Algarvian gastronomy is based mainly on Fish and Seafood. These are quality products, caught directly from the sea and that arrive in the restaurants fresh and ready to be tasted by those who visit them.
Eating in a typical Portuguese restaurant in Lagos, on average, be it inside the city centre or outside, is not exactly cheap, in fact, this is one of the most expensive cities in the Algarve. As anywhere in the world most travellers like to experience and enjoy the local gastronomy, however this is not always within the budget of any traveller. This way it is very important to previously define a budget, per day and per person, for your trip and research in advance some places, this way you get an idea of the average prices. In the case of Lagos, it is unthinkable to stay 1 week in the city and have lunch and dinner in restaurants every day, because a restaurant in which you eat starters, main course, a bottle of wine, and dessert, for two people can easily be around 50€. And yes, as I mentioned, prices are not cheap in town, and when you eat fish, obviously, they are even more expensive.
In Lagos you can find restaurants for all budgets and with different types of food, from the typical Portuguese restaurants, to Indian, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Hawaiian etc…
Lagos is a very versatile city and if you have the opportunity, at least once during your stay, try a typical Portuguese restaurant. In Lagos there is a great variety, the problem is to choose the right one. So here are some typical and also alternative options (some of them more expensive and some more low cost) of places you can try in Lagos on your next trip:
Typical Portuguese Food Restaurants
– Casinha do Petisco
Casinha do Petisco is a small restaurant located in Rua da Oliveira, a cross street of Lagos city centre. Here you will be able to enjoy typical Portuguese food in a warm and familiar atmosphere. The food is delicious and although the menu has some variety, in which you can choose between meat and fish dishes, the Seafood Cataplana from “Casinha do Petisco” is delicious, for me the best in Lagos. The problem with this restaurant is that it is very small and in the summer it is very difficult to go to Casinha do Petisco without reserving a table in advance. Even in low season it’s always recommended to do so. To give you an idea, the restaurant has 6/7 tables and is run by a small family, whose chef is the owner of the restaurant. In general, whatever you order from the menu, you won’t be disappointed because each dish is unique, all the recipes have been perfected over time, not to mention the gastronomic secrets, like the sauce for the famous cataplana.
– Cantinho Algarvio
Besides Casinha do Petisco, “O Cantinho Algarvio” is another one of the restaurants that is in my top restaurants of Portuguese food that you can’t miss in Lagos.
The Cantinho Algarvio is located in Rua Afonso de Almeida in the heart of the city, where you can enjoy a variety of Portuguese dishes. The restaurant is medium-sized, so you can eat inside or outside on hot summer days. Regarding the menu, it has a vast menu with meat, fish, cataplana and seafood dishes, being also possible to try other delicacies like rabbit or wild boar. The big speciality of “Cantinho Algarvio” is the fish and meat kebabs, although any dish that you eat here is always fresh and well prepared, and the portions are very reasonable. For fish lovers, the restaurant has some variety. Returning to the speciality of “Cantinho Algarvio”, the Meat and Fish kebabs, I have to tell you that when the dish arrives at your table, it causes a certain show, because the meat and fish kebabs still come on the skewer. In terms of desserts, the speciality is the famous crepe Suzette. Still regarding the other desserts, we were a little disappointed, because the food is excellent and we expected the same with the desserts, however these don’t seem to be “homemade”, they seem to be the kind of desserts bought in the macro, this point was the only detail that we didn’t appreciate.
– The Calhou –
O Calhou is a restaurant a little further away from the city centre, more specifically on Rua António Guerreiro Tello, but worth a visit. With a rustic, cosy and typically Portuguese atmosphere, “O Calhou” presents a reasonable menu, with several options of meat, fish and cataplanas. Regarding the dishes on the menu, I can highlight the “Bife do Lombo á Portuguesa”, the lamb chops with mint sauce and the “Bacalhau á casa” with onion sauce. The restaurant has a greater variety of meat dishes on the menu than fish dishes. Besides the typical food, something that stands out in the restaurant “O Calhou” is its atmosphere and typical decoration.
– The Forja –
The Restaurant “Adega Típica A Forja” is located in Rua dos Ferreiros in the centre of Lagos. This is a relatively simple restaurant, without any pompousness that stands out for its traditional fish and meat dishes. The restaurant is of medium size and the portions served are relatively generous. In the restaurant “A Forga” I can highlight its grilled fish and meat dishes, and in general, the restaurant has a good variety. On Sundays they usually serve one of their specialities: Arroz de Pato. A Forja” has a slightly lower price compared to the restaurants above.
If these typical Portuguese restaurants are not in your budget, below are 3 restaurants where the prices are slightly below average. However don’t forget that when you eat fish the final bill is always higher.
– Chico zé
– Taska da Lota
– Adega da Marina
Alternative Restaurants
The restaurants below are some of our favourite alternative food restaurants, however their prices are within the Lagos average (in short high prices). In this case, as I mentioned before, if you eat starters, main course, bottle of wine and dessert, the price can easily go up to 50/60 euros. In Tapas restaurants, each tapa costs an average of 6€/8€.
– Taska do Kiko –
Taska do Kiko” is located on the Estrada de São Roque, near the Marina and the Lagos train station.
Taska do Kiko is one of my favorite Tapas restaurants, it has several delicious, alternative and original tapas. Apart from the diversity of tapas, the reason why “Taska do Kiko” is so famous, they also have some individual dishes on the menu. This Restaurant is, without a doubt, a place to keep in mind if you love eating Tapas. The restaurant has a nice design, an interesting atmosphere and provides an authentic gastronomic experience.
Once again, although the restaurant is not typically Portuguese, the price is within the normal Lagos average. So you know it’s not cheap, but it’s worth it for the experience and the delicious tapas.
Our favourite Tapas at Taska do Kiko are:
– Chicken Liver Paté, with walnuts and dried apricots in a port wine and red fruit reduction.
–Braised Tuna with Sweet Potato
-Shrimp Moqueca
– Sautéed vegetables in tomato sauce, herbs, with beetroot puree and burrata cheese.
– Sauteed Scallops with Cabbage puree -Flower, toasted almond, ham powder and thyme.
Written by: mundiviajante.blogs.sapo.pt