My husband found this local gem online and it did not disappoint. Yelp says they open at 6, this is incorrect. They open at 5:30pm. We got there right at 6 and they gave us one of only 2 remaining tables, telling us we had to be done by 7:30pm. We started with prosciutto & melon which was AMAZING!!!!! And reminded us of Italy. My children got the house style spaghetti which was a cream sauce with tomatoes and ham. Neither kid could get enough! The pasta was soooo tasty. My husband and I shared the Mixed Catalana for 2 - prawns and clams. It was the best meal we had during our almost 2 week trip to Portugal. The broth was so delicious I could've drank it with my spoon. It was loaded with veggies too. Came with white rice on the side and some fried potatoes. Also my husband got a glass of house red wine which was a very generous pour! They only take cash, which we did not know ahead of time. But luckily there's an ATM across the street. They turned tons of people away while we were eating. I guess their system is reservation only from 5:30-7:30pm and then after 7:30pm they allow walks in on a first come, first serve basis. read more

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The food is amazing! We go there every time we are in the area. Last year, the year before that. The service is fantastic! My husband could eat there everyday! It is a small restaurant so you don't go there for the ambiance! It is a family run business.. The chef, his wife, son and son's girlfriend... They work so... well together and are extremely kind. It's best to make reservations as the wait is hideous if you don't. Best restaurant ever! read more

What a good find while traveling around we wondered in this restaurant. Everything was delicious and the service was excellent! read more

Casinha do Petisco - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

El sitio es pequeño.Solo diez mesas para dos. Recomiendo hacer reserva. No admiten tarjetas. Solo efectivo. La comida es abundante y exquisita. El restaurante es de ambiente familiar. read more

Casinha do Petisco - El sitio no es muy grande. Y es diverso. - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

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As we were wondering around Lagos we saw a line of people that look like locals waiting for the business to be open before 5 pm and decided to join and dine there, it was the most delicious meal we had in Lagos. Portions were big and the food was absolutely espectacular. Service was so good from the beginning, make sure you do reservations we just happened to be on the right place and the right time. read more

Casinha do Petisco - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

Our favorite meal from our trip to Portugal! This place is a must if you're in Lagos, get there early and be ready for a wait but it is so worth it. The Cataplana is so incredibly delicious, come hungry because this meal is HUGE for two people! read more

Casinha do Petisco - Cataplana Mista (shrimp and clam) - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

One of my best meals in Portugal! Everything was delicious - you could taste the love that goes into each dish. The prawns a casinha have a curry tasting sauce that was so good. The cataplana a casinha is the perfect creamy stew that includes pork, prawns and clams. Highly recommend! read more

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The service was awesome and the food was fantastic! I ordered the Cataplana mista (camarão e amêijoas). It was enough to comfortably feed 3 people and it was to die for. Ask for spoons and just drink the juice. It is amaaaaazing! I highly recommend this place. read more

The best cataplana in the world! The most delicious fish stew you can imagine. Luckily we reserved upfront. Otherwise, the waiting time/list could be long... It was so extremely delicious that we also reserved for the day after. This time I took the cataplana with prawns. OMG!!! I ate arguably the best meal of my life at Casinha do Petisco. Catinha do Petisco is a family run restaurant, 28 years now. Father is the chef, and mom, son and girlfriend are serving customers. So friendly! Can't miss this one when you're in Lagos or the Algarve. Worthy! Only cash payments are accepted. read more

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We didn't make a reservation in advance and had to wait almost 2 hours (if not more) for a table. Right when we were giving up hope our name was called and I'm so thankful we stuck it out. With two weeks in Portugal this restaurant immediately became my number one dining experience. Our server was amazing and had such a positive charming personality despite the restaurant being incredibly busy. The fish was delicious and the stews are really the star of the show! Unfortunately I don't eat shellfish but I did taste the sauce from my friends plate and it was amazing. Definitely recommend getting a reservation a few days in advance. read more

