Casa Reîa — Restaurant in Almada

Where should I start...

I have visited Casa Reia several times over the past few years. Unfortunately, I must say that the organization and customer service have been getting worse and worse.

To start, my husband and I bought tickets to an event on 27.07.2024 - Lemonella (22 EUR/ticket), which was supposed to take place from 19:00 to 24:00. We arrived at Casa Reia at 19:00, only to find a DJ playing in a dining room. When we asked for a table, we were told they were fully booked, and there was no place to stay.

We wandered around, asking various employees for any kind of table. Each one referred us to another, promising to find us a table soon, but it ended up being empty promises. We ordered some snacks at the beach bar and a bottle of wine (the cheapest on the menu was 48 EUR). We were told we couldn't pay with cash, and the process of ordering, paying, and receiving our glasses of wine took three different employees in three different locations and 10 minutes. The employees were unhelpful, arrogant, and indifferent.

Around 22:00, we went to see Lemonella, for which we had paid. Apparently, almost nobody bought tickets, and it was enough to have dinner in the assigned place to watch the DJ set. We felt cheated. We tried to find a spot between other people’s tables but eventually found a place by the wall to put our belongings. Security told us not to do that. We then placed our belongings on the bar, but again, we were told not to.

We couldn't find a place to stay because, apparently, standing anywhere was not acceptable. We asked to speak with the manager to resolve the situation, but the manager never appeared. Instead, an extremely arrogant receptionist spoke to us. She treated us poorly and threatened to call security, even though we were speaking calmly.

The evening ended with us asking for a complaint book. While we were writing our complaint, the manager finally appeared and apologized for the situation. However, by that point, the evening was already ruined.

Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a nice, chill evening turned into a frustrating experience. We spent approximately 200 EUR on drinks and food, plus 44 EUR for the tickets, and were treated as unwelcome and a disturbance to the staff.

I'm very sorry to say I will not be going there anymore, even though the location and design of the place are nice. Unfortunately, the size of the establishment and the lack of good organization make the...

Really wanted to love this place & experience. However, was hugely disappointed in the service, atmosphere, and general running of the business.

We booked a full day sunbed + umbrella (€50) online around two weeks ago. Arrived and they said I had booked a mattress (€70) and they reluctantly moved us to our actual booking spot. We came here for live music, good service and nice drinks… sadly, despite advertising on Instagram and their website, no live music until 19:45 (it was meant to start at 15:00) and very junior staff that frankly, were not equipped to run a high end beach club (although they were very friendly!). Service in the beach cabana area was poor - we had to keep going up to the bar to order, and even then the staff were slow. You will pay a 10% service if you order at the cabana, but they literally came to us once in four hours.

Despite having a beach food menu, this wasn’t running, and therefore we were told we needed to book a restaurant table. The waitress, reluctantly, said we could have a table right now if we exited one hour later. We were starving so accepted (and an hour was totally fine) but the attitude was poor and 70% of the restaurant was empty right until we left. Clearly didn’t value our custom. Food very tasty, compliments to the chef / kitchen team, however massively overpriced and portions abysmal (don’t go hungry).

Sadly, this place has huge potential, a lovely design and aesthetic and great food; but seems as though - from our experience - they only value those who walk in with designer handbags and dripping money (we could easily tell who the staff favoured).

We’re both in the travel industry and have visited numerous luxury establishments and unfortunately this is hugely underwhelming. Understand they are in the opening phase, but don’t turn your nose up to any customers. We spent over €300 there over a few hours and were not given adequate attention.

Unfortunately, we would not...

I hosted a large group at Casa Reia for my birthday. Prior to the event, I was referred to Andrea in the sales department to make all the arrangements. Be sure to plan in advance and be patient as Andrea was difficult to reach and often required me to chase her down. Upon arrival, I was greeted by Andrea which was nice but then never to be seen again. I had pre-booked 10 sunbeds for 20 guests but was told by the host we only had 7 and that we would have to squeeze 3 per bed. This was not what was confirmed by Andrea. Once I complained to the staff, they added 3 more beds which was appreciated. I had sent to Andrea well in advance the lunch menu choices for each guest but only to learn when we were seated that the operations team had never seen the list of my selections. This was troubling as we were being seated and ready to eat. This is where I have to say... the Manager and staff were incredible in resolving the issue. I quickly shared the order and they jumped into action and quickly prepared the most wonderful lunch. The food was incredible! Many guests ordered the sea bass and commented it was the best fish they have ever tasted. The setting was spectacular... great vibe and a perfect beach day. Special thank you to Antonio for making our time on the sunbeds wonderful... very attentive. Finally, a huge thank you to Joao who served us our lunch... very friendly and excellent service. Despite my struggles with the sales department and Andrea... the operations team made up for any frustrations and will certainly return to this...