O Stop — Restaurant in Lagoa

Nestled in Carvoeiro’s secluded cliffside beach “Praia de Vale Centeanes”, O Stop has all the ingredients for a memorable dining experience. We arrived for late lunch on a breezy, sunny November afternoon. The restaurant is not visible from the access road and reveals itself as you approach on the beach path. Perched between the cliffs O Stop has an open air, covered deck as well as a more protected, interior space. Every table has a sea view. The restaurant also has a very large wooden boardwalk below on the sand where the tables have umbrellas for shade. Surrounded by rugged cliffs and the sparkling Atlantic, we started with a rich rosé and a crisp vinho branco. The couvert was black and green olives and a rustic bread. The menu was more varied than the typical touristy restaurant as evidenced by the Thai steak salad. The flavors were scintillating and bright. The steak was the right cut, quality and preparation for the dish. My dining companion enjoyed a sumptuous spaghetti with clams and shrimp. Fresh seafood on offer as well. Although my companion was happy with his cafezinho, we opted out of dessert and instead enjoyed a gorgeous melosa and medronho drinks to end our meal. I highly recommend O Stop for a lazy, leisurely lunch after the tourists have gone home...

Worst service I have seen, incredibly understaffed and inefficient, feel sorry for waiting staff, they looked visibly distressed as the owner was nowhere to be seen. Ordered a couple of beers whilst my son was sleeping in his pram, my in-laws waited 50 minutes for their drinks before going to the bar only to find them sat on the side of the bar, far from cold... the whole establishment is filled with customers looking miserable and trying their best to get the attention of the one waitress. Might have a lovely view, but that's where the positives end, such a waste of a lovely location, perhaps the owner should sell up and give someone else a chance to run this place, perhaps someone who occasionally thinks about customer service rather than how full the till is. Do yourselves a favour, don't fund this sort of establishment, bring your own food and drink to the beach and enjoy yourselves, otherwise you will be spending 1-2 hours just waiting for the bill, in the UK this would be classed as entrapment. first and last of our Euros they will be getting.

Additionally: we just got the bill, they added 10% for table service... Which translates to an hour wait for a warm beer that's been son the side of the bar for 50...

Came here last year and had a lovely lunch so came back. Prices have increased but given the quality last year was good we reserved judgement. We had, Pardon peppers to start, one of my favorites, I’ve had them in lots of restaurants, mainly in the UK, portion size was average, but they tasted of the fuel they had been cooked on, they weren’t great! Our other starter was Fried cuttle fish, nice but not enough of it. Mains tuna steak which had a lovely flavour but served tepid, when I told the waiter he did offer to give us a new bit of fish but we were so hungry we couldn’t wait half an hour for a replacement. The menu said the tuna was served salad, it wasn’t a salad it was just a garnish, so be warned if you want a proper portion of salad you need to order a side dish salad!! Unfortunately I won’t be coming back, there are lots of nicer restaurants and better value in Carvoeiro and the surrounding areas. I’ve been coming here for years and once I have a meal that’s not up to expectations I don’t give them a second chance, there’s too much...