Saw this place written up in a number of tour books. We were warned you needed a reservation especially on a Friday night. We attempted to make one online the day of but it never "took". We showed up at 6pm when they opened and got one of the few unreserved tables after being scolded for not having a reservation! Our waitress was helpful and friendly and most of the staff spoke English (it is a tourist town). We started with glasses of house wine 3 Euros each and olives and garlic bread. Both were good. I got the grilled sea bass which was very good with lots of veggies. My wife got the grilled squid which she liked a lot. We splurged on dessert only 5 euros - almond tart and a tiramisu - both were tasty. Nice place, good food - make a reservation a few days in advance! read more

We arrived without a reservation at 18:00. After a bit of discussion... We were seated at a two-top adjacent to the area where pizza was being prepped and cooked in a wood fired oven. It was super fun to watch the men making the breads and pizzas. It turned out to be a great table. We Enjoyed our two appetizers, two wines, two mains and two desserts (see receipt for details). The service was solid, the atmosphere fun, and the food yummy. Thank you Rick Steves for the recommendation read more

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The Cataplana was amazing. We didn't have pizza but this looked fantastic too. Our server was great and the atmosphere was really nice

Authentic, great food, great service, great price! Another unclaimed no fake review place. Highly recommend. read more

Calhou - Salami pizza - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 20

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Recommended by multiple travel guides and also by my Airbnb host so we decided we had to try it. I little bit of a walk outside the Lagos city walls but not very far. First impressions was it was very quaint and well decorated and much larger than I expected. We were the first ones there for dinner as we got there right at 6pm on a Saturday and they sat us at a nice table. A few minutes later they asked us to move as they realized they had a reservation for 12 and the best place were the tables nearby, I think they should have anticipated that but at least we had not ordered or anything yet. Service was not real personable considering we were the only ones there but they seemed to be very focused on setting up the reservation signs on the tables. Lesson learned, will get there at 6:30 next time. We ordered an appetizer and wood fired pizza and some of the house white wine. Everything was fantastic, especially the appetizer of pizza crust, goat cheese, arugula and prosciutto. And the presentation was just amazing on the app as well. Pizza was also good but we realized we ordered the same ingredients on our pizza as our app had, next time I will be more careful. They also had local fish, meats and cataplana and it all looked delicious. I would not hesitate to go here again and we made a reservation for Sunday night but had to cancel as my wife was not feeling well, so I missed out on ordering a fish dish. Great local place with fantastic food, just wish they had been a little friendlier, as they were extremely friendly to the regulars and people they recognized from being there before. read more

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Absolute best pizza ever! Better than anything I had in Italy. The octopus salad is so fresh and full of flavor. 10/10

Nice, wood fired, Neopolitan style pizza! Their menu has entrees in addition to pizza but I wasn't interested in those. I popped in on a Saturday around 7. Despite ALL the available tables having reserved signs on them, the lovely hostess (maybe owner), explained 'lots of people come at 20:00'. And there already were multiple tables filled with diners - quite a few larger family groups. A very family friendly place. Calhou is not in a tourist area so it's a very local place. This is the comfy kind of place where you can become a known regular. The hostess said she 'could see I was hungry'. Clearly the fat roll around my middle was hidden by my jacket ;). Can I be out by 20:00? Sim! I will order quick pizza. I sat right at the open pizza oven and watched a couple handsome Portuguese guys expertly working their pizza magic. Delicious pizza - soft dough, blistered, slightly charred crust. Yum! I love how pizza orders get a pizza cutter added to their table setting. I don't know why I didn't get a pic of the wine list but it's cute - printed on a label that wraps around an empty bottle. read more

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Excellent service, lots of options, delicious food, and a great place for a mid-day lunch. Loved watching the brick oven where they prepare the pizza in full view of the restaurant. This place closes at 3 and reopens for dinner in the evening but be warned; a reservation is a must for dinner. Try all the tapas, the pizza is perfect. No critiques! read more

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Bro- this place is legit! The pizza is FR just like in Naples. The Portuguese food is also tops. I only post on Yelp for the best restaurants that I want to for sure return to if I'm back in that place. So, you can be guaranteed it is one of the best. read more

Outstanding value 1.80€ copo/glass for Verde Vinho or 5€ for 1/2 Liter, and amazingly great house wine! Asked to try it first and it was a near 1/2 US pour for taster! Side of Olives dressed in garlic and olive oil were some of the best! Cataplana, traditional metal covered wok had 5-6 pcs bone-in white fish pieces and 6 large head on, shell on shrimp in a tomato onion green red pepper broth, was just ok for us. Glad we tried, just not our fave dish in Portugal. Some house Piri Piri, salt and pepper helped. End of meal comes with some complimentary digestifs, honey licor, Ginga cherry licor and one clear colored aptly named Fire Water, a hard and strong arm brew! Nice touch along with the coffee candy when presented with the bill. Everyone else's food looked superb and sure I ordered wrong for our palate; all the steaks were the thickest cuts I've seen in non-steak houses, traveling for the last month. The octopus salad looked divine...I would return to try other dishes. Waitresses spoke excellent English and service was great. Obrigada! read more

Calhou - Super menu, Lamb Chops to Cataplana - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 20

