Restaurante Vivaldo's — Restaurant in Albufeira

Proper Gem of a Restaurant! As a Russian living in London for the past few years, I've become quite picky about restaurants (blame all those fancy spots in Mayfair!). But Vivaldo's absolutely knocked my socks off! What a brilliant surprise to find Evgeny, a Russian-speaking waiter there - though I must say, after years in London, I barely use Russian these days. Both him and Natalie are absolute stars when it comes to service. The food is absolutely spectacular, proper restaurant-quality stuff that would easily compete with London's finest! Having tried loads of seafood spots around Shoreditch and Borough Market, I can confidently say their octopus salad is top-notch - beautifully tender, nothing like those chewy bits you sometimes get even in expensive places. The calamari was perfectly crispy (and trust me, after years of pub calamari in London, I know the difference!). Their grilled squid would make even the pickiest food critics from the Evening Standard proper chuffed. The cocktails are fantastic - easily on par with what you'd get at Soho House or other posh London spots. But the real winner is their Sangria - forget your usual pub pitchers, this is the real deal! Best enjoyed during sunset, which, unlike London's often grey evenings, is absolutely gorgeous here. Was lovely to chat with Evgeny! He and Natalie really know their stuff - the kind of service that reminds me of high-end restaurants in Knightsbridge, but much more genuine and warm.

Perfect for: Date night (much more romantic than your usual London spots) Family gatherings (plenty of space, unlike cramped London restaurants!) Seafood enthusiasts (fresher than Billingsgate Market, I tell you) Anyone wanting an authentic Portuguese experience

Must-try dishes: Don't miss the octopus salad and grilled squid. And please, do yourself a favour and get the Sangria for sunset - it's proper stunning! After experiencing London's restaurant scene for years, I can honestly say Vivaldo's is something special. None of that pretentious nonsense you sometimes get in London's high-end spots - just brilliant food, amazing service, and views that make you forget about...

Well.... I have a few criticisms but overall a positive experience, we have been down three times as off its prime beachfront location and of course it's glowing staff members, but I would strongly recommend revising your pricing for the goods you sell, although the classic portugese pork steak sandwich was delicious you simply can't charge 7 or 8 euro for a thin slice of meat between bread. The staff gave us a 20% dinner time discount card, and I have to say dinner was quite disappointment, unfortunately the prawns were overcooked and the dish was tasteless. For €20 I would expect something a bit higher quality. Although there daily specials are usually fresh and tasty. Other than some of the highly questionable menu choices and again pricing in regards to what actually comes out of the kitchen it's very nice and has a great atmosphere with again beautiful staff.

The overall message I would leave is for breakfast/ lunch it's 5/5 other than pricing but could be expect as it's a beach front location. In particular the fresh fruit smoothies are divine.

But dinner service needs a huge improvement and wouldn't recommend it. Also there can be a long wait time for the...

We really wanted to love this resturant, it is set on the beachfront in a lovely romantic location but sadly the food just wasn't up to the standard we had eaten in other local restaurants. The fried prawns were overcooked so slightly rubbery and the garlic hadn't been roasted but chopped and so not soft. We opted for the seafood kebab and a Portuguese style steak. The prawns again were overcooked as was the perch fish which was dissapointing and my partner did not enjoy the steak which he said had a livery type taste to it, it also came with sliced fried potatos which were also overcooked and really hard. He never leaves a meal but this one was the exception as he just didn't enjoy it. I also left a substantial amount of my meal. We shared the berry cheesecake which was nice. The waitresses were lovely, helpful and informative and the setting is beautiful it was just such a shame that our food was overcooked. Perhaps we caught the chef on a bad day but I dont think we would return unfortunately given there are so many good restaurants...