Casinha do Petisco - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

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Absolutely unacceptable service - RUINED our night. This is the first time I've ever felt compelled to write a negative review, but the experience here was beyond frustrating. The woman managing the waitlist was extremely rude and unprofessional. She told us the wait would be 1 hour and 30 minutes -- we patiently waited, like many others who come here excited for a good night out. But instead of a memorable evening, we were left frustrated and disrespected. We waited over 2 hours, while she kept calling names of people who arrived well after us. If you're a group larger than two, don't even bother. They clearly do not seat by order, despite what they say. I saw MULTIPLE groups put their names down much later -- and still get seated first. When we asked about it, she raised her voice and pointed at her notebook, which clearly didn't reflect the actual order. No explanation, no apology -- just attitude. To make it worse, a group of two who came more than an hour after us got seated first. Then a group of four -- same size as ours -- also got a table before us. So no, it's not about table size. Just poor service. The person managing the front should understand that people come here looking forward to a great time -- not to be treated with such disrespect. She completely ruined the experience for us. There are too many great places to waste your time here. Avoid. read more

Great food! Great service. I'd advise you to get there around 6 and put your name down. It is a small restaurant and the wait is long. I wish they served prawns with no heads. That is my only complaint. Highly recommend! read more

Casinha do Petisco - Garlic prawns. Definitely enough for 3 people. - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

Great food and great service. Large portions and affordable. Had a great experience. Social atmosphere and vibrant location.

To say this was amazing is an understatement. Let's start with the confusing. How to get in. Said to call for reservations. No one ever answered. So we got in line at 520 when it opens at 530. We were fifth couple in line so felt confident. So when you go early you get to eat from opening until 7. Or put your name down for 9 pm or another day. We decided to just eat right away. We got a bottle of wine. We got bread and the Cataplana. We did the one with pork, prawns and clams. Skip the pork so just get the seafood one. It was a top 5 meal I ever had. It was so good. The place is tiny. It was hot on a warm day. But the servers are nice and I would eat it every day if I could. It is a one person kitchen and when done he asked us how it was. A thumbs up didn't do justice. You have to get this meal. It was beyond incredible. read more

Great little place ( very little, 28 seats total that they make work)! There's a reason people wait in line and we almost gave up but happy we didn't. If you can make a reservation as far in advance as possible, do so but don't expect to be seated on time. Be patient as they are at the mercy of diners that linger. Same goes for walk-ups. We only waited for 40 mins and many tried to step in front of us. Don't be intimidated. We did a catalana with clams, shrimp and pork that was amazing! Says it's for 2 but 3-4 can easily share. All portions are HUGE! Surprisingly good wine selection. Beer available and I believe liquor, too. Strong recommendation but make sure you bring cash. No credit cards accepted. ATM is a block down the street, though! read more

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Excellent! One of the best restaurants in Lagos. The place is always packed and there is about a two hour wait but definitely worth it.

Food is amazing! Well worth the 1.5 hour wait. Order the seafood Cataplana for 2, so yummy! I wanted to drink the broth! Everyone had to give the chef compliments, fist bumps, asked for a picture! He was quite a celebrity!!! We met a couple that travel to Lagos every year and tried to get a reservation for any of the 10 days they were staying and booked full! Only way to get in is get on a waitlist and plan on 1-2 hours! read more

The food was beyond delicious and the service was excellent. Our dinner here was a highlight of our vacation. Obrigada!

