Marina com Noélia — Restaurant in Olhão

Party of 2 adults.

We approached the restaurant at a peak time (August, Saturday, 9:45 pm), when the yearly seafood festival was just a couple of blocks away.

We were received very well by the concierge and without a reservation, was able to fit us in for 40 minutes later (10:30 pm).

The welcome to the table was very nice, we were greeted with the food menu, but had to ask for the drinks menu.

We ordered the fish soup, which was brought almost immediately and was up to our expectations.

For main dishes we selected the “Filetes de peixe aranha com Xerém” and the “Arroz de lingueirão”. Both excellent and served in a reasonable time.

For drinks we ordered the Sangria with sparkling Rosé, which was ok. We had the impression that it had too much ice and that diluted the wine too much. So has a suggestion, perhaps the bottle of wine can be added to the sangria jar at the table, and less ice could be added. Aside from that, I could only wish that we could be helped with the servings of the sangria, at such an expensive restaurant.

For dessert we ordered the chocolate mousse, that came unexpectedly with a strawberry jam (something not mentioned in the menu, or that we missed when selecting). Again, it was excellent. Nothing to add, but perhaps a slightly bigger portion would match the 8 euros asked for it.

For the table service, it is our impression that it is not up to the standards of such an expensive restaurant. There was some confusion with the drinks ordering, and we had to raise our arms a couple of times to get someone’s attention throughout the meal and for a simple thing like asking for the bill.

Aside from that, the ambience is good, the terrace is well furnished (loved the chairs), but the inside room was a bit of a disappointment. When going in for using the restroom, it looked disorganized both at the counter/bar, as well as at the tables with the staff charging tablets, etc. However, the worst point was that the gentleman’s restroom could not be locked due to a broken lock, and simple things like paper hand towels were not available, since the container was empty. Again, not admissible at such an expensive restaurant.

We paid 50 euros per person, which is double what you pay at a good Portuguese restaurant on this side of the Algarve. When I say good, I mean good local and authentic food (e.g. fresh fish and seafood), not fancy food and location.

We recommend this restaurant for its food, which seems impeccable, and perhaps the easiness to get a table and a less crowded atmosphere, since not everyone can afford such...

Sunday lunchtime. I booked via Google and the 1pm slot was unavailable so I booked for 1:30pm, however, when we got there, there were only 2 tables with people, which made me think that it's a marketing strategy. The food was very well made and presented. Wonderful. The majority of the staff were very attentive, polite and friendly. However, at the end of the meal when we asked for the bill I noticed that there was a suggested tip and we commented about this with the hostess (possibly the manager, I'm not sure) and she said that they were moving towards the American system - this doesn't make sense at all in Portugal where the staff in restaurants are paid, unlike in the US where servers live...

We experienced a wonderful lunch yesterday at Marina com Noelia in Olhao. This new restaurant is a welcome addition to the dining options in this part of the Algarve. We enjoyed fresh, and beautifully presented, Ria Formosa oysters, and tuna tataki as starters, and a delicious rice with local prawns followed by almond cake for dessert. The food was wonderful, and the ambiance of our exterior table was enhanced by the water feature that cleverly masks the sound of traffic. Our server Zahira made us welcome and she was knowledgeable, professional and friendly without...