O Veleiro
O Veleiro things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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I have been waiting for Google to ask me about O Veleiro with great anticipation. First, this was our first trip to Portugal and hence, Albufeira Old Town. Looking for restaurants when we arrived, we saw this place was highly rated. We walked and drove by it a few times before finding it, expecting a larger place. It is small, but don't let that fool you or discourage you. Yep, the outside patio has 6 tables and there are another six inside. We were there in Jan/Feb so it was cool outside, but a nice patio heater made the night pleasant. Now, full disclosure, the patio is right on the street. Not adjacent to, but right on the street! It seems to add to the charm of this spot. It is quiet and quaint! Staff are friendly and accommodating! Our Portuguese is not strong, but the staff could not have been more accommodating! Now the food! The first night we were there, we had grilled sea bass, sole and grilled chicken. All were absolutely fabulous, especially the fish! Good size sides and inexpensive (but good) wine and beer! We saw the couple beside us, having Seafood Rice. We said, that looks fabulous and we need to come back for that! In our month long travels, we had the seafood Rice and Cataplana at other locations and they were good. So, the baseline had been set. I can say with full confidence that seafood Rice was the best of all at O Veleiro ! I couldn't stop eating it! Right down to the last scoops there were still tonnes of seafood! ONG! So good!! Yes it is a small unassuming restaurant, but the food is fabulous! The pepper steak and chips were well received as well! I know I am going on here, but you need to make this must stop when in the Old Town Albufeira! If there were 10 stars, I would give it to them. Its that good....
David WhitehouseDavid Whitehouse
30
If you're in the centre of Albufeira and are looking for a typical Portuguese restaurant, Veleiro is the place. (we were just strolling towards the top of the street and, when we passed the restaurant, we had a double take when we saw the food that was being served to one of the tables - so we had to go back the next day to try it!) This is a very small, simple restaurant owned by a Portuguese family and serves typical food from Portugal. The 'bacalhau' (salt cod) in Portugal is rarely seen in the UK but is a staple ingredient in many traditional Algarvean dishes. You must try Veleiro's 'Bacalhau à Brás' and the 'Bacalhau à Lagareiro' (in the photo below). The food can take long to be served as it's mainly cooked from scratch but well-worth the wait (there are also great starters while you wait plus a very decent house wine. In short, don't expect a 'posh', glossy and polished restaurant but, instead, expect the best typical Portuguese food that the Portuguese would eat themselves, served with a big smile and a lot of care.
Paulo QuadrosPaulo Quadros
00
I recently dined at this restaurant and from the moment we walked in, it was apparent that the level of customer service was lacking as our presence wasn't even acknowledged but we sat down anyway. The woman who took my order seemed very disinterested in providing a pleasant dining experience. As a vegetarian, I ordered the vegetarian rice and a tomato salad. However, to my disappointment, I was served a seafood rice instead. I immediately informed the server about the mistake and reiterated my dietary preference. However, instead of rectifying the situation promptly, they seemed unwilling to acknowledge the error or take the dish back. It was disheartening to encounter such resistance when attempting to have my order corrected. Nonetheless, the waiter eventually took the dish back to the kitchen after what seemed like an unnecessary argument with the chef( LITERALLY the woman who took the order was screaming back and forward with the chef)This entire ordeal could have been avoided with a simple acknowledgement of the mistake and a willingness to make it right. The service continued to be lackluster throughout my visit. The atmosphere was dampened by the tension in the air, and it was clear that the incident had affected the staff's overall demeanor and I wasn't feeling ok either. The subsequent wait for my corrected order was prolonged, and it felt as though I had been forgotten in the chaos. Ultimately, my experience at this restaurant was marred by the carelessness of the staff. It was disappointing to encounter such a lack of professionalism and customer care. While I understand that mistakes happen, the fact that they had to fight and scream and I could understand some words as well was really disappointing. I would say you can find better options out there..
rodia acsarodia acsa
00
Unfortunately yesterday, we weren't satisfied at all with the services and food. No friendliness and mindfulness at the services. The starter didn't came after 20 minutes, only after asking where the bread, olives and sardine patê were. Just in that moment the dishes and the starter like bread and sardine patê came, not the olives. But we didn't complain. The plates for the starters weren't put on the table smoothly, so that we have had a very unpleasant experience. The small salmon filet was heavily burned on the backside, it is dry and lacks salt. This dish came with some little vegetable which has absolutely no salt and 2 small potatoes, cutting in halve. Bread is from the starter. On the other dishes, the steak has an extreme sour sauce and is over salted. The vegetarian spaghetti is ok, but so salt. The Haku Filet came directly from the freezer and wasn't heated as disired. The neighboring tables were complaining to the waitress as well, while their fish were too dry... The waitress offered them some calamari as a recompensation, but they refuse as they have already.
iB classiB class
10
Amazing Portuguese dishes at a local restaurant! Total worth of money! We went there for two nights! Friday and Sunday. We went there just before 8pm, just a bit of waiting. There was a queue after 8pm due to a high perk. We had grilled sardine and seabass as our main. On the 2nd night we had octopus and grilled goldbream. Had a pudim for sharing at both nights. Not to mention that the boiled potato and vegetables which came with the dishes were also nice. As it was busy with a small friendly service team, 3 kitchen team members at the small kitchen for a high peak, sometimes needed to wait patiently, then the servers came back as soon as they could. Mainly we paid for fantastic food with friendly service, without really breaking out banks 🤩 Will go back to try another dishes next time!
Yuki TYuki T
20
AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING! The food is gorgeous, full of flavour and super fresh. The restaurant is a little bit away from the very touristy area, which I was happy as it made it quite calm. The food is very traditional and they have all those amazing Portuguese dishes that you have to try. We had the cataplana for 2. which was ridiculously GOOD and very well served. The service is also very good, they are not pushy at all and give you all the space you need. The price is reasonable and it is in line with the price around the country (Not under or over priced). We were there for dinner two nights in a row, We really enjoyed our time there.
Luis LakeLuis Lake
20
Nearby Attractions Of O Veleiro
Albufeira Old Town
Miradouro do Pau da Bandeira
Elevador do Peneco
Praia dos Pescadores
Hotel Indigo Albufeira, an IHG Hotel
Praia do Túnel
Musée municipal d’archéologie
Church of Santana
Albufeira Tunnel
Igreja Matriz de Albufeira

Albufeira Old Town
4.4
(7.3K)Click for details

Miradouro do Pau da Bandeira
4.6
(1.5K)Click for details

Elevador do Peneco
4.4
(1.2K)Click for details

Praia dos Pescadores
4.6
(337)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of O Veleiro
Casa da Fonte
O Catraio
Cabana Fresca
Restaurante Mi Sombrero
Casa del Mar
Ristorante Pizzeria La Terrazza del Mare
Albufeira Gourmet Churrasqueira Take-Away
Alfredo
A Taberna do Pescador
SHALOM RIBS & WINGS

Casa da Fonte
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O Catraio
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Cabana Fresca
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Restaurante Mi Sombrero
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