Restaurante ETXEA — Restaurant in Lagoa

We visited this restaurant for the second time. First time was 6 months ago and that was a nice experience. Now however we were truly disappointed. We ordered two starters and a man who seemed to be the head of wineserving recommended a white Sauvignon which we accepted. The starters were okey, but nothing special. The wine that was recommended (9 euros/glass) was completely tasteless and didn´t fit the starters at all. We ordered Porco Iberico as main course and we were recommended to continue with another white wine since there were clams in the sauce. The meat was difficult to chew and far to red in the middle (not what we expected) and had a fried taste to it. No flavour and poor taste overall and the wine was a catastrophy (Instinto white, served in small portions). We don´t see the meaning of a "sommelier" if these are the choices made. We could have done better ourselves. We finished our meal with a totally mediocre Crème brûlée. On top of it all, the serving was far to fast. Everything was over in less than 1 hour (the restaurant was almost empty, only two other tables were occupied). I´m sorry to say that considering the level of prices in this restaurant, we were really disappointed this second time and there will not be a third time. 2,5 stars would be more...

A lovely restaurant which should do well. Unfortunately my evening got off to a bad start. On asking for a glass of white wine I was given a taster of red! Ok so I tasted it and as it was lovely I decided to stick with it. I chose the scallops for my starter. They were tasty but very gritty and clearly had not been cleaned thoroughly. Having eaten and enjoyed scallops all over the world I think I know what I am talking about. My main course was duck breast on a bed of risotto and vegetables. The vegetables were perfect and the risotto was so good I could have eaten a dishfull. Sadly the duck breast fell far short. It was stringy and fatty and I had to give up trying to eat it after a while asi got fed up with extracting the rubbish from my mouth. Needless to say I complained and I was offered the choice of something else. Frankly by then the whole experience was ruined so I declined.. However all was not lost as the Tiramisu with pistachio ice cream was to die for. On the basis that surely ‘lightening doesn’t strike twice’ I will go back although...

Delicious, fine dining in the heart of Carvoeiro! My wife and I had an absolutely fabulous dinner at Etxea last night. Thanks to our servers Hugo and Rachel -- as well as everybody who prepared the food -- for creating a romantic, simply unforgettable dinner for us. We decided to enjoy the 7-course tasting menu. It was really fantastic: raw oysters lamb croquette (by far the best I've ever had) lobster (though I think it's more "langostino"?) bone marrow tartare grilled cod fish foie gras, wagyu beef, and truffle potatoes Basque cheesecake The wine pairings were excellent. We were happy to see all Portuguese wines (except for the cava). As an after dinner drink, we loved the 20 year old Alambre Moscatel De Setubal -- just as awesome as the best Port wines, but with a unique flavor. There are a variety of good restaurants in Carvoeiro. But if you're in the mood for truly outstanding dining, then Etxea is clearly the best restaurant that I've seen...