This place requires a reservation at least a couple days in advance, and it is WORTH scheduling in advance (if you're in the area)!! Loved their specialty, the cataplana. Virtually everyone in the restaurant will have this dish on their table. It did not disappoint with a great variety of seafood and pork. It comes served with rice and potatoes to sop up all that sauce, but isn't so strong in flavour that you NEED the rice/potatoes to enjoy it. It's a well-balanced dish regardless of how much carb you consume. But a little secret? Their Portuguese steak was even BETTER than the cataplana! It was incredibly moist with the most amazing sauce. We couldn't get enough (and also couldn't quite pin down what ingredients went into it). Our server gave the most excited reaction to this order and guided us on an appropriate amount for three people (particularly because we were going to order too much food!). I appreciate good service that puts the customer first. read more

Casinha do Petisco - Seafood cataplana - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

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This restaurant has no sense of management at all AND is racist. If you are not a white person you SHOULD NOT go (we are a family of Koreans). Me and my sister wanted to take our mom here so we went. We were told to write down our name on the waitlist by the female server who told us it's going to be 1.5 hours. We waited in front of the store like the rest of people starting 8:30PM. The server (female) purposely sat people down who came way later than us. They don't move around the table to accommodate the order people come in. Several 2 people teams and 4 people tables that came WAY later than us went in first. This is insane. We waited for over two hours and we watched so many teams just get chosen to be seated ahead of us because the server was racist. All of the teams that went in were white. This has been the worst part of our trip to Lagos, I wish I never went there in the first place. This made us think that all Portuguese people are racist. We are from New York and you don't experience this type of racism there. 1,000% do not recommend if you are trying to enjoy Lagos. read more

Great food, excellent service and location. One of the best meals I have ever had! Make reservation in advance

The food is delicious. Cash only. Small place. Make a reservation and don't miss it if you're in Lagos. Friendly staff. Clams Cataplana is the best! read more

If you are ever in Lagos, make sure you go here. It will not disappoint. Well worth any wait there is. Prawns and clams along with the sea bream were absolutely amazing. read more

we really loved the Cataplana Mixta! So delicious. The waiter was so super friendly and helpful. I have an issue w cilantro tasting like soap and they were not upset when i asked for the Cataplana without cilantro (coentro). I saw some people stop in and make reservations for a few days later...we went at 5:28 and they opened at 5:30pm but at 5:28, they were open and the restaurant was already 50% full. read more

Casinha do Petisco - Cataplana Mixto - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

Wow - the best cataplana I've ever had. Darling Restaurant in the center of Lagos - chef is the owner. I highly recommend this underpriced gem with amazing food and service. read more

Casinha do Petisco - Shrimp & clam cataplana - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

Great food. Highly recommend this. But make reservation! You will still need to wait it's very small. Best Cataplana ever!

Came here for dinner. Several hours wait and very poorly organized line. They tried to turn us away multiple times. Finally got seated, service takes a while to get to you. Ordered what seemed is the house special which is homemade sauce with shrimp. You get a platter with medium sized shrimp covered with this tangy orangy sauce. Comes with bread. Very filling, you do have to remove the heads and such from shrimp so gets messy. Wasn't my favorite shrimp dish but tasty. Restaurant is cash only. read more

Casinha do Petisco - Shrimp with homemade sauce - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

The best food and service in the Lagos area. Nothing against anybody the other places. This place is worth the visit.

The food was delicious! Servers were very friendly. Get there very early or make reservations in advance. read more

Casinha do Petisco - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

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We were a group of 10 and they were quick to get us seated! Service was great and food was delicious! They are open late and so this was a plus! read more

INCREDIBLE couldn't have asked for anything more out of this meal-- for real give me a bowl of dat sauce

We were looking for a place for good authentic Portuguese food in the tourist city center of Lagos. Came across recommendation for this place on a travel site and decided to trust in visitors reviews. This place is like home style small shop, can only sit about 30 people and it is not on the main strip where all the other restaurants are. The line out the door is ridiculous but it is for good reasons. Hands down the best seafood meal we had while we visited Lagos. We came just before it opens for dinner service at 6pm and there are already 20 people outside of the door. There were 4 of us and we ordered the melon with smoked ham, clam cataplana, Camarao a Casinha (house special shrimp), and the house spaghetti. The clam cataplana came with rice and chips (as in fried sliced potatoes). Clams were sweet and the sauce full of flavor. The shrimp dish tho - that sauce was like magic. We wanted to lick the dish literally. So good we actually ordered another serving (and left the spaghetti alone - it was fine but completely no competition to the cataplana and ultimately that house special shrimp. You do have to plan ahead to come here - it seems like they are packed from open to closed. read more

