Deserta Pequena — Restaurant in Câmara de Lobos

I visited this restaurant today and, unfortunately, my experience was disappointing overall.

The waiter also force us to order one main couse each.

Despite informing the staff of both dietary restrictions and vegetarian preferences, one of the starters was served with tuna. This oversight was surprising and concerning. Furthermore, the pacing of the service was poorly managed: the mains were be made while we had only just begun our starters, which created a rushed and uncomfortable dining experience.

In terms of the food, portion sizes were generous, but the balance of flavors was inconsistent. The spaghetti with vegetables was noticeably oversalted, while the risottos with mushroom and octopus were well-prepared and enjoyable. The beef filet, however, suffered from excessive seasoning and salt, which overpowered the quality of the meat.

While the menu offers variety and the portions are substantial, the combination of inattentive service and inconsistent execution makes it unlikely that I...

Local food, local crowd. It's always a good sign to see mainly local people eating, as is the case here. Good quality traditional Portuguese food with a fish and seafood emphasis in this fishing village. We were two for lunch. We walked from Funchal. Couvert (bread) came with three delightful spreads - herb butter, crab and tuna. Only one portion is needed. We have learned not to over order in Madeira so we went for the Arrow Marisco (seafood rice) for 2. It came in a large copper cataplana pot. They have a special way of pre-cooking the sauce locally so that there are no lumps of onion, etc. The seafood was several large prawns, body of crab, tender squid, mussels, clams (all in shell) and lots of tiny peeled shrimps (as we would call them in the UK). Messy to eat but great fun. A nice bottle of Alentejo white wine (Arrepiado Velho) and just the one excellent black coffee for me. E48 before tip (which they prefer in cash). Clean toilets. Well worth it! Got...

Lovely Restaurant with Fresh Food and Excellent Service This is a wonderful restaurant located in Câmara de Lobos. The food is notably fresh, and we particularly enjoyed the starters, which were delicious. For our main course, we ordered the seafood rice for two. The portion was incredibly generous - so much so that we couldn’t finish it, likely because we had already enjoyed the starters. This speaks well to the restaurant’s value for money. The staff deserves special mention - they were all very friendly and helpful. Communication was effortless as all team members spoke excellent English, which made our dining experience smooth and enjoyable. The only minor drawback was the noise level when the restaurant was full, which made conversation a bit challenging. However, this is perhaps a testament to how popular and lively the place is. Overall, a great dining experience with quality food and...