Restaurante Ostraria Lodo — Restaurant in Faro

For a hyped and pricey restaurant - choosing this place after reading several reviews from renowned Portuguese magazines/papers - this place left us sorely disappointed. The one positive aspect were the staff, who were wonderful and friendly. My Portuguese partner asked for toasted bread with our clams (very typical thing to do in Portugal) and this was our first red flag. Although the clams were good, the bread was not the delicious traditional bread expected from any and all seafood restaurants in Portugal, but toasted cheap white bread rolls. Our second disappointment came with our order of what the restaurant calls their 'flagship' dish; the prego (a typical Portuguese steak sandwich). This is often referred to as the 'dessert' after seafood - a sandwich to finish off a light meal. Portuguese expect a juicy and tender garlicy steak in a very lightly toasted bread roll. However, we received an overly toasted tiny bread roll with a dry steak. The third disappointed was when we ask for fries (basic french fries as on the menu) to accompany the prego. What they gave us was something in between oregano walkers crisps and what could have been delicious Portuguese style round fried potato chips..but ended up being so crispy and dripping in oil we weren't sure what they were - certainly not the fries we asked for. All in all, a big disappointment for two foodies who fell for an overly-hyped tourist trap. To avoid if you want proper Portuguese cuisine - whether traditional or...

We came for lunch on a Sunday. It was surprisingly quiet. The staff said lunches were usually quiet and dinners are much busier (“crazy”, he said) The atmosphere is lovely - relaxed, good music, on a pedestrian-only side street with many other restaurants. We sat on the outdoor patio under large umbrellas. All the staff that served us were friendly, knowledgeable, and spoke great English- I speak zero Portuguese. All the food we had was excellent. For starters, I had gazpacho which was fresh and flavourful. My husband had the Azeitao cheese with “Paris toast” crackers. Very flavourful and runny paste at room temperature. For mains, I had razor clams “na Chapa” based on the recommendation of our server (who had great English and walked me through all the fresh seafood options because I was hoping to have a “typical Algarve” dish). My husband had Pica Pau do Lombo (stir fried beef). It was excellent. The beef was medium rare with a light gravy, tons of garlic, and pickled veggies (which sounds odd but was so tasty). The bread was excellent. All the better for dipping in sauces. The food that others around us had looked excellent as well. I wanted to sidle up to their tables and ask for a taste. Last comment, the bottles were cheap. We were able to get a bottle of Moët & Chandon for €56 about half of some other restaurants we’d visited. Highly highly recommend. Make a...

This is a very nice, cozy restaurant that’s great for a date night. The food is very different from what we are accustomed to. So, I’m not saying that anyone shouldn’t try it. But you must understand this is Portugal, and not your own country. If you want to have a selection of sides to choose from, this is not the place for you. First, I want to recognize André, who is an excellent server. He was very helpful, personable and accommodating.

If you are looking for an affordable meal, this may not be the place for you. That being said, our meal was ok, and the dessert was delicious. The natural oysters were good, even though they are not served with the typical accompaniments that we’re used to (cocktail sauce and horseradish). The tiger prawn was huge and very tasty. The steak and shrimp stack was ok. The steak had excellent texture, but the flavor was unfamiliar to us. Neither of us liked the taste or texture of the rice on the side that is the ONLY option. The chocolate mousse and the pistachio dessert...