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This was our best meal in Portugal! Came on a Saturday night about 20 minutes before they opened and there was already a line. Unfortunately we missed the first seating but put our names on the wait list, ordered a few glasses of wine, and waited for our name to be called. It was definitely worth the wait! We ordered the house cataplana with shrimp, clams, and pork which was to die for. The broth was super rich and the seafood/meat was tender and flavorful. It came with a side of potatoes and rice which was perfect for mixing. We originally wanted to order an appetizer (not knowing the portion sizes) and the waiter kindly informed us it would be too much food which was definitely appreciated. We would have come back the next night had it not been a Sunday when they were closed. Highly highly recommend!! read more

What a fantastic spot in Lagos! This is definitely the "place to go" and the business of the restaurant reflects that. My friend and I stopped by at around 6:30 and put our name down on the waitlist, and went back a bit past 9 (following a lovely evening visit to Ponta Piedade!) and were seated shortly after. You are going here for the cataplana. If you can eat all of the elements, go for the classic (pork, shrimp, clams). The dish comes with rice and potatoes, and it is easily enough food for 3. My friend and I also ordered the mixed salad which was nice to balance the heavier meal, but you truly don't need to order anything besides the cataplana. Fresh, quality food in an absolutely delicious sauce. Friendly service (a bit slow but hey, we're on Lagos time!), good vibe. A must, must, must visit dinner spot in Lagos! Enjoy! read more

Casinha do Petisco - The classic "home style" cataplana! - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

Very difficult to get a reservation. Went the same day and put our names on a list. Finally got seated for dinner at 9:30 and it was worth the weight. If you go to Lagos, don't miss the Catalaplana here. Absolutely delicious. I hated to leave any behind but what they say feeds two could easily feed three. The restaurant is not fancy looking but the atmosphere is homey and you feel like part of their family. A must! read more

Best restaurant in Europe. The food, the staff, price, location. U feel like your family and everything is fresh, prepared well. No nonsense family high end eating! read more

The cataplana was delicious! We even ordered more rice to have the sauce with. I made reservations and my table was ready when I arrived. The service was slow because there was only one waiter. It took a while for him to give us the menu and take our order. However the food came out fast. Overall I absolutely LOVED the cataplana and I'll definitely return if I go back to Lagos in the future. read more

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Reservations here is a must unless you want to wait a long time to get in. They take reservations at 6 and 7:30 and after that you have to put your name on a list and wait. The restaurant is fairly small so you may have a long wait. We ordered their house cataplana for 2 which is a stew that has shrimp, clams and pork. This is served with rice and fried potatoes. The stew is really good. Tasted tomato based with cream. A lot of people ordered this. Other dishes looked really good too. If we are ever back on the area I would love to try some other items. Service is slow but friendly. We had a 7:30 reservation and didn't get our food until 8:30. When we left there must have been over 20 people waiting to get in so book in advance! read more

Casinha do Petisco - Cataplana - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

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This place is Incredible! Our airbnb host recommended it and said it's very tough to get a table but that he would try for us. We later went for a tour of the city and happened to find it ourselves using Yelp. They were closed at that time but said they would reopen at 6pm. We held off for about an hour or so and returned at 6 on the dot. They were fully booked but the chef/owner sat us anyways as long as we left within an hour. Good thing because it was the best meal we have had yet. Service was Great but the food!! Had the prawns and clam Catalana. More than enough for 2. The prawn home style are also popular and we hope to get a table again tomorrow. The Mountain cheese is very delicious. Sangria and beer just rounds it all off. Enjoy read more

Casinha do Petisco - Prawn/clam catalana. Incredible! - Portuguese Near Me - Lagos, 08

Absolutely the most fantastic Cataplana ever!! Make a reservation, or you might not get in. The place fills up fast.