Pizzaria al forno — Restaurant in Lagos

My (evolving) theory, as a solo traveler, is that, in each city you visit, you should find a "home". This place could be your hotel/guesthouse/BnB/hostel or a neighborhood cafe or restaurant where you can rest or stop by for a good meal, a good drink or someplace you can just BE for a while.

I spent nearly a week in the Algarve region and, had I discovered it sooner, Al Forno would have been that place for me.

I showed up over 30mins before they opened, mind you, after a long afternoon run. I intended to just order dinner for takeaway. But Andrea was so warm and welcoming, she agreed to prepare me an espresso while I waited for them to open.

15mins later, she agreed to prepare me a (very generous) glass of wine and plate of olives while i waited LOL.

Eventually I just decided to stay and have a meal and another wine.

While there, I saw a family of "regulars" arrive who hugged Andrea as they entered so this place is obviously so welcoming that people keep coming back.

10/10 for the welcoming atmosphere, super generous servings (pasta entree is good for 2) and Andrea...

This place surprised me. The family didn't fancy yet another night of walking from the hotel into town for food, so we decided on pizza. As this place is next door to the Spar and I was going there anyway I popped in to get a takeaway menu, which they don't do but they advised me to take a photo of the menu instead. It's a cash only place also. I went back and placed an order for takeaway ( I couldn't get through on the phone) and only had to wait 15 mins, despite the restaurant being completely full. What surprises me is how delicious the pizzas were. Absolutely 10/10. Kudos! The girl on the desk was just lovely and taking it all in her stride. Great place and I couldn't recommend the food...

A very nice family run restaurant a couple of blocks from the Porta da Piedade gate to the old town. Pizza and pasta are the specialities. I had spaghetti with garlic shrimp (11 large shrimp) and my wife had spaghetti Bolognese. Both were generous servings and very good. The one staff member we met was very pleasant, friendly, multilingual and professional. There is an outdoor patio opposite a rather busy street. There is limited parking in front of the restaurant but ample street parking nearby. We will return. In fact, we are going for...