10 Best Restaurants in The Algarve, Portugal

Locals flock to La Dolce Vita for its fabulous homemade pizzas, hearty pastas, refreshing sangria, and charmingly old-fashioned decor. Meals are served on bench tables with blue-and-white tiled surfaces, which give a delightfully traditional feel.

With its quirky interior illuminated by dozens of pendant lamps, this lively tapas bar—with inventive cuisine and fine wines—is popular with locals for a big night out. There's a strong focus on Portuguese wines, but the menu ranges further afield, with sushi rolls, shrimp tempura, and chicken gyozas.

Regional cuisine's on the menu at this intimate timber-clad restaurant, stacked floor-to-ceiling with antique wares and hand-painted ceramics. Choose the regional sausage—usually grilled, stewed or baked as a daily special—for an authentic taste of Monchique. 

Popular among locals for celebrations, this down-to-earth adega (wine cellar) serves typical Portuguese dishes like monkfish rice, salted cod, or grilled rump steak served with rice and stewed beans. The seating arrangement on benches around long wooden tables helps keep things lively, and you'll find more good cheer in the tile-covered bar.

Although it's located directly opposite Praia Nossa Senhora da Rocha, this eatery is a world away. The always-crowded dining room has a romantic feel. Hot and spicy tandoori dishes are the draw, but mild options are plentiful.

Situated a little way out of town in Quartiera, this independent French-Portuguese restaurant has a traditional, family-run feel. Fair-priced seafood tapas is on the menu, along with French classics like French onion soup. Reserve ahead of your visit.

Overlooking the dramatic Praia da Batata, this restaurant has a simple but lovely dining room and a popular outdoor terrace. The fish is exceptionally fresh, and what's more, there's a small public parking area just yards away—a rarity in this busy town.

Crossing the Roman bridge, you'll pass by a lot of tempting spots before you reach this typical Portuguese eatery—trust us, it's worth the trip. Here the focus is on fresh fish, including the traditional bacalhau a bras, but there's a range of beef steak on the menu too. There is a smattering of outside tables with views to the adjacent square.

Just west of Monchique, the simple but elegant Teresinha has good country cooking and a lofty dining room warmed by a fireplace. An outdoor terrace overlooks a valley as well as the coastline.

Most casas de pastos (loosely translated as "grazing houses") offer big portions of well-cooked regional dishes in no-frills surroundings. Zé Leiteiro is no exception. The delicious all-you-can-eat fish and seafood keeps coming until you tell them to stop.