TL;DR: A bit off the beaten path. Unpretentious dishes expertly prepared.
"Tonight we shall dine in hell" - who wouldn't want to have diner at a place called "Purgatorio"?
If you wonder if you can find ZipZip due to the lack of a street address, worry not: Purgatorio is a tiny place that consists mostly of a large crossing, which is where ZipZip is located (opposite of the gas station). Just set your satnav to Purgatorio and you'll find it.
The restaurant isn't very large, the interiour is rather plain, but tidy. Nice outside sitting area overgrown with vines and orange trees. Comfy chairs.
If you're a bit nervous about the menu being Portuguese only, peruse the local WiFi and load up Google translator: ZipZip looks like a place the locals go to rather than your basic tourist trap. Très cool. Service was very nice, unobtrusive and efficient.
Good selection of mostly Portuguese wines. Food, oh yes, this is why you should make the 20 mins trip from Albufeira: Most dishes ZipZip serve don't read all that spectacular, but boy do they taste great! As an example, we had grilled chicken (frango grilhado). Simply a cut-up chicken hung over some coals, eh? Well, yes, but the way it was cooked shows that whoever pilots the grill knows his or her business darn well: Nice crust, and a to-die-for seasoning. We tasted traces of garlic, lemon zest and rosemary, perfectly blended with no single component overpowering the others. De-freaken-licious. Same goes for the entrees; never would have dreamed a day before that I'd leave this restaurant yearning for more salad made out of dried fish (bacalhau for the uninitiated).
Bottom line: Even though Albufeira is chock-full with restaurants, the 20 mins drive to Purgatorio was totally worth it. Great food, neato little restaurant, and the nice reception and _very_ reasonable prices didn't hurt either. Will definitely come again! read more
