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).

A relaxing dining experience overlooking the blue Atlantic…read more Professional, attentive service. We ordered salads which are not cheap in the arid Algarve region. If you fine yourself in Salema, walk a few more steps for a better dining experience.

Reasonable to good food, but very variable service ranging for excellent and polite to incompetent…read moreand worse, just plain rude. It's in a wonderful location, if you own a property locally I'm sure you will be treated politely and respectfully.

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!

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.

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!).

We drove here on a whim. So worth it! Wonderful fresh food. Fabulous view. Friendly service…read more Definitely a place to eat in the Algarve.

Good food. Good service. Good prices. The view from the terrace was delightful as we enjoyed our…read moredinner. Nice they were open for an early dinner.

The location was wonderful. The meal for two was extremely flavorful. The carrots were tasty…read more Loved the mushroom and salty brown bread. Call off the fork pork ribs. vice was great with the American sing along going on next door. One of our best meals ever

Four years ago we took a cata plana cooking class with a professional chef. We made sea food. It…read morewas excellent. This time we made chicken cata plana. Again excellent, informative and fun. English was not a problem.The class included eating what you made afterwards, plus it was turned into a large full complete meal, including wine, bread, olives, pate, water, coffee and desert. All was great and the staff were extremely attentive. We were not treated as students but rather honored guests. We would highly recommend turning your meal into a learning experience. They just remodeled their classroom area so they are just ramping up their classes again.

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!

I gave this restaurant a five for the combination of excellent service, beautiful location and the…read moregreat sea food and bar. We started off our (a party of 8 and 2 children ) with lovely cocktails from the great bar . I particularly recommend the Pink Porto . They we had appetizers of the ceviche , gazpacho , soup of the day , oysters , and mussels á marinhera. We think that though they were all delicious , the mussels and oysters were particularly great , and we think you should save the bread to soak up the sauce. For the mains we had the octopus , duck, prawn cakes , sea food pasta , and salmon. Duck was the with a lovely orange honey sauce , and the grilled octopus were the two best dishes . The seafront of pasta comes in second. Al of the dishes are quite generous with portions, and if you are coming for lunch, it could be that you could Split the mains after eating the appetizers . Also all the service we received was so attentive and the view on the outside patio breathtaking . It is recommend to call ahead if you'd like to sit outside . Also we recommend the Grifo duoro white wine for the fish .