A Paleta — Restaurant in Lagoa

We came here as the reviews looked good. Quite a walk from town over a dual carriage way. Not a particularly nice area. The place was busy with a mixture of locals and tourists. We had to wait to be seated and had no acknowledgement from the staff. After a while we saw a table that was empty so we seated ourselves with a nod from a waitress. The place has a noisy, busy atmosphere. Some workers next to us having a lunch.

So we waited. And waited. And waited. We watched locals arriving and getting seated, and then served. Eventually we managed to order Snapper and a local fish stew type dish. So we waited. And waited. Locals were served. More locals served. After eventually getting the waitress's attention we told her we were going to leave.

So in another ten minutes the food arrived. The snapper was alright. Expensive at 15 euros. A bit salty. Not very nice veg with it. We couldn't eat the stew dish. Basically tomato soup out of a tin with some bits of bony fish. No doubt left overs. Just nasty. We tried to eat it but gave up. For an expensive meal it was appalling.

It's all very well looking after the locals, thinking that they can treat tourists with disdain as they are only passing through. But a lot of the customers were tourists. Perhaps they could get away with it in the old days. But now we have Google and trip advisor! Let's see who goes out of...

We enjoyed a late lunch of olives, bread, gazpacho, and prawns with a half carafe of red wine. The gazpacho was very good and was unusual in that it was completely pureed instead of chunky. The prawns were delicious and you will want to save some bread to soak up the delicious sauce. For a house wine it was very nice. There were many tables of 4+ diners as well as couples. It was about 40% full, which is not bad considering it was close to 3pm. Nice outside and cozy inside tables were available. There is a beautiful, large tree in the outside dining area which did shed some bark and needles periodically while we ate. If this bothers you there are plenty of other tables that aren't beneath it. Service was great and the traffic is light so it doesn't detract from conversation or...

We were a group of four and came here for dinner based on a recommendation from our accommodation. The place was nearly full.

One of us ordered the grilled steak, which was excellent and came in a large portion. Two of us tried the traditional Cataplana, which was a new experience. The dish was packed with mussels, shrimp, and delicious cod. It was a very large portion for two. I might not be a fan of it, but I recommend trying it if you like sea food.

Our vegetarian friend had the "vegetables sautéed in olive oil and garlic." It was a bit simple but a generous serving.

The desserts were very good, and the food arrived quickly. The restaurant had great service, and the terrace was cozy. We would definitely...