Restaurante Linha d'Água — Restaurant in Prainha

Absolutely Horrible Experience – Felt Completely Discriminated Against

I had the worst experience of my life at Restaurante Linha d’Água in Cape Verde. I was visiting with my mum and grandfather on our first day in the capital, and what was meant to be a nice family meal turned into a deeply upsetting experience.

All I did was politely ask the waiter for a spoon that had been forgotten. Instead of helping, he turned his back on me and made vague hand gestures pointing to the other side of the restaurant, like I was an inconvenience. When I tried to approach again, he completely ignored me—like I didn’t even exist. It was humiliating and incredibly disrespectful.

Feeling uncomfortable and shocked by the treatment, I decided to leave. As I was walking away, the waiter began calling me names in his native language and told me to “go get it myself.” To make things worse, he then said I was “showing off” just because I didn’t appreciate being treated so poorly.

After spending over £100, I left without even eating. My appetite was completely gone. This was supposed to be a special family moment, but instead, we were left feeling insulted and unwelcome.

Coming from the UK, I never expected to be treated with such open disrespect and what felt like discrimination. Unfortunately, this experience gave us the impression that xenophobia and outdated attitudes are still an issue here.

I do not recommend Restaurante Linha d’Água—especially if you’re a tourist or foreign visitor. Very, very disappointing and...

Location: 5/5 The restaurant is located by the beachfront, which is a key location

Onsite seating arrangement: 4/5 The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating. However, it is missing private or partial private seatings. In my opinion, it is not a big deal unless you want privacy while dining.

Music: N/A There was no music for the entire time that I was dining. I don’t know if that is because it’s Sunday. Therefore, I cannot comment on the music. However, you can hear loud ocean water noise, which in my opinion is part of the experience that makes it interesting.

Service: 5/5 The server spoke English and communicated with me with respect. If you are cold, they will bring you a blanket. My order came fast. The server kept checking on me to see if I needed anything. The only downside is it took multiple requests to get the invoice. I recommend improvement.

Food: 4/5 I ordered a French Burger and overall it was amazing. The patty itself was a bit dry but the cooked onion and mushroom was great.

Overall: 4.5/5 I would say, the service, the location, and the food was great. However, needs a little...

We are staying at the Oasis hotel and wanted to eat somewhere near the hotel. Came upon Linha d’Agua... the modern style appealed to us and we walked in. No reservation but we were received as though we were their best customers and shown to a table for two. A menu in Portuguese was a bit difficult for us to understand we were given a translation by one of their staff. Decided to go for a tuna steak... and what a great choice it was. Probably the best tuna we’ve had since we’ve been coming to the Cape Verde islands 4 years ago. The service was very attentive and friendly and the food just delicious. We’re off to a tour round the island tomorrow but if we should be in need of an evening meal, we certainly know where to go. Do try it, you won’t be disappointed. Best wishEs to the...