left going up, this double fronted restaurant is always
busy. Favoured by regular visitors and residents alike, they
offer some Vegetarian option, but you do need to like fish to
accompany your garlic here. |
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O Chef Antonio
(282 358 937) |
Almost opposite Casa Algarvia, this
very large imposing looking building reached up a ramp with a
large covered verandah, serves h u g e portions, so missing a
starter could be a wise move. Although we've heard some stories
of below average food, the waiters are very friendly, and if you
have the Leg of Lamb, be sure to ask for a right leg, as the
left legs tend to be a bit less juicy
J |
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A Rede
(282 358 513) |
Standard fare served with style,
and occasionally some interesting desserts. |
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Vimar
(282 358 322) |
More standard fare, but the grilled
fish is optionally served headless. |
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Portuguese eating II
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Not for your average tourist
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Running east to west along the whole
of the Algarve is the infamous N125 road. South of the
N125 are all the good, the great and not so great tourist towns,
areas and complexes, where English is widely spoken, and most of
the restaurants cater to the visitor. These are described in the
preceding section.
If you want authentic Portuguese
hospitality, you need to go North of the N125 into any town or
village and be prepared to find menus without any English, or
even the total lack of menus.
But prices will be substantially
lower, and Vegetarians will starve.
If you want a taster of what is
available in the genuine Portugal, we have found a few local
establishments that still maintain the old ways, and for the time
being at least offer exceptional value for money - we hope it
lasts. |
| Escondidinho |
The
Escondidinho is on the far side of
Quinta do Paraiso from Carvoeiro. Past the reception area and up a slight incline,
keep left. There
is a large unpaved car park on the left, filled with cars and
trucks.
It's occupied most lunchtimes with local builders and workmen.
For no more than 8 or so, you get a 3 course lunch with wine and
coffee, but do not expect any menu in English. In fact, no menu
at all. Granny will tell you what you want, she won't wait for
you to um and ahh about it, but she will deliver platefuls of
wholesome food very quickly. |
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| O Branco |
Another cheap restaurant for the
locals, this actually looks much smarter than it is. On the road
behind Quinta do Paraiso, heading towards Sesmerais, in an
imposing white block building you'll get a choice of main
courses (probably all meat), dessert, drinks and coffee all for
the princely sum of 7.00 precisely. We had a turkey breast and
a fish dish both of which were covered in a hard crispy batter
and served with chips, rice and salad. Its obviously not haute
cuisine, but surprisingly nourishing and well presented -
definitely not a cafe ! |
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| Fatacil
Cafeteria |
Inside the gates of the Fatacil
(the "fairgrounds" by the roundabout at Lagoa, opposite the Blue
elephant car wash) is the Fatacil Restaurant, but we hesitate to
call it a restaurant. It's huge inside, extremely bright, noisy
and filled with local workmen eating their way through a 3
course lunch with wine, coffee and maybe even a liqueur for less
than 8.00. Some English help may be available, but don't count
on it ! |
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Something different
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Fed up with formal dinners ?
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All these are quite a way out of town (car or taxi
essential). None are really culinary extravaganzas but they
certainly are different, and make a very welcome change if you're
eating out most nights. |
| Chicken George |
As the name implies, the priority is Chicken and Chips. You do have a choice of with or without
piri-piri sauce and an optional salad (worth having!). It's way
out east toward Benagil. From Rocha
Brava complex go out of the front and straight over. After 1/4
mile this will bring you to a "T"junction which is the m 1273.
