Eating out in the Algarve holds a prominent position in Portuguese life and is the only way to truly discover the extent of the region's culinary range.
Food in the Algarve can be seen to reflect the heritage of this fantastic region, always full of flavour and richly prepared, and with roots dating back to a world long since gone.

Recommended - Jac's Bar & Restaurant
If you're looking for fine Algarve cuisine in a prime, beachfront location, then we would recommend the brilliant Jac's Bar & Restaurant . They offer a special 'A La carte' menu and a great tourist menu, with a wide selection of wines and champagnes to make your meal that little bit more special. Find out more...


The food in the restaurants is always of the highest quality and is based on fresh, local produce.
In a land of fisherman, fish and shellfish play perhaps the leading role in the kitchen. Sardines and salad is a very popular dish in the Algarve, but don't be afraid to order some of the more interesting and exotic sea-food dishes that are on offer - bass, bream, swordfish, lobsters & prawns are all widely available.

Recommended - Sunset Restaurant
The Sunset Restaurant at Oura-View Beach Club is set in the gardens of the resort with magnificent views to the beach and the ocean.
The chef at the restaurant serves a healthy buffet for breakfast and a variety of traditional Portuguese and Mediterranean dishes for lunch and dinner. Find out more...

In many cases, the best recipes are those that have evolved over time, with the fisherman perfecting the art of sealing in all the wonderful natural flavours by slow charcoal grilling.

If seafood isn't quite your thing, then you'll find a huge array of pork and chicken dishes. The Portuguese eat pork in all of it's different forms, from whole roast suckling pig to trotters with coriander.
The local agriculture of the region contributes a lot to the cuisine, with wonderful dishes based on the wild herbs and plants, and the meats culled from the hillside pastureland.

The Algarve's most innovative dish is 'Ameijoas na Cataplana', baby clams with sausage, ham, onion, tomato, garlic, paprika and white wine, cooked and served in a sort of pressure cooker called a 'Cataplana'. A Cataplana is a copper utensil, Islamic in origin, and is particularly effective in preserving delicate flavours.



Chicken Piri-Piri is another world-famous Portuguese dish. The sauce is made from chilli peppers and ranges from mild and tangy, to very hot and spicy.

Most meals are accompanied by country bread, black olives, and small tins of sardine pate.

Now internationally famous, the cakes and desserts are the sweetest of delights!
There is no resisting the divinely produced specialities featuring their lavish dash of sugar, eggs, almonds and locally grown fruits.

And don't forget, Portugal is also famous for it's Vinho Verde and Mateus Rose, as well as the distilled spirit known as 'Aguardente de Medronho', and many fruit liquers.