Dined here numerous times. Outstanding! For my money, consistently the best restaurant in town…read more Fellow diners and friends always put O Tonel in the top 5 in Tavira. Cuisine is Portuguese with style. Try the lamb shank or duck confit. Perhaps the best I have ever eaten in country. Ambiance is cozy and authentic without being ostentatious. Service is prompt and courteous and not intrusive. Good price to value ratio. Like most eateries in Portugal, you can stay as long as you wish. I can dine here every day and not be disappointed or bored with the well curated menu and wine list. Don't miss this tried and true winner.

My husband and I passed by this restaurant when it was setting up for dinner and it looked like it…read morewould be a really cute dining experience. We came back right when they opened for dinner at 7pm and were lucky to grab a table as a walk-in. (The walk-in table was indoors; the rest of the tables, most of which were reserved, were outdoors.) A majority of the patrons had reservations, and many walk-ins after us were turned away or asked to make a reservation for another day. The food was amazing! I got the oysters as recommended by the server. They tasted so fresh and were great with a chilled glass of the house white wine. My husband is a vegetarian and got the pumpkin and goat cheese puff pastry--it was also very tasty. After paying the bill and exiting the restaurant, we were pleasantly surprised by the live music playing outside. We were enjoying it from inside the establishment and thought it was coming from a speaker this whole time! Overall, we had a wonderful evening and would recommend this restaurant to friends and family.

Don't walk- run to get one of the most memorable meals. 10 days in Spain and Portugal and amongst…read moreour group of 6 Aquasul was a clear winner for the best meal on our trip. Stand out dish was the beet carpaccio- I could eat that everyday. We tried several dishes and all were delightful. Enjoy!

The Aquasul was recommended by a friend and we didn't regret our visit here!…read more It was perfect from the beginning to the bill. It was a saturday and of course the place was fully booked. I asked whether there was a free table later that evening, so we got a reservation for 9 am. Lucky for us! At 9, the place was still full, but the waiters were very nice and fast! The interior is pretty cool because of the beautiful tiles and open kitchen, a cosy, art-and-mosaic-filled setting. The menu is short but full with yummy sounding dishes, so it was hard for use to decide. We ordered a lentil burger and fish (I don't remember which one it was) with a tomato risotto. IT.WAS.DELICIOUS! Really, I can't remember the last time I ate such a good dish for such a good price. We tried the cheesecake for dessert and that was the perfect ending of the evening. I think it's very cool that the owners make an effort to source sustainably from the market. Also, they offer gluten free pizzas (which you have to preorder).

I'm always keen to try somewhere new whenever I have the chance to visit Tavira so Jamies Cozinha…read morewas an obvious destination for dinner on my recent mini break. I turned up last Tuesday without having made a booking and had no problems getting a choice of tables in this nicely turned out small restaurant which is situated just over the river from the central square in Tavira (walk over the bridge, the small one open to traffic, just along from the lovely old Roman bridge). If you are planning on eating here in June, July or August I suspect a booking in advance would be essential to avoid disappointment. There are a couple of tables on the narrow pavement outside but the road is quite busy so this is not a place I would recommend for dining outside (try the A Ver, the Brisa do Rio or the lovely roof terrace at the Patio if you want to eat in the open air). However, the restaurant itself is quite charming and has been restored sympathetically with the interior design based on the original green tiles. It's has a modern look and a nice vibe no overhead strip lighting and candles on the tables. The owner obviously knows his market, he runs a small local hotel, and has pitched this offering just right. There is something on the menu that should appeal to all tastes and there is a good selection for vegetarians which is rare in Tavira. Prices are higher than most other restaurants in town but the menu is a bit more adventurous and the cooking is well executed. The staff are friendly, professional and efficient no doubt they will cope well with the demands of the summer season!! If you are fond of a glass of wine there is plenty of good stuff on the wine list from reasonably priced and easy drinking house wine to some more interesting choices which will not break the bank. I had a very tasty starter of sardine fillets which came on a bed of panzanella salad this would be a good sharing plate if you want to pace yourself and get through three courses. I then moved onto a main of sea bass with saffron seafood risotto. This was a big fish which was perfectly cooked and nicely presented with a side of risotto stuffed full of octopus, mussels and clams a nice plate of food but there was just a little bit too much going on flavour wise for my palate. By now I was totally stuffed and after a quick bica I was off into town for a bit of a walk before a cheeky nightcap. I'm already looking forward to a return visit to see how Jamies develops after the summer season.

