Rare steakhouse — Restaurant in Loulé

Lost my booking for 8:30.. so waited for a little time whilst they squeezed in a table that was the main walkway for staff so felt slightly uncomfortable and in the way. This place is manic , staff running around to cater for far too many tables both inside & out. Had to ask for drinks… drinks never came , asked again and brought one wine and one beer served in a wine glass as they had run out of beer glasses. Later , w had to ask to order food.. one pretty straight forward fillet steak & one pasta dish then ordered , food came out after a reasonable time however the medium to well fillet was raw , managed to get a waiters attention to explain we would like it cooked as ordered , he left and we never saw him again. Meanwhile waiters were dashing backwards and forwards , that if anyone cared would see a customers meal had not been touched , the vegetables still in their bowl along with the fries still in their little basket. Enough time went by that the pasta meal had been finished whilst a fillet steak still sat on a plate untouched. When our plates were cleared I was able to explain the disappointment in service from start to finish and we were not going to try and eat another meal separately. I offered to pay for one meal and two drinks if I can have the bill.. and yet again they couldn’t remember the bill , eventually we really did want to go therefore I asked again and a bill came but with the rejected food still on. We have eaten at a lot of places as most people have but never have we received as poor attention from so many people in one place. If you are a couple who go expecting a nice meal with good service then I wouldn’t bother , however if you are a group of 8-20 golfers then please do go as they appear to run the whole business around you. Shocking service , very very poor from a restaurant that appear to not care about anyone other than a mob of golfers. Never again for us… such a shame I am forced to...

It’s one of the best restaurants at Vilamoura marina, which is not hard as the competition has really low standards around here. However this last experience was not has good has before. The meat was tasteless and poorer than what I remember from the, at least, my 10 previous experiences. The room was almost packed when I arrived (mid May 8pm) and I get 1 of the 2 available tables (capacity for over 200 people) the service is express and second to none. The food arrived literally 5 min after order and the sauce that I ask after start eating arrived in less then 2 min! Amazing. But (there’s always a but) lack some professionalism and attention: the table was not clean between dishes,and they forget to bring the dessert menu. Comparing to the stantard restaurant scene everywhere this is

This is a expensive low cost kind of restaurant; anything you need it’s a paying add on: side dishes are charged, sauces are charged, couvert is charged by the item (rarely seen before). Prices glass of wine from 7 to 15€ and deserts from 7 to 11€

Starters and salads range from 11 to 30€ side dishes from 4 to 6,5€, and main dishes from 19€ to 38€. They even offer options for 2, 3 and 4 people but nonetheless you spent always 32€ minimum pp.

This off course adds on to the check and its almost impossible to spent less then 70/80€ full meal.

Anyhow the worst of all is the noise which is unbearable. Waiters cant understand orders and you cant understand options or dish details. Throw in the language and accents differences and it’s a mess. Also my table had persistent AC noise over my head which was extremely unpleasant. Anyhow if you are at the Marina this may be 1 of the 2 or 3 options you have to get a decent...

If you’re browsing Google Maps looking for somewhere decent to eat and have a drink, Rare Steakhouse will do the job — especially if you’re a visitor from the UK on the hunt for a safe, familiar option.

That said, don’t expect anything out of the ordinary. It’s a perfectly average steakhouse — nothing more, nothing less. The meat’s standard stuff (mostly Polish and Uruguayan), and while there’s a Dry Aging Box proudly displayed at the entrance, you can’t actually order any of those cuts from the menu. Presumably they’re for show, or used on special occasions.

Unfortunately, the steaks don’t arrive cooked to the requested doneness — which, for a steakhouse, is rather unforgivable. The whole place runs like a conveyor belt: busy, noisy, and focused on turnover rather than experience.

To top it off, our waiter opened a different bottle of wine and casually topped up our glasses without asking, mixing it with what was already there. The accidental blend was almost funny — but the lack of care was astonishing.

It’s loud, crowded, and serves a completely standard menu of steaks and drinks. Nothing dreadful, but nothing memorable either. There are plenty of similar steakhouses on the same street, and they’re likely to offer much the same experience — perhaps with fewer queues.

In short: don’t be misled by the display or the hype. If you simply need to fill up and move on, this place is fine. But if you’re after a proper steakhouse experience,...