Tricana Carcavelos — Restaurant in Cascais

Tricana da Barra or simply Tricana is a beach restaurant in Carcavelos. Supposedly the best restaurant on the beach given the Google reviews (4.4), which may not mean much given the outcome of my visit.

However, let’s start with the positives. The location is unbeatable: right on the beach, with a terrace that catches the last rays of the sun. Vibe is laid-back & the drinks are cold.

With its sprawling terrace, and a menu that reads like a United Nations summit of beach cuisine—pokes, burgers, wraps, açaí bowls —Tricana is, by all accounts, the place to be when you want to eat with your toes in the sand and salt in your hair.

While the weather and setting is A+, my visit to the half-full “Tricana da Barra” on a Tuesday lunch was an exercise in expectation management—a lesson that sometimes the best view comes with a side of cold fries and a dash of confusion.

Service is slighly slower than the already slow Portuguese pace so I recommend patience to my fellow soon-to-be Tricana-alumnis.

After ~10 minutes of waiting, a courteuous waitress took our drink order and after another 10 they managed to pump out two Imperiais🍺. It took about another 10 to order food; Quesadillas and a Bacon Burger.

Food came rather quickly, or how should I put it; At Tricana you go and fetch your own damn food.

Tricana has embraced the beach bar trend of the “self-service” model, complete with a device that shrieks and flashes when your food is ready. This unexpected lack of restaurateur ambition made me a little confused.

The quesadilla was good but could have been warmer, the fries were luke warm and the burger was overcooked. The burger bun was excellent though, a nice buttery brioche.

Prices are reasonable for a beachfront spot, and there are veg options. The drinks list is equally varied, perfect for a post-surf juice or a sunset beer.

Tricana is a modern beach restaurant: designish, and just a little bit chaotic.

It’s an OK spot to gather with friends, soak up some sun, and enjoy a drink. Just don’t be surprised if your meal comes slightly cold, with a side of blinking lights and a reminder that, at the beach, patience is always...

I visited your restaurant on Thursday for lunch by myself. The young lady who seated me was very polite, but unfortunately my experience was let down by the behaviour of one of your staff members (tanned, black hair, red t-shirt). While serving another table, he repeatedly looked at me in an unfriendly manner and ignored me, even though it was clear I had not yet been served. After almost 10 minutes, another staff member finally attended to me.

The food itself was excellent and I have no complaints there. However, when it came time to pay, this same waiter was the only one nearby. I asked for the bill, but he ignored me until he returned two minutes later. When I tapped my card, he did not ask if I wanted to pay in Euros or Pounds he simply selected Euros without asking. This is not acceptable practice, and when I raised it with him, it was clear he knew exactly what he was doing.

I have been coming to your restaurant every summer and have always enjoyed it. This is my first bad experience, but the lack of professionalism and basic courtesy shown by this staff member was very disappointing. I even spoke to him in Portuguese, so there was no language barrier this was simply poor manners and a lack of respect.

Reply to the owner of the business: I definitely do not have the wrong place, the lady that seated me she was wearing a black tshirt. I have attached my picture of my food from that day. I had a salmon salad and a orange juice. I paid by card as I already stated so definitely I have proof on my bank account. Also sounds to me that your staff members arent wearing the correct uniform 😉. You have a bad review own up to it and train your staff...

Very nice looking bar/restaurant on the promenade. Service was fast and friendly with a very good caiprioska to boot.

Had to edit my review as I came for food the first time over the weekend.

I went with the avocado toast with poached eggs, well it was more avocado sliced bread as there was no toasting on the bread and both the poached eggs were well over cooked(the half eaten photo). The waitress kindly told the kitchen as I mentioned that poached eggs usually come with a runny yolk, but alas, the exact same version was presented again(full uneaten photo).

My wife tried the vege pokie bowl, which came pre mixed together, and I thought maybe that's how it might come here until we saw some other ones get delivered next to us and the vegetable components were nicely stacked on the rice which made us think it was a recycled dish, although the flavours were good in the bowl.

The Caiprioska was still pretty good like previous ones I've had although the price has gone...