Caniço — Restaurant in Portimão

The location is lovely but the service is absolutely dreadful!!!

Four of us (two couples) went for a meal, we had high hopes based on the view and the variety of seafood on offer. After being seated, it took 15mins to be given a menu, another 10mins to sort out drinks and an additional 15mins to provide our orders. The service from arrival was particularly unfriendly - we had a blonde lady as our server who really couldn't have been less helpful - it was a hassle for her that we had sat down for food. We got served a platter of 4x random appetizers and some bread - one slot was clearly olives, another carrots and the other two were dark coloured slimy cubes. We tasted these and they were horrible, we questioned a server as to what they were and we were told 'veal and pork'. One of the others asked to confirm and apparently one was actually tuna?!

The first two items I tried to order were unavailable - understandable as the seafood is freshly caught, a good sign if anything! Again, if only the staff were pleasant. I turned in my chair and the bottom rung snapped. A bottle of wine, two cokes and four glasses of warm water without an ice cube in sight were delivered (€5 for the water). We're fairly happy, have our drinks and have ordered.

Fast forward 1hr 45mins and we finally get the main courses we ordered - none of which had any special extras etc or were early order. Three mains arrived, then the fourth arrived a few minutes later. One side of chips was missing.

Warren: The steak was small and overpriced, no oz. was written on menu and the chips were cheap and scarce - would prefer McDonald's chips. Food 6/10, overall experience 4/10. Sophie: The vegetarian paella was bland. Food 5/10, overall experience 4/10 Katie: The codfish cream dish was really nice, there were potato slices which were lovely and the fish was nicely cooked. The sauce was nice, not too heavy. Food 8.5/10, overall experience 2/10 - service and wait time was insane. Evan: 0.5kg mussels and a side of garlic rice - the mussels were gorgeous but the rice was plain and had zero garlic. Food 8/10, overall experience 5/10.

Trying to get the bill, in order to leave the place we had now been seated for over three hours in order to get one dish of food each, was a nightmare. Three of us requested the bill and were each fobbed off. It was so ridiculously difficult to pay, we were clearly displeased by the service at this stage but who cares?! Our evident displeasure seemed to be somewhat amusing to the staff who were in no hurry to get us the card machine or offer us a way to pay so that we could finally head on our way.

Do not bother going here unless for a drink or maybe a dessert (?)

Out of the four of us, who have travelled to over 40 countries, none of us have ever before been provided with such dreadful service, especially in a restaurant which is not exactly cheap.

All receipts provided in photos. Don't bother, not...

Caniço, Algarve – Views to Die For, Service and Food to Forget

Where do I even begin? Ah yes—probably with the only reason anyone in their right mind would bother coming here: the view. Hats off to Mother Nature because that’s the only thing this place didn’t manage to butcher. Cliffs, ocean, sunset—it’s postcard perfection. As for the rest? Buckle up, because it’s a downhill ride from here.

Service: You’ll eventually be greeted, though “greeted” feels generous. It’s more like being slowly acknowledged by a staff who seem actively baffled by the existence of customers. We waited an absurd amount of time to be seated—despite having a reservation. Apparently, they run things on “island time,” though last I checked, this isn’t an island, it’s the Algarve.

Once seated, it became painfully clear the pace wasn’t going to improve. Service here is less hospitality and more experimental performance art. A chaotic relay of shrugging, forgotten drinks, and communication so poor I half expected them to start using smoke signals.

Speaking of drinks—the mojito finally arrived so late I assumed it had been handcrafted by monks at the bottom of the cliff and carried up by foot. The beers? Ordered twice, because the first attempt was clearly lost to the void. When they did arrive, it felt like a minor miracle. We raised a toast—not to the evening, but to the sheer fact we’d finally been served.

Food: Then came the food. Or, more accurately, the culinary equivalent of a practical joke. 90% of the fish, tiger prawns, and prawns were so aggressively oversalted they could’ve been served with a side of blood pressure medication. I’m not exaggerating—our mouths felt pickled for days afterward. It’s as if the chef was actively waging war on human taste buds. Honestly, they couldn’t have ruined it more if they had tried.

The wine? Fine. Because it came in a bottle someone else had made.

The Real Problem: But here’s the kicker: this place isn’t even pretending. It’s a tourist trap through and through. They know the view lures people in like moths to a light, and once you’re seated, it’s game over. The focus shifts to: “How fast can we turn these tables and ring up another bloated bill?” Staff couldn’t answer the simplest question about the menu or wine—they didn’t even try to fake it. It’s like the whole operation was designed by someone who thought, “Why waste effort on food or service when people are too busy taking sunset selfies?”

Final Thoughts: If you’re happy to overpay for a drink while watching the waves, sure—just lower your standards and expectations to somewhere subterranean. But if you’re hoping for a proper dining experience? Save yourself the money, the frustration, and the sodium-induced dehydration. Go anywhere else.

Final Verdict: Stunning view. Spectacularly underwhelming...

I made a reservation per telephone, table for two people for Sunday the 14th of August at 8.30pm. Asked for a table outside with sea view, since it´s a special occasion, which was confirmed. (I have visited this, specialized in sea food, restaurant three years ago and I most say, it was really good)

Arriving a bit before the booked hour, they explained me that they work with shifts (nobody told me while making the reservation per telephone) and our table was not available yet/soon. If we could wait inside. After having waited for more then half an hour, I asked if I could order already a drink and starter while waiting.

At 9.30pm we were directed to our desired table with sea view, while enjoying our lovely sangria! 10pm and our starter arrived, and I´m asking immediately if the mean course is also on it´s way, since we´re already waiting for a very long time. The lovely waitress, I think she is English?, says she will check with the kitchen but unfortunately they can´t confirm anything, it seems that the chef has left the building/run away from the restaurant! (That gossip was already going on when we were sat at our table, but I simply didn´t want to believe it and kept positive mind, since it was a special night out).

At 10.30pm still no main course (two hours after I entered the restaurant) and I felt the need to leave this restaurant, as no food was arriving from the kitchen soon and my patience was tested to the limit.

They were kind enough to charge me the sangria and starter, instead of offering it as an gesture. Let´s make myself very clear, I´m not expecting to receive any kind of drinks or food to get for free, I´m more then willing to pay for it when I have lovely night out, however if the service and timings on that very moment are that bad, I was hoping and expecting something else.

I decided to have my main course at the local fast food restaurant with the Big yellow M, since other restaurants in the area were not accepting us at 10.30pm, which is so disappointing when looking forward to have your special evening out.

Service is key and if you don´t know how to handle specific situations such as over bookings, issues with your staff, mostly when it´s the chef, then you simply, to my humble opinion, don´t deserve your name of being ´one of the best sea food´ restaurants in that neighborhood. A real shame...

(The two stars are for the beautiful view, the lovely waitress and...