One of our favourite restuarants near to the bar "the cottage" reopens from their winter break on 19th march. After many successfull years the cottage is now branching out and has taken over another restuarant close by called "silk". Silk already has good reviews from previous visitors to the bar and the takeover by pete, chez, becky and the rest of the staff from the cottage can only make things even better. good luck "the cottage" and "silk".

Yes the Cottage is one of our favorites too. deborah and me like to have a few at stones then pop up to eat at the cottage most nights. The lasagne is the best I have ever tasted. Deborah prefers the Carbanara. We pop over to the sports bar for the pop quiz on mon, Wed and Fri nights then stumble back into Stones for some ale and a bit crack with Vadim. Sounds like the perfect night. Roll on May 4th. By the way, The Cottage do specials during the out of season period. the prices will be a pleasent surprise.

sounds like we are walking a well beaten track here. Yes the winter prices at the cottage are great, this xmas before they closed for the break i think we paid something like 7.5 euros for 2 courses ?

restuarant SILK reopens wednesday 19th march with a new menu.



Last edited by richardmorton on Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:12 pm; edited 1 time in total

As the time is fast approaching for my next visit to the Algarve and as others are wondering if they should give Albufeira a try, I thought that I might give some of our readers an insight into some of my favourite bars and restaurants while working my way down the strip from Stones Bar.

Obviously we start at Stones, a firm favourite of mine. The only place I go to above Stones is The Cottage. I think my previous comments on The Cottage will be enough to entice the average diner.

Working down the Strip, on the left hand side, you will come across “O Leao” a lovely restaurant with first class food and service to match. You can expect to pay a little more here but it won’t be as much as you would pay in a restaurant back in the UK.

Across the road you will find Luigi’s Portuguese restaurant. Good food at affordable prices. Make sure you give the ham on the bone a try. It’s not for the fain hearted though.

I don’t normally eat or drink anywhere else at the top of the strip. Halfway down the strip on the right hand side you will find Devlin’s an Irish bar. Good beer and they serve food from the fish and chip shop next door.

My next port of call is the High Tide Bar. This place sells good pub grub during the day. At night you can sit on the terrace and people watch as it is on the main strip. If you do pop into the High Tide, make sure you say hello to George behind the bar. You can’t miss him as he is there every night. He’s the big muscular looking one.

Working your way down to the cross roads, if you take a left, you can walk up to the Geordie Pride. Although you can pop in just for a pint or two, it’s more famed for food. It’s run by Sam and Libby from Seaham, Co Durham. This place does good old English pub grub but beware, the portions are simply enormous. They also do a Geordie Breakfast for 3 Euros’ that will set you up for the day.

Just a bit further up on the other side of the road is Diamond’s bar. This is great place to visit on a Saturday, as they show EVERY Premier League game live on plasma TVs. They also have pool darts and an assortment of other pub games. At night the bar is run by a Portuguese husband and wife team who can’t do enough for you. Their daughter, Sandra, compares’ the Karaoke every night until late into the morning.

Walking back on to the strip and heading down towards the beach you will come across Ricky’s bar on the left. To be honest the guy that runs this place is need of a serious personality transplant but his pub is in one of the best spots on the strip for people watching and catching rays. The terrace gets full sun all day. It’s just the place to get sloshed and a tan at the same time.

Across the road is Le Bamba ice cream parlour. This place has about 17 million different flavoured ice creams to choose from, mm delicious.

Nearing the bottom of the strip you will find El Rancho Steak House. This sells every kind if meat you could imagine and the steaks are really big.

When you arrive at the little roundabout at the bottom of the strip, hang a left and walk for about 600 yards. On the left hand side you will come across the Aura bar (down a little flight of stairs). If you are on holiday and on a budget this is the place to go to. I don’t know how he makes a profit but you can sup as much Super Bock as you can take and hardly put your hand in you pocket.

Carry on walking past Netto Restaurant (never been in but is always busy) you will come across Susan’s on the left. They have various meal deals on different nights. Make sure you visit them on a Wednesday or a Saturday night for the carvery. You can eat as much as you like and go back as many times as you like to refill your plate (including the roast joints carved by the chef for you) for about 10 Euros Be warned though, they run out of meat most evenings by about 7.30 to 8. It’s a case of when it’s gone, its gone.

