Yakuza Algarve by Olivier — Restaurant in Albufeira

Really bad experience with so many downsides I can barely address them all on a unique review. Let´s try from the beginning:

The restaurant is based on a hotel with a mixture of dress codes when walking inside. You could expect a fancy place to enjoy a nice dinner with your partner soon to be surrounded by people on flip-flops with socks and short sleeve T-Shirts.

There is a small dining area indoors where most of the service is happening and then an enormous terrace outdoors where they have absolutely no plan or order. The outside space is flooded by high trees with leaves and branches falling over customers the whole time. As soon as it gets dark they have no lights outside so it´s impossible to see the dishes, is like eating in the middle of a dark forest.

Food is quite expensive for what is worth. It takes forever to serve customers and, on the top of eating in the dark, you better hold on to your drink as they have 1 third of the waiters inside to cover an area 6 times bigger causing huge problems when trying to order new things.

Lets get to core things even the cheapest Japanese restaurant do and this place didn´t. No soya sauce is given with the sushi, if you ask for a bottle prepare to hold 30´ until you can remind for the third time the soya is missing and if you are lucky they might bring it to you. Then look out for your dishes as there are stray cats all over the place walking around the tables trying to get some remains, finally bring an umbrella as chances of small branches and leaves falling to your plates are high every 5 seconds.

We had a very bad night and I suggest you to avoid this place by all means, lets not forget you are in Algarve and you can enjoy several types of food (including japanese) at a more reasonable price and on places that doesn´t seem designed brainlessly.

To give a positive note to my review, try by all means Yakuza in Lisbon, a complete different place in my opinion, excellent service and a great experience. Avoid Yakuza in Algarve...

I dined with Yakuza one week ago in Algarve. I had an amazing experience in Lisbon (amazing food and outstanding quality service) so I thought to give it a try in Algarve. Unfortunately, the experience was really below my expectations. Let’s started with the basics: no soya sauce, ginger or wasabi was provided while serving. I asked 4 times for the soya sauce until it was offered to us. The ex-libris “yakuza” took so long to be served ( almost 1h waiting). The light was poor and for a windy night we were getting all bits from the trees falling in our dishes and when asked we couldn’t move inside. The drinks are overpriced snd the drafted beer is Heineken !!?? Obviously they also forgot that it was a b day celebration (however i must say they were great and did a special treatment when at the end we mentioned this fact). I love japanese food and I have been to so many restaurants in different European regions so I felt disappointed with the food and poor service. Actually, I must say this was a common feeling among all tables. I have heard all the tables nearby us complaining about one aspect or another. I would suggest you should improve these and other items, otherwise you can compromise Yakuza well known brand or an outstanding Olivier...

The food was amazing and is the reason the restaurant has reached the dizzy heights of three stars. The experience was nothing short of appalling.

We were handed the menu and wine list. When we were selecting our started we felt like we were being guided a bit too much, but went along with the waitress who seemed to know her way around the menu.

When we ordered the wine, we were told that because they are closing for the winter tomorrow the wine we chose wasn’t available. Nor were the next three or 4 we chose. Eventually we just asked what they did have. The manager brought out a handful of bottles that they had in stock The choice was either very expensive or not very nice. The one I selected (more than i originally wanted to pay) was apparently nearly out of stock. The manager told me that there was only one bottle left and as there were 4 of us, perhaps I should try again.

As if that wasn’t poor enough, the same thing happened with our main courses. No blackened cod, no broccoli… eventually we just asked the waitress to make some suggestions from what they did have available.

What we had was in fact very nice. No complaints about the quality of the food at all. Indeed, the setting and decor are also lovely.

This was a...