Holy crap Bartman, it does not get much better than this!…read more Recommended by our Dutch pro, Bart ... aaargh, at nearby Benamor Golf Club, I stopped in to check out Tasquinha do Bruno and was blown away! First they brought me a basket of fresh bread along with a shot glass filled with EVO, garlic, and a sprig of fresh rosemary as well as some marinated local olives and sliced carrot. Off to a great start. I then ordered two glasses, in succession, of delightful, local vinho tinto (red wine - 2.50), roasted chili peppers to die for and just like my Zia Gina in Italy makes (3.00), and a combo I had never envisioned, fresh, sliced mozzarella topped with a mild, warm, orange curry sauce (6.00). This tiny place sits on a corner in the main square of Santa Luzia, a fishing village famous for their polpo (octopus), and is rustic and quaint on the inside with just five or six tables and a couple of stools to belly-up to the bar. The staff could not have been nicer. The gentleman, who I assumed was Bruno, answered my questions about their wines and tapas in excellent English while the chef, likely his wife, prepared my delicious food. Finally, a sweet boy named Samuel, probably their son, grilled me on which of the 50 US states he should visit, listing every one in succession. I had a wonderful evening, chatting with a Dutch tourist named Annika and savoring every bite and swallow of the tasty tapas and wine that were delivered to my table ... HOOAH! CombatCritic Gives A Tasquinha do Bruno A Perfect 10 Bombs Out Of 10 And A Spot On My WALL OF FAME! PS - I shall return often and update my review as I do as Bruno is just down the street from my apartment.

Excellent Portuguese seafood restaurant, serving screamingly fresh offerings from local waters…read more Robalo (branzino or European sea bass) , dorado ( sea bream) or Corvina (croaker) are always good choices. Fresh grilled sardines in season are amazing -- May thru July. Prawn and monkfish skewers (espetadas) are excellent as is the polvo (octopus) prepared in a variety of traditional ways. My favorite here is Polvo la Guerreiro -- basically grilled tentacles served in olive oil with simply roasted potatoes and garlic and a simple salad. Get bread to mop up the garlic infused olive oil when done. The cozy upstairs dining room is charming and service is impeccable. For seafood lovers Portuguese style (lots of olive oil and garlic with local salt) you can't go wrong with O Patio.

Excellent food and service in a classy environment next to the beach. I did not go to the bar but…read morethe inside looks very cute, too. Definitely recommend!

Excellent food ! Brilliant service. Everything was delicious. We had the Red Tigre Shrimp grilled…read morewith garlic to start then shared two shish kabobs one with monk fish wrapped in bacon with chorizo bell peppers and onions the other the most succulent octopus, again with chorizo, bell peppers and onions , served on a tile with fries and a salad , we were stuffed but had room for uma bica at the end. We had vinho verde and fizzy water to drink. The skewers each came with a grilled red shrimp it was Huge. Thanks Bruno for a wonderful meal.

Absolutely the freshest and most delicious seafood in Portugal. A foodies delight. Attentive wait…read morestaff and fantastic ambiance. A gem.

Amazing food, drinks, waiter! This town is known for their fresh squid! You can walk along the…read moreMarin out front and see tiny crabs crawling in the sand.

This is one of my local favorites. I highly recommend it as there is something for all food…read morepallets, including vegan. The curries, risottos, muscles, tartare, and salads are all wonderful. Portions are large, so what out when sharing dishes?

Tapas joint with Al fresco seating. Casual ambiance, decent selections. Needs more attention to…read moredetail, like its competitor. across the street.

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.

Food amazing, anchovies, tuna pate and olives and bread to start. Salad potatoes and sweet potatoes…read moreand l think potatoes mashed with herbs with assorted fish, l had tuna, mackerel, sea bass,Pandora and one other all excellent service great and l enjoyed wine and the bread you must visit on open till 1530 so great lunch won't need anything else that day and perfect way to stay out of sun and watch your lunch being cooked!

My food was excellent and the service was too. I made a mistake in my previous post. I actually did…read morereceive a credit to my account as promised. (Refer to my post from Oct. 24) MARIA JOÃO PIRIQUITO DAS DORES got back to me promptly and I would recommend this place to anyone who loves fresh seafood and BBQ!

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.