I am not really a lover of foreign food but across the road from Susan’s you will see the Happy House Chinese Restaurant. You can help yourself to as much as you like from the three coarse buffet for about 8 Euros.

Well that’s about the tour of my favourite food and watering holes in Albufeira over but one final note, if you jump on to the little train and go to the old town (a beautiful place that comes alive at night) make sure you pay a visit to The Cave. As one of the oldest restaurants in Albufeira, you will find both traditional Portuguese and English food on the menu. You will have to pay a little more here but believe me, it’s worth it. The restaurant is built into a Port Cellar and has a very romantic atmosphere (for all you lovers out there) also a guy called “The Hawk” plays live guitar music most nights.

If you can’t find something you like amongst this little lot, you should go to Blackpool.

Bon Apatite.

dave - thanks for the excellent guide above. We must have eaten or drank in the same place and same time at some point because the Caves, Susans, Happy house, and O'leao are all on our list of tried and tested good places. Same as you I am not a big chinese fan but when you can help yourself to the stuff you do like as much as you like for 8.95 then it is a different matter.

Another 5 days and we we will be doing the rounds of them again, sounds like you may be around at a similar time.

We always try to get to at least one new (to us) restuarant on each visit and having heard good reports from other people for the Geordie Pride I think with your glowing recommend we might make that our new one this time.
Another very good place near to the Geordie Pride is "the Cockerel", very good for steaks and Cod (british style).

With the exeption of the Caves, with all these eating places you can walk to the bar afterwards.

Dam it! I forgot about the cockerel. Your right about the steaks at this joint. They advertise BSE steaks (best steaks ever) and you can buy your favorite steak by the inch thick!! The guy that runs the place (he's called Dave) is a complete nutter. He has to be the most friendly guy I have ever came accros.

He had an accident in his garrage a couple of years ago and his foot was completely chopped off. They managed to sew it back on within a couple of hours at the hospital in Faro. If you ask him nicely, he will even show you the scar!!

Deborah and I will be over for a week from 4th to 11th may, and then for the first two weeks in October. If you are about, give us a shout and we can compare notes.

Dam it! I forgot about the cockerel. Your right about the steaks at this joint. They advertise BSE steaks (best steaks ever) and you can buy your favorite steak by the inch thick!! The guy that runs the place (he's called Dave) is a complete nutter. He has to be the most friendly guy I have ever came accros.

He had an accident in his garrage a couple of years ago and his foot was completely chopped off. They managed to sew it back on within a couple of hours at the hospital in Faro. If you ask him nicely, he will even show you the scar!!

Deborah and I will be over for a week from 4th to 11th may, and then for the first two weeks in October. If you are about, give us a shout and we can compare notes.

Agreed Dave is great and always has a friendly word for everyone. Im afraid in may we arrive on the 17th and return on the 27th, but while you are there you may come across a group of 3 early twenties girls in the bar, 2 of which are our nieces.

Pleased to report o'leao, annabells and the cottage all up to thier usual high standards. Did not make it to geordie pride but still on the list to try. Luigi's, mentioned in Dave's guide above has now become chinese.
The set deal at o'leao is not available at the moment and i dont expect we will see that again until october. We did try one place new place which is next door but one to annabells. olives and bread, soup, chicken piri-piri with chips and salad and wine thrown in for 9.5 euros. very good and a nice place with freindly staff.

We also use the cottage reguarly both for breakfast & dinner, in fact we were last in there back end of mayfor a lovely meal, (just after having lots of drinks in the Stones bar) As usual they gave us a breakfast money off voucher, which i still have and i was wonderinhg if it would still be valid when i get back in september?

going over on friday for 9 days and will try to get into the geordie pride. Another one we may try is chicken place at the very top of the strip "o manel do frangos" always packed with portuguese people and good reviews

did not make either of those 2 this time but had dinner at the cottage which was as expected, great. geordie pride and o manel are still on the long list of places to try

I've got my money off vouchers from the Cottage site, so should make breakfast or dinner at least once in the 3 days were over.

nice one gaffa. A note to all.. O'leao restuarant is no longer run by the same people. The portuguese family who have given it such a good name over the last 18-24 months have had to leave due to big rent rise. so if it is open it is not the same o'leao.