I never would have found this place if it were not for Bart, the golf pro and all around good guy…read moreat nearby Benamor Golf Club. Thirty of us played 18 holes of wonderful Stableford golf at Benamor, then only 20 headed to Brisa do Rio for dinner because there just was not enough room for all 30 of us. We were met with tables already laden with bottles of water and wine as well as bread, olives, fish pate, and butter. Once we all had been seated, the appetizers started to flow family-style. Fresh octopus sauteed in a zesty tomato sauce, razor clams in olive oil, garlic, and parsley, as well as chevre cheese topped with honey and apricot jam, I believe. They we all sublime. My entree was the lamb chops, four of them, perfectly seared and cooked to a medium rare accompanied by a mint sauce with a bite, likely a bit of a local favorite, piri piri (chilli) sauce. The chops were delish, accompanied by new potatoes perfectly seasoned and roasted to a semi-crispy dark brown. The service was impeccable with three servers keeping watch over our party of 20, replacing empty water and wine bottles and clearing empty plates post haste. The dining room is simple, yet sophisticated with just enough light to be able to read a menu without hurting my light sensitive eyes. There is also a dining room in the back to handle overflow as well as provide a place for wine tastings, from what I understand. An excellent meal and value at 30 Euros for a four course dinner, including wine and coffee, I recommend getting a reservation because they are fully booked pretty much every night. CombatCritic Gives Brisa do Rio 9 Bombs Out Of 10 With Room For An Extra Bomb For When I Return ... More Bombs Are Better!

We wanted real wonderful authentic Paella on the beach. That is 100% what we received…read more They have been here a very very long time. I know as I was here in the late 90's and it was a staple to the community for authentic upscale back then. As you would expect it is a multi-lingual staff in some cases. It wasn't overly priced in my opinion for what was a peaceful beautiful authentic and FILLING meal. The atmosphere, the food, and wine were amazing. We would do it 100 times again.

A must visit gem! Friendly service, customer service, and fabulous food!! Thank you for a wonderful…read moreevening. The calamari was fresh and savory, while the paella was..... well, delicious is an understatement! Pics attached! Before and after pictures!

Honored to be the first to review Polvo & Companhia Restaurante! Located in Santa Luzia, a small…read morefishing village on the eastern Algarve, this place far exceeded expectations. We actually didn't intend to go here, but I'm so happy that we did. The restaurant we were trying to go to was closed, and this seemed like the next best option. To my surprise, it ended up being one of my favorite meals of the trip! For those that don't know, polvo is the Portuguese word for octopus. Santa Luzia is famous for them. In fact, Santa Luzia is widely considered the octopus capital of the world. So, we didn't want to leave Santa Luzia without trying their world famous octopus. To eat, I ordered the black linguine with octopus and prawns, and the fish and octopus sashimi. While I thought the sashimi was fine, the black linguine dish was very memorable. If you find yourself in Santa Luzia, definitely try to give this place a try. You will not be disappointed. Between the food and service, there's nothing not to like. The menu has a lot of great options, prices are reasonable, and the location is great. The ambience and decor are certainly elevated. There's good reason why every table in the restaurant was filled. Next time I'm in the area, I will not hesitate to come back.

Fun place in town to stop at as a tourist. Great view of the harbor. Serves octopus. I also…read morenoticed locals gathering here for family events

Pretty, upscale Portuguese restaurant. Not specializing in seafood like we hoped but the items…read morethey had looked good. Unfortunately we left after 15 minutes without trying any of them because no one took our order, not be even for drinks. Three stars for ambience and an ok menu.

We went on the way from lisbon to Seville as a pit stop and it was literally the best food we have…read morehad in 3 weeks! The place was empty which worried me a little but was also great for our toddler bc we didn't have to worry about other people and interrupting their meal. All of which wouldn't have mattered bc the waitress and the people were phenomenal. Okay food now.... the octopus and shrimp which my husband and I almost always order were literally the best we've ever had. So good after we had our mains we ordered one of each again. THE BEST, I had the catch of the day and wasn't a fan. My husband had the pork shank and was like butter. It was out of this world good. Order that. . Go here and you won't regret it.

We ate here two nights in a row because the food and the service were excellent. It is on par with…read moreour expectation of fine dining in the US at much less $$. Inventive and delicious but not too fussy. We had chicken, steak, lasagna and fish as our mains and tried most of the appetizers. Yummy. I highly recommend it.

This was a really lovely place to eat. The food was creative and delicious and beautiful. We got…read morefish and ravioli and both were exceptional with bright flavors and perfectly cooked. Service was excellent, waiters were kind and attentive. I really can't rave enough. One of our best meals in Portugal (which is saying a lot!).

Been here with my family for a "Cataplana de Polvo com Batata Doce" and the food was delicious!!!…read moreService could be better and staff are not as friendly as they should be! Overall was a great experience but I prefer the traditional Portuguese cuisine/dishes and not so much this "french cuisine style" where the focus is more on the looks and the small portions!

From the owner: Restaurante en el centro de El Puerto de Santa María, ubicado desde 1989 en una casa del siglo…read moreXVIII en la calle Misericordia. En La Bodeguilla del Bar Jamón unimos cocina portuense, producto de mercado y bodega cuidada, con nuestro mítico Pan de la Casa con jamón ibérico de bellota como sello. Negocio familiar de tercera generación, ideal para disfrutar de una comida sin prisas, celebraciones y menús de grupo. Reserva tu mesa y vive un restaurante clásico del Puerto con alma de casa de comidas.