If you turn right you go to Benagil if you turn left you go to
Lagoa. Go straight over at this junction down a narrow
road. Chicken George suddenly appears 100 yards on the right. |
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Piano Bar (282 493 278) |
This one is west of town on the road from Sesmarais to
Ferragudo, on the right opposite the turnoff to Casabela
Hotel. The sign on the right of this turning tells us
that it's a Pizza and Indian Restaurant, and when you
arrive you find its all true. Two large brick Pizza
ovens in the front, seemingly authentic Indian kitchen and live
music make it all a bit different. |
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Teodosio
O Rei dos Frangos
(289 561 316) |
Translates as "King of Chicken", this is the place to go
for Chicken Piri Piri. Its where the locals go for a
family dinner, resembling a major motorway rest stop,
the place is enormous and always buzzing. Its a 20
minute drive along the 125 towards Faro. At the
roundabout at Guia, turn left, and a couple of hundred
meters up on the right is the restaurant sign with a
turning 20 meters further to a huge car park behind. Don't
look for menus or choices. Its Chicken, chicken or
chicken with chips. Do take the optional added salad, and
you only have to decide what to drink and that's it. The piri piri is spicier
than many average restaurants in Carvoeiro, but will not
burn. Hard to spend much more than 10 per head. Highly
recommended, no bookings required. |
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Some Ethnic Restaurants
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Included for completeness
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ITALIAN
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Quite frankly, apart from the two already
mentioned above (Villa Medici and La Bella Vita), we've found
most of the others to be too variable to warrant a mention here. |
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Forno de Fraser |
Take away Pizza. Definitely the best Pizza in
town - if Pizza is what you want. You'll find this small
establishment just up the one way road that comes down to the
Post Office (Correiro). |
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CHINESE
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There are about 3-4 in Carvoeiro itself, but
only two worth a mention, and one of these is outside town
anyway. |
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China Town (282 359 121) |
This one may be found almost at the top of
Restaurant Hill, on the left hand side going up. It's nicely
decorated and serves a good standard Chinese meal, but won't
really set the world on fire. |
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Jardim do Sul (282 352 273) |
If you really want Chinese, then head to Lagoa
where you will find this unpretentious restaurant, in the
pedestrian precinct in the middle of town with easy parking
nearby. |
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INDIAN
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A new Indian restaurant opens each year, and
most of them keep their clientele and stay open, which is no bad
thing, but we can only find one to recommend. |
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O Castello
(282 357 218) |
What a setting ! This is on the hill leaving
the main square past the ice cream parlour, and on past Rascals.
They have a small number of outside tables which are well worth
booking in advance, but even if you're sitting indoors, the food
is awesome, and never too hot. |
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THAI
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Koh Samui
(919 326 682) |
Found up a steep hill in a side street to the
right a short way up Restaurant Hill (kind of opposite the
turning for the Municipal Market). Although it may sound a
surprising suggestion for eating out in Portugal, the flavours
are subtle, spicy items not too strong, and a high quality
alternative to the standard fare of fish, meat or Pizza !
Definitely worth a try. Update: June 2008. Avoid this
place. Seems to have changed ownership and its terrible. Service
atrocious, you may get what you ordered, but its pot luck, and
you may even pay for your neighbour's meal as well as yours. Some
of the food is still very tasty, so we're watching carefully. |
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ENGLISH
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We just could not resist adding this listing in
the Ethnic section. Well we are in Portugal - right ? |
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Ma Ja's
(282 083 920) |
Hidden away in a back street. From the square,
walk a short way back along the "in-road" then first left up past the
post office, then hard left back on yourself up the one way (down) street on the
West Side, you'll find Ma Ja's Bistro, where Mark and
Jan (get the name now ?) have set out to offer home English
cooking specifically for those who miss it. Prices are very
reasonable for freshly prepared fare on an ever changing menu,
with vegetarian option to boot. Sunday Lunch speciality as well. |
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Eat, drink, drink more and be merry!
Most of the restaurants on this page, and indeed quite a few others
that we haven't mentioned are all within easy walking distance of each of
our Rental Properties.
Some that are special and worthy of inclusion here, will require
transport. That means either a designated driver with your rental car or one of the many taxis available in
Carvoeiro who will also arrange to collect you at the end of your meal.
Restaurants outside the
stumbling distance are denoted with this little symbol.
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