Algarve Food and Drink

3 Points Sports Bar

The 3 Points Sports Bar is situated in the heart of downtown Faro, being a very popular spot both with locals and tourists. As well as watching your favourite football team on one of the many large screen TVs, you can play snooker, pool and darts.

The drinks here are reasonably priced, the choice of beers is excellent and the food is truly tasty. The chicken wings are delicious, as are the all-time pub favourites on offer, from burgers to classic hotdogs. Salads and soups are also available at lunch time.

The 3 Points Sports Bar also offers live music shows, quiz sessions and a weekly karaoke night, so there is always something to keep you entertained. The staff here are friendly, the service is fabulous and there is ample space both inside and on the terrace at the front. There is free Wi-Fi, discount for students and the bar is wheelchair accessible. This is a fantastic space to have some fun and enjoy a tasty drink or snack.

Atlantic Piano Bar

The Atlantic Piano Bar is part of the company ‘Blazing Pianos’, located on the marina in Vilamoura. There is a white baby grand piano in the bar and features music every night from the in-house singer. As if that’s not enough, DJs take the stage after the live music is through so that you can dance the night away. They also have karaoke nights, guest artists and drag queen shows.

There is an outdoor bar and terrace, an ideal place to relax, enjoy a beer or sip a delicious cocktail while enjoying the amazing views over the marina. The children have not been forgotten; there is a special kid’s drinks menu, with yummy mocktails and delicious milkshakes.

The staff are friendly and the service is great, but as food is not served here, you will need to eat before heading over to Atlantic Piano Bar.

Bar Havana

Bar Havana is a charming cocktail bar in Carvoeiro, an ideal spot to visit for a drink before going out for a meal, or after you've had a bite to eat. Why not do both? The décor is vibrant, warm and welcoming, as is the hospitality you will receive from the owners Jennie and Craig and their staff.

Bar Havana is a favourite with couples, groups of friends and families; even if you are on your own, you won’t feel out of place in this friendly and welcoming environment. The choice of drinks is extensive here, and there is also a great selection of mouth-watering cocktails.

The fantastic mojitos come in several flavours as well as the classics, including the unusual but tasty kiwi mojito. Don't miss out on the creamy and complex Crema de Vie, which is a house speciality.

Brady's Irish Bar

Brady’s Irish Bar is just off the central square in Carvoeiro. Owned by Bill Brady, originally from Drogheda, the bar is popular with all nationalities. There is live music several nights a week from Irish and local musicians, covering traditional Irish music, rock and folk.

Brady’s stock all the favourite Irish drinks, including Guinness and Caffreys on draught and also offer party pitchers during the summer months - all great value for your money. Cocktails are also a speciality here, and the Strawberry Daiquiris are a particular favourite with regular visitors.

What better way to spend an evening than sipping a delicious cocktail, while sitting outside on the terrace listening to the music? For those who like their rugby, the bar has two large-screen TVs and usually shows the most important matches.

The staff at Brady's Irish Bar are friendly, the service is excellent and the drinks are very reasonably priced. What more could you want?

Eclipse Grill

The Eclipse Grill is in Albufeira old town and is located just under Eddys Bar, opposite Villa Recife but is quite easy to miss if you haven’t been before. Go down the few steps into a spacious, nicely decorated and furnished restaurant where a member of staff or the Romanian owners and chefs, Nicole and Constantine are ready to welcome you.

The fixed-price menu offers a choice of main meals, including mixed meat skewers, goulash, sea bass and piri piri chicken all cooked on an open-flame grill in front of you. The meals are all served with bread and olives, a dessert and either a glass of wine, a small beer or a soft drink. The food is excellent, the portion sizes good, the staff are very attentive and friendly and the prices are extremely reasonable. A true gem of a place.

Gusto

The Gusto restaurant offers gourmet and haute cuisine food in a beautiful and relaxed surrounding. The Three-Michelin-Starred Chef, Heinz Beck prides himself not only on his menu but on the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of this sleek and contemporary restaurant with its statement globe lighting and plush leather seating.

