18 Best Restaurants in The Algarve, Portugal

With its quirky interior illuminated by dozens of pendant lamps, this lively tapas bar—with inventive cuisine and fine wines—is popular with locals for a big night out. There's a strong focus on Portuguese wines, but the menu ranges further afield, with camembert, shrimp tempura, and tuna tataki.

Sample the very best ingredients from local producers and farmers all from the humble digs of this locally celebrated food truck—there are goods like honey, mushrooms, pork, chestnuts, and chorizo on the menu. Every so often, the food truck hosts fun events, like touring "mountain picnics" and small parties.

This charming restaurant has an absolutely lovely location on the eastern edge of the dramatic Praia dos Três Irmãos. Specialties here include fresh fish and delicious seafood stews, supported by a selection of fine wines. The crepe desserts are both a specialty here, and an absolute must.

The resort's first restaurant is still one of its best. Casa Velha occupies an old farmhouse and focuses on French-style fine dining, served in its beautifully rustic olive tree–shaded garden, if you like. Many of the ingredients come from Quinta do Lago's organic farm or the ocean nearby.

Locals flock here for its fabulous homemade pizzas, hearty pastas, refreshing sangria, and charmingly old-fashioned decor. Meals are served on bench tables with blue-and-white tiled surfaces, which give a delightfully traditional feel. It also serves up some of the best Italian gelato.

In a brave move, there's no menu at this restaurant. Promising diners 11 carefully curated dishes, chef João Marreiros weaves his passion for his country in every bite, using only the freshest available ingredients. The decor is pared back; modern and yet traditional. Sit back and enjoy the journey knowing you're in safe hands.

Despite the misleading name, this cheerful restaurant actually does have a patio, and a beautiful one surrounded by trees and soft lighting (the name translates roughly as "in the courtyard"). The chefs incorporate premium local produce in dishes that have an international flair.

From the outside, the owner's eponymous restaurant looks like just another unassuming local place, but inside, the flavors sing and the senses are delighted. After all, this is no ordinary restaurant—it's a Michelin Guide–listed one helmed by Noélia, a supremely popular Portuguese chef. Seafood is of course the fixture, but not like you'll have seen it so far. Noélia's inventions are beautiful, outstandingly delicious, and satisfying all at once. Make reservations, or be prepared to wait.

Dine beneath the canopy of trees at O Barradas, a farmhouse restaurant set on its own leafy grounds. Portuguese charm comes in spades here, in the decor as well as in the menu, which sources herbs and vegetables from the kitchen garden. Wine poured is from an on-site winery, and other regional specialties feature too, like Mirandesa beef from the north of Portugal, and wild Atlantic shrimp.

If you're looking for fresh fish and a view of the ocean, you can’t do much better than this popular restaurant above beautiful Praia do Camilo. Along with fish that's just come from the market, there are clams and oysters from Ria de Alvor that are prepared with skill. It gets very busy, so make a reservation, or be prepared to wait for a table.

With a name that means "fisherman's retreat," this casual eatery is anything but mediocre—it serves some of the most flavorful fish and seafood in Sagres. Their cataplana dishes are legendary, as are their typical regional desserts prepared by the owner's family.

Done up in vivid shades of blue and gold, this upscale restaurant at the Vila Vita Parc impresses with its innovative dishes, fabulous wine selection, and sweeping ocean views. The once-in-a-lifetime tasting menu is the only way to go—it features sublime ingredients combined in surprising ways, like Iberian pork served with fermented pak choi. There's plenty of fish and seafood, along with perfect wine pairings to boot. It's the ideal spot for a special occasion dinner.

Built in the ruins of an 8th-century castle tower (hence its name), this eatery serves fine renditions of typical Algarvian fare in four dining rooms (including a cistern room) with balconies overlooking the beach. It's a unique option for a special occasion—but great food in a historic setting comes at a price.

You'll need a little Portuguese here, but you will not regret the effort. This is a shining example of traditional tasca (tavern) hospitality—a home-style restaurant without any solid menu to speak of, but where the dishes of the day are enormous, gloriously tasty, and cheap all at once. Simple traditional dishes like meat stewed in beans and broth are the typical meals, but there are fresh, zesty sides, too.

In a lovely square near the city's most popular attractions, this charming restaurant in a historic building offers well-prepared traditional seafood dishes served with contemporary twists, plus a great range of Portuguese sparkling wines. Dine inside surrounded by exposed stone walls, traditional azulejo tiles, and exposed wood beams, or outside on the spacious patio. After you've finished, ask to see the catacombs beneath the restaurant.

From the terrace of this laid-back eatery you can watch the sunset over Cabo São Vicente. This restaurant has been serving traditional Portuguese cuisine since 1995, each recipe with a modern twist. Set in a cozy house near the ocean, it offers a warm fire in winter and terrace dining in summer. The menu features local seafood, classic dishes like caldo verde and duck rice, plus vegetarian options made with herbs from their garden.

The homemade pizzas and pastas at this sleek Mediterranean eatery win rave reviews. Villa Medici has an undeniably beautiful dining room accented by graceful columns, but for the best atmosphere, enjoy your meal outside in the lovely courtyard around an olive tree.

Most casas de pastos (loosely translated as "grazing houses") offer big portions of well-cooked regional dishes in no-frills surroundings, and Zé Leiteiro is no exception. The delicious all-you-can-eat fish and seafood keeps coming until you tell them to stop.