Restaurante O Castelo — Restaurant in Faro

Dropping one star because the charcuterie board was bad. It could have been enjoyable but they cut the meats way too thickly… if they had been in thin slices as they should have been then it have been perfect… this was lazy on the part of whoever prepared it. However the cheeses were yummy & the seeded bread tasted like it was baked fresh, it was so soft. I got the tuna steak medium rare… absolutely zero exaggeration when I say it was the best meal I have ever had!! & I’m a big foodie whose had countless amazing meals. This was just 10/10… everything on the plate perfectly complimented everything… each mouthful was bursting with nuanced flavours. Two thick juicy tuna steaks that were so tender served with sprouted alfalfa, colourful baked vegetables, caramelised onions, the most perfectly cooked & flavourful tiny sautéed potatoes… a winter squash purée garnished with thin slices of radishes… this meal was simply divine!! To drink I got a couple of “el Diablo” cocktails… which was tequila, ginger beer & lime juice, garnished with a spicy chilli… this was very yummy & refreshing… it was a hard to pick because the cocktail menu was huge & the had a big selection of other drinks too but I’m happy with my choice. My date got a burger & he said it was yummy but to quote him “they f**d the egg” lol… because the fried egg inside was poorly placed so the yolk dripped outside it & all over the plate. We were too stuffed to have dessert. I would definitely love to return here. The service was friendly & attentive. The weather was lovely & the view of the lagoon was beautiful. The ambience of the place was great but I’d be interested to be in the outdoor area at nighttime because I loved the vibe it gave off… and the music they were playing was...

Terrible Service, Rude Manager

I visited Restaurante O Castelo in Faro recently and had a truly disappointing experience. The staff were lovely and did their best to provide good service, but the manager completely ruined the night with his terrible attitude. He seemed to have a massive ego and gave off a really negative vibe. Straight up dic.

The restaurant is listed as closing at 4 AM, but after sitting down and having drinks, we decided to order food. One of the staff members kindly it would be ok to order from outside as no longer service food. However, after we received our food, the manager gave me a dirty look and came over to ask if everything was okay. When I said it was fine, he rudely said they were closing soon. I mentioned that a member of his staff had told us we could order, and instead of resolving the situation calmly, he started asking, “Who? Who? Who?” like he was ready to find someone to blame. I said, “Don’t worry,” but not long after, I heard him raising his voice at the poor staff member who had helped us, as if he was ready to blame her for the whole situation.

It was honestly a terrible experience that left a bad taste in our mouths. The way the manager treated his own staff and his customers was just unacceptable. Guy need to drop his ego, not cool. If the restaurant wants to be a place people enjoy, they should fix their closing time or at least learn how to communicate with customers properly. It’s a real shame because Portugal is such a beautiful country, but this manager’s attitude ruined what could have been a...

Disappointed to say the least, we thought we would try this place after we found it by chance. Friendly service while we waited. We ordered veal steaks which came out in good time, this is however where the service went downhill! My wife’s veal looked like it could of got off the plate and went back to the field whilst mine was nearing jerky/biltong, we both ordered medium. We advised the waitress who took it back, when the steak came back out it looked like they had cut a piece off then thrown it back on to the grill, no sauce on the plate and the chips were now freezing cold, no follow up question from the staff to see that the food was ok or that we were happy. After 15 minutes we told the waitress it was still not right, she then got what I assume was the manager, who we advised of the problem, he shrugged his shoulders in frustration and walked off whilst my wife was still talking to him, this irritated me as there was no need to be so rude! No apology offered or even a free drink. I will also say that when our mains were delivered the dips we had with our breads were taken despite us not being finished? All in all pretty abysmal for what is a stunning location! One star because they had my favourite rum but apart from that I would not...