Succulent steaks and freshly-caught seafood dominate the menu, and are cooked in plain sight in the open display kitchen. Delectable meals such as the Atlantic Lobster medallions on couscous, the duck breast in persimmon and veal tenderloin in Jasmine tea are amongst the restaurant’s most popular dishes. All beautifully presented and served by attentive and friendly staff.

After you have finished eating in the restaurant, why not relax in the adjoining Gusto bar and enjoy a cocktail (or two) or if you are smoker, choose a Cuban cigar from the extensive cigar menu at the sprawling, alfresco terrace? There is also a resident DJ playing music late into the evening.

Julia's Restaurant

Located on the beach at Praia do Garrao, Julia’s Restaurant has stood the test of time, gaining popularity year after year since it opened in the late 1960s. You can have a snack or a full meal in the beach bar or lounge, and the food is freshly cooked to order, using fresh ingredients to create beautiful-tasting cuisine.

The menu at Julia's Restaurant is varied; there are plenty of dishes to choose from, such as the Portuguese fish stew, monkfish kebabs with delicious African rice or sardines and a fresh soft cheese salad.

Live music is performed every Sunday afternoon from 1 to 4 pm, and two evenings a week in the summer season. Julia’s is a lovely place to relax with a cocktail or a glass of wine right next to the ocean, while listening to some great music.

With indoor and outdoor terrace seating, up to 350 clients are able to be catered for at any time. Wifi is also provided free of charge to all customers throughout the restaurant, lounge, beach bar and for those on the beach sitting close to the beach bar.

Ocean Restaurant

Ocean Restaurant is located at Vila Vita Parc Resort and Spa, at Porches in the southern region of the Algarve. The restaurant is absolutely stunning with large picture windows looking out onto incredible views of the Atlantic. The décor is contemporary and striking in hues of blue and grey alongside the eye-catching white corals.

The Chef, Hans Neuner has been in charge of the kitchen at Ocean since 2007 and he is renowned for only using locally-sourced and fresh produce. Fresh fish and seafood from along the coast are selected daily and organic fruit and vegetables, high-quality olive oil, certified meats and award-winning wine are also supplied by the Ocean’s sister resort in the Alentejo. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin Star award in 2009 and the food, the attentive service and the wine pairing, just keeps getting better and better. This gourmet restaurant is certainly one of the best in the Algarve.

Twins Garden

The Twins Garden Restaurant is located on the road from Almancil to Quinta do Lago and is run by the owner Adam Illes, head chef Csaba Botond, and head waiter Cristian Cojocar. The restaurant is small but very elegant, seating 45 inside with capacity for another 70 outside in the garden and terrace.

The cuisine is international and the menu changes regularly, with new dishes being introduced all the time and always using the very best of ingredients, all locally sourced.

You could choose seared hake with couscous and an orange and pinenut emulsion, duck breast with a fine carrot and ginger purée or slow-cooked belly of pork accompanied by red cabbage slaw, celeriac purée and pink pepper jus. The wine list has been carefully compiled to ensure that the wines compliment the food and the prices are very reasonable.

The newly-designed gardens are a perfect spot for alfresco dining and the ancient trees provide welcome shade in the summer months. A truly wonderful setting in which to eat a delicious and delightful meal.

Vai e Volta

The Vai e volta is a small cosy fish restaurant in Olhao offering an “eat all you can” dining experience. For a very reasonable set price, you get unlimited fresh fish accompanied by various side dishes such as breads, olives, tomato salads, garlic mash and boiled potatoes.

A variety of fish, including mackerel, tuna, sea bream, salmon, scabbard fish and sardines are grilled in front of you and then brought to your table on a big platter for you to make your choice. If you want some of each, then that’s perfectly fine.

As your plate empties, the staff keep bringing you more freshly cooked fish to choose from and this continues until you say “no more”. The side dishes are also delicious and plentiful so it does not take long before you feel as if you cannot eat another bite!

The restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday from 12noon to 3.30pm and is always busy and reservations are not allowed, so it is best to get there quite early. Vai e volta translates as ‘go and return’ and is a very apt name for this lovely restaurant, as you will definitely want to go back.