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.

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.

Found this place through TripAdvisor and read reviews there and on Google, which were very helpful…read more This is the place to go! Other reviewers said to get reservations and I agree with that. We showed up on a Sunday evening during a major festival and lucked out by getting the last patio table that wasn't reserved. However, you have to be there at opening at 7pm to try and get a table. Other people filtered in for the next half hour and sat inside. But by 7:30 the place was full and they were turning away people that didn't have reservations. They also said to walk ups that if they waited for a table, the kitchen was very slow due to the crowd and the meal might take 45-60 min. Very honest and upfront of them. Other reviewers said to get the swordfish so I did and though I know nothing about swordfish, I know that this one was excellent. Dipped in flavored butter/ oil dish, it was divine. My wife had the grilled octopus and while we were surprised they brought out a full body, it was beautiful and both she and I loved the taste. I asked the server about eating the head and while he said some do but most don't and I took his advice on that. One daughter had the sea bass and said it was very very good. Another had the Cesar salad which she enjoyed but was later disappointed she wasn't more adventurous with her selection. Wife also had a mojito and liked it. I've been drinking tap water in all he restaurants in Tavira without a problem but here they said I could not, so I bought a large bottled water. They brought us a basket of bread and a tray of tuna salad / anchovies / olives and asked if we wanted it. We have since learned in other restaurants that this is an extra charge and we agreed as it looked good and was. Total price for both was only 6 euros even though the menu said it would be more. Total dinner with IVA was 60 euros and we were done in 1 hr, 20 min. We opted to get out and let them serve another group at our table but never felt pushed. The service was great, the sun quickly set over the plaza and a street musician was playing nearby. It was a great experience for us all!

The shrimp appetizer was yummy (12 euros), unfortunately the couscous with veggies was bland,…read moreveggies cooked within an inch of their life (mush) and served barely warmed. I tried some of my dates pork in a port onion reduction--- that was both tasty and served hot Service was solid. We arrived as the place opened, and got a nice 2-top without a reservation. Others were not as I lucky and were turned away.

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).

April 2019.... Fabulous! Returning there 2026 hope it's…read morejust wonderful! Fresh fish adorned with fresh citrus hospitality fabulous!

ZDB is a solid choice for authentic Portuguese food at a reasonable price point. Al fresco dining…read morein the bohemian section of town lends to the charm. Fresh grilled seafood and meat dishes are properly prepared and are a good value. You can easily get away with a starter and split main and not leave hungry. Service can bog down during high tourist season (June through September) but Portugal takes life in small bites - in other words everything slows down. You can spend three or more hours here eating and drinking -- in keeping with cultural norms. Top tip: You can wander the neighborhood and see what others are eating.. The Bishops Square neighborhood lends itself to a look see before committing. We choose this way during slower months. Might want a reserve during high season.

We saw a lot of people dining outside so we decided to give Faz Gostos a try. We got pretty stoked…read moreabout it once we found out it's a Michelin-Starred restaurant. The restaurant looked so fancy I felt a bit out of place in my casual wear even though some other customers were dressed casually too. We decided to dine indoors as opposed to the outdoor seating facing the square. Our waiter communicated fluently in English. Couvert - (Couverts are served at the beginning of the meal. It's usually fresh bread, olives, sardine paté, cheese, etc. The servers typically ask if you want it but you can always ask the waiter to take it back if you don't.) The couvert here was 4 euros per head. We had three people so we got charged 12 euros for a total of four pieces of warm bread that came with salmon, tuna, and olive oil dip. The dips were so good that I can't complain about the absurd pricing. Salads Peras (pear salad)- 8 euros. My mom really liked her salad, especially the salad dressing. Ravioli Ricotta - 12 euros. It was nothing special. Risotto Cogumelos (Risotto with mushroom and thyme)- 15 euros. The risotto was too herb-y for my taste. The flavor was really strong after a couple more bites so I didn't finish it. A large water was 2.50 euros. The dessert menu was really tempting but we all passed since we were so full.

Some of the best Portuguese food we tried around the Faro coast…read more Service was fantastic! Gonzalo and Patricia were very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable! Best service while in Portugal!

We were really disappointed by the food here, waiters were nice but pushy for consumptions and we…read morefelt trapped. Also I took a shellfish dishes but there were not shells but seafood, with old bread disgusting pudding instead of the expected toasts... Nobody reacts to that when I told them. My friend took a cod dish and get sick at night... But it's still a nice place to have a beer only at sunset, and the interior is beautiful to see.

Excellent service! Probably the best service we've had while visiting the Algarve region. They also…read morehave an excellent selection of craft beer.

Fabulous sushi bar in the heart of Cabanas village …read more Tastefully decorated and has a great ambience . Fish is caught locally and lovingly prepared by a Braxilian chef . There is also a comprehensive international menu of pasta , meat , fish and burgers . Portions are generous and my tuna steak with onions , capers and asparagus was out of this world . Friends had burgers and chicken and again positive comments were made about flavours and quality of the food . As Principal also hosts live music we had a great time listening to two talented lads singing and playing guitar . Service was good and prices reasonable . Would definitely make this my first port of call in Cabanas .

We had a very nice meal here. We started with the money bags which were very tasty. The only…read moredownside is that they are small and don't real amount to much. We then had pad Thai, red curry and Basil chicken. All three were very good. The pad thai was especially good. Really nice. The Basil chicken was good and the red curry smooth and tasty. The restaurant is very nice, upscale and good service. But my only real complaint is that it too expensive, especially for Portugal. Food here is usually inexpensive, this place is expensive even by North American standards. We paid €90 for our dinner. For what a main course costs here you could have two half chickens at a piri piri restaurant or basically anything else, anywhere. Otherwise it was very good.

This restaurant is a hidden gem in Algarve. My mom and I were staying at the Conrad Algarve and…read moreThai Bistro was less than a 10 minute walk away. We stayed at the Conrad for 2 nights and ate at Thai Bistro both nights! There are 3 Thai chefs from Thailand who work at Thai Bistro and they are amazing at what they do! The food is authentic which is impressive for a resort town. After 5 days of Portuguese food, it was refreshing to change it up with some Thai food! I highly recommend the papaya salad, beef salad, steamed fish with chili, rack of lamb, and dessert! We wanted to try to homemade coconut ice cream and mango sticky rice but were too full both nights. Lastly, the service is incredible. The waiters are friendly and funny and made the dining experience enjoyable. I would highly recommended Thai Bistro to anyone staying on the area!