Cletonina — Restaurant in Portimão

Cletonina proved to be a true gem of Italian dining. I ordered the prawn, garlic and chilli pasta and I can say without hesitation that it was the best I’ve ever eaten! The spaghetti was cooked to perfection, the prawns were fresh and succulent and the garlic was finely shaved, adding just the right depth of flavour. While the chilli was initially a little subtle for my taste, once I asked for their special chilli-infused olive oil, the dish transformed into a heavenly balance of heat and richness—an absolute delight.

The service was fast, attentive and genuinely friendly. The wine was a pleasant surprise too, although I am sceptical of Portuguese whites, the glass I was served paired beautifully with the meal and was not like the watered down versions I got in Lisbon.

Overall, Cletonina offers an exceptional dining experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for quality Italian cuisine—and that’s saying something as I’m not...

Decent food at decent prices. The service lets them down a bit. We had to wait for the menus and in the end got them ourselves. Next we ordered a few dishes, some of which actually arrived; we had to remind them about a bruschetta, which they brought but forgot to add to the bill and then remembered in the very last minute. I suppose the whole experience was exacerbated by the fact that we were parched; it would have been a different story if at least our beers arrived in a timely fashion, considering it was the middle of the day and the place was almost empty. That aside, the food was decent and the location overlooks the sea, making it a nice place to eat in, if you're not...

I went out for dinner with a friend, his two kids, and my 5-year-old daughter. We ordered pizzas and a spaghetti Bolognese for my daughter.

Unfortunately, while eating, she found a piece of steel wool (used for cleaning dishes) in her food. The young waiter quickly replaced the plate, but what really surprised us was the lack of any apology or acknowledgment from a manager or senior staff member.

Mistakes can happen in any kitchen — but what matters most is how the situation is handled. In this case, we felt it was not taken seriously, especially given it involved a child.

We weren’t expecting anything dramatic — just a simple apology and a bit of care would’ve made all...