Encci Carvoeiro | Brunch & Pizzeria — Restaurant in Lagoa

As a local I was very happy to see a new place in Carvoeiro which look like having a good pizza. In touristic places there’s not many places and entrepreneurs doing the extra mile to offer really good food and service. It’s hard to find. This Encci looked promising.

There was some issues I’ll write you in hope you can consider.

The pizza took 50min-1h to be served. The place was half full. Only one guy doing pizza for everyone at a Friday night? Hire another one.

Since the building was recently fully renovated I was surprised : if you’re serious on pizza (as the menu shows) why not doing a wood fire owen? Sorry, It will never be the same quality. Even in Lisbon or Porto, who’s serious in pizza made in small places in the center of the city a wooden owen, why not here? You have a huge property.

Even compared to big cities in Portugal the pizzas are very overpriced. The quality isn’t higher and instead of 10-15€ pizza for a marguerita to something more elaborate with expensive ingredients you are working within a gap of 15-20€. Without the wood fire Owen. Go to Lisbon and Porto check the quality and compare. Conditions there for an entrepreneur aren’t harder than here.

Ok, the space and atmosphere is nice, you have some forks and plates from Costa Nova, but, it’s not justified.

I also don’t understand why the menu has pizzas without description. “Pizza Nduja” doesn’t say nothing, why not explain like the others?

About the pizzas, the Bianca with pistachio was pretty nice, but the daily one (spinach/tomato/tomato sauce and prosciutto) didn’t had much flavor. And the dough wasn’t amazing, good, but not surprising. But with an electric Owen…can’t do miracles.

The wine in terms of quantity was a bit low. 125ml is the least you can find. It’s your choice. Be a bit more generous, prices are high, make it 150ml as in any restaurant anywhere. Instead of selling 6 cups for a bottle you’re going for 5, but that’s ok too.

The round tables are cute but small for 3 people. It’s ok for 2.

Staff is great, not easy to find in this area, so congrats for that.

Anyways, I’m very happy to see you settle in Carvoeiro, I hope you can improve some issues and elevate the quality...

After almost two weeks touring Portugal, from Lisbon and Sintra, to Porto and the Duoro countryside. After many many lunches and dinners at other restaurants, we were craving a fresh, inspired, and healthy meal. We were looking for brunch to start our day, and saw Encci on Google just a bit off the beaten(up) path in Carvoeiro, and were intrigued by their menu options. Fast forward, we ended our evening visiting Encci for a 2nd round to try their pizza. Encci welcomed, prepared, and served us two of our best meal experiences on our entire trip. The staff was friendly, multi-lingual, helpful and patient. The food surpassed our hopes, reinvigorating our spirits for our adventures. The atmosphere felt cosmopolitan, intentional, organized, with a spirit reminiscent of some of our favorite cafes in San Diego, LA, and New York. I rarely write reviews, but our experience demanded it. Just go you won't be disappointed. For brunch, the Vegan quioa bowl was fresh and revitalizing, the Shakshouka toast was satisfying and zesty, cafe (coffee) was bright. For dinner our drinks were balanced, and the Nduja pizza was near perfect. High heat quick bake style, crispy outer crust but still moist and delicious, center of the pie crispy enough not to wilt and drop toppings when picked up, their sauce was fresh and not too sweet, and their toppings popped with flavor. All in all, best experience so far after 2 weeks in Portugal, not just because of the food (which was EXACTLY what we wanted, but this can be subjective), but because of the entire experience. Thank you chefs for the amazing food, and thank you Leon for the warm and friendly service, who went above and beyond during our meals, and even entertained our questions till closing-time. Rebecca you created something special, I hope your project,...

We’ve visited this restaurant twice in the last two weeks, and while we had an overall pleasant experience, there is definitely room for improvement.

On both occasions, we arrived around 7 pm when the atmosphere was still calm, and we were seated in the garden, which added a lovely touch to the ambiance. For starters, we tried the burrata both times, and on our second visit, we added the asparagus. The ingredients were of high quality, and the starters set a great tone for the meal.

The pizza, however, was a mixed bag. On our first visit, we had pizzas with great toppings that felt special, but they were slightly overcooked, causing us to leave the crusts—something I rarely do. On the second visit, it was like a different pizza maker had taken over. The pizzas were bland and lacked the flavor we had enjoyed during our first experience. My wife had the Bianca Mortadella both times, and they looked and tasted like two completely different pizzas, which was disappointing.

The service was another area where the restaurant fell short. While there were plenty of servers, they seemed young and inexperienced. Several interactions felt subpar, especially given the price point the restaurant seems to aim for. We hope they invest in more training for their staff to match the level of service expected for the price range.

For reference, our first meal for two people, with one shared starter and two pizzas (no wine), came to around €65. On our second visit, with four people, two shared starters, four pizzas, and a single bottle of wine, the bill came to €120.

In summary, while the ambiance and starters were lovely, the inconsistency in the pizzas and the service left us wanting more. There’s potential here, but some improvements are needed to...