Must eat restaurants
There are very few restaurants where you will not have an excellent meal.
Walking down ‘Restaurant Hill’ towards Carvoeiro centre you will encounter:-
Vimar – very good and basic Portuguese food. Does a superb set lunch.
Earth – good for breakfasts and healthy eating
Primavera – opposite Vimar and based on Italian food, good and expensive!
Marisqueira – a small but very good Portuguese restaurant
Bela Rosa – a small but very good Portuguese restaurant
Café Fino – good for snacks and breakfast. Good music on a Sunday afternoon
O Cantinho – good friendly Portuguese restaurant
Casa Algarvia – another very good Portuguese Restaurant
A Gale – basic Portuguese, very friendly and very good – try the garlic prawns.
Jota Lita – good friendly Portuguese restaurant
Happy’s – good friendly Portuguese restaurant – very good UK-style fish and chips
Gurkha Kitchen – good friendly Nepalese curry house – not exactly on Restaurant Hill, but up the road between Wolf and O Cantinho
Restaurants not on the hill
O Barco – just next to the beach. Lovely prawn and monkfish curry for two.
O Stop – On Centianes Beach. Good for meals, snacks or just a drink, sitting looking at the ever-changing sea.
Taste – at the end of the out road. Slightly more expensive, good use of local produce but more up market.
Etxea – Near the end of the In road. More expensive artisan Basque cuisine inspired by the region’s rich flavours and local artistry.
The Square by Raquel Marques – in Monte Carvoeiro. More expensive but excellent cuisine, Not huge portions, but certainly enough for me to be able to enjoy three courses.
Good Bars
Liberty’s – Great friendly bar for cocktails and relaxing. Run by friends of ours. Next door to Casa Algarvia.
Decadente – Lovely friendly courtyard bar. After Hemingways on the road out of town.
Hemingways – Willie’s local – on LHS on one way road out of town. Good for watching footie in or outside. Very friendly. Free WiFi.
Smilers Bar – in middle of town and very good Guinness. Good for sitting looking out to sea and watching the world go by. Occasionally smell the drains.
Mexhilao – between A Gale and Jota Lita – basic and if you let the guys in A Gale/ Jota Lita know you are there they will call you when table is ready!
O Bote – more or less on the beach. lovely for Saturday afternoon cocktails watching the waves.