Off the beaten tourist track. Get some steps in to get up here. Located just past the funeral parlor. Good to know if your trip goes really badly, I had the place all to myself at 2:30 on a weekday. Ordered a lunch of seafood starters, olives and bread. Great assortment of olives, the Ray Fish Mayonnaise was ok. Sardine Pate less appealing. With coffee and a still water it came to less than 14 euros. Friendly waiter. Nice pack on the leftovers The best dish in Portugal is Cataplava, a seafood stew almost always prepared for two, as it is here. read more

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Great family restaurant, everything about the place was warm and welcoming. Food was first class especially my favorite, the Calhou Style Grilled Squid. A memory that will bring me back to Lagos read more

Great atmosphere good quick service. The food is good. Some dishes are great and some good. The bread and butter was 4 euro and was not very fresh but the lamb chops were very very good. The pizza is good definitely would get again and good price about 9 euro.have I had better pizza Yes. But it was good and very fresh. read more

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Wow! Pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Every dish from the craft garbanzo veggie burger to the port soaked poached pear with lemon sorbet was delightful. The sangria was fragrant and refreshing. The service was attentive and un-intrusive. Love Calhou. read more

The food and wine here is delicious but there's only one vegetarian option and it was not very good. I would have easily given 5 stars if the vegetarian option was what was advertised. I really enjoyed the wine they recommended and my family really loved their meals. The 3 chocolate pie is amazing! read more

We've eaten there twice. Both were great. The lady owner is so friendly and has a great personality. My husband had the black pig and he loved it. Her son makes all the pizzas . Outside of Italy, it was the best pizza we've ever had. And that includes the U.S. ! read more

Calhou is a very charming restaurant! The food and wine were amazing!!! The Grilled Sea Bass was super fresh and exceptional!! The Grilled Squid was not overdone and had wonderful flavoring! And they gave you after dinner drinks too!! There was a few dishes we wanted to try but you need to call 24 hours in advance and order them. The next time I'm back in Lagos, I will go back and pre-order! read more

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Like with most higher quality/better known restaurants in this area, you don't just call ahead in order to secure a table. You call ahead in order to access--what I would humbly consider--the epic and only noteworthy part of the menu. Specialty dishes that take forever to prepare come made to order here, and if you're not aware of this practice and happen to be in town for just a short stint, then best believe you will suffer from major FOMO when you see sizable, sizzling pots of glorious cataplana and arroz making their way past your naive, hungry face and onto the tables of the better-informed. The rest of the menu is 'good', of course, but it's not why you've come all this way. Pick up the phone. Be bold. Be well-fed. Be happy. read more

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Nice place that's much bigger than it appears from the outside. I had lamb chops and my wife had the cod. Both were expertly prepared and tasty. Service was great and I would definitely return. They also have excellent patio seating. read more

We have had a wonderful time in Lagos this week, and we have had many delicious meals, but Calhou wins for our favorite. If you are looking for the quintessential Portuguese dining experience, go here. We went on a Wednesday night at 7:30 with a reservation. It was not too crowded. The ambiance, service, and food all came together to provide the most perfect evening! We were a table of four and we ordered olives, bread, octopus salad, clams, black pig tenderloin, lamb, sea bass, and steak with green peppercorn cream sauce. We also had wine and desserts. Everything in this restaurant is fresh, homemade, and tasty! An extra sweet touch- They bring a tray of after dinner liquors at the end of the meal, complimentary! read more

Calhou is such a charming restaurant and we were thrilled to dine there during our visit to Lagos. The atmosphere is inviting and we sat at a communal table with three other guests. My friend and I spent 10 days between Lisbon and Lagos and this was one of our best meals. The clams were divine and bream (local fish from Algarve) was amazing. After dinner we had a local digestive consisting of three shots of various alcohol and it was a nice touch to end our dining experience. The prices are slightly higher than other restaurants in the area and worth every penny. Keep in mind, they only take American Express, Portuguese cards or euros. read more

Reviews billed this place as a family-run place. While it is small and feels local, the staff wasn't particularly warm or familial. We had the octopus salad and garlic prawns to start, with grilled bream and steak Portuguese (with layer of ham and fried egg) as mains. Most of the dishes were just fine - not bad but not outstanding. The steak was the clear winner of the table. Bonus that they bring after-dinner digestifs. But for a place somewhat out of the way, we had hoped the meal would have been an easy 5-star rating. read more

Amazing food with great hospitality! Went with the pork and clams and the Portuguese steak. Unbelievably good food and feel like you're eating with family. read more

Ate here twice. Food is good and reasonably priced. The waitress patiently spoke to me in Portuguese (Even though she is fluent in English) unlike everyone else here who immediately switches to English as soon as they hear my bad Portuguese. read more

Went here twice during our 3 day stay in Lagos. You are treated like family when you eat here. One of our favorite places to eat during our 3 week honeymoon. read more

This is the best restaurant I've been to in Portugal. It's a small, family owned place and has got a real homely feel to it. We got a mixture of seafood and other meats, it was all fantastic, and the homemade desserts were definitely the highlight. read more

Cristina was a wonderful hostess and her husband works his magic in the kitchen. We ate dinner here 2 out of the 3 nights we spent in Lagos.

Great location with delicious meat and fish! You have to try the salmon and the steak! The service was very attentive and friendly and we will definitely come back! read more