Forte e Feio — Restaurant in Portimão

This was the worst dining restaurant experience of our life. Forte & Feio is Strong and Ugly translated from the Portugese, Strong arm it was and Ugly it almost became. Having been hooked outside the restaurant initially by the charming joint proprietor Julio, who we met standing at a wonderfully fresh and well presented fresh fish display, we were over the next two hours, reeled in, gutted and almost laid out to dry. What unfolded is unforgettable, sadly all for the wrong reasons. Having seen the chalkboard advert for fresh sardines we four (two adults, two kids-all fish and seafood lovers, connoisseurs even), we ordered some, but were dismissed by the waiter because he insisted again and again the sardines were not good at this time of year. Curiously the local clientele were digging into delicious looking sardines at a table not far away. He eventually returned and presented us with 3 nice red mullet, we chose two, luckily only two- as these ended up costing 43 euros. Eventually, after a long wait we were served the grilled mullet alone with some limp and overcooked vegetables. Meanwhile our boy waited and waited for his mains, while our girl enjoyed her plate of nicely cooked jack mackerel but without the rice side ordered. Meanwhile, we wondered and waited for the four tiger prawns ordered as a starter. Eventually after numerous attempts to attract our waiters attention we managed to, and our boy's mains arrived not long after along with our girl's rice dish. Where were our tiger prawns we wondered? A shrugged shoulder, a curious facial expression our water responded with. The next thing the prawns were served up completely over cooked and leathery. And, we did eat them as we were hungry. In eating these we made a mistake. A big mistake as it turned out, we were charged the premium at €62.10 for four ruined tiger prawns! Beware of this place fellow tourists, as we were presented with a bill at the end for 140 euros for this fish, some bread, pate and a half bottle of wine. We didn't have the total amount with us and what happened next was a complete disgrace being humiliating, embarrassing and upsetting at the same time. Julio played every card he had masterfully and insisted we pay the whole amount despite our protestations about poor service, misplaced orders and overcooked prawns. He had an excuse for every counter point we offered up as is the customers right. Some so absurd I do not want to embarrass him any further. We learnt a big lesson that night but returned the next day to discharge our bill -in good faith as we had promised, but not in full. I take no pleasure from writing this review but see it as a cautionary tale to other tourists. We had a wonderful time in many other local restaurants in the Algarve and we didn't let this...

This restaurant is located in a corner near the Arade River walkway. The decor is a bit cluttered, and it is situated next to a seafood supplier, which contributes to the strong aroma of the ocean upon entering. The servers are friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. Seafood is the star of the menu, and the home-grilled sardines are particularly tasty. The drink selection is also impressive, featuring a delightful sangria. Additionally, it stands out as one of the few restaurants offering dairy and gluten-free desserts. For sports enthusiasts, there is a TV available to watch games and other programs. Despite being tucked away and having a somewhat cluttered ambience, the restaurant exudes a...

I have been in their with my wife and our daughter and it was fantastic .

We just arrived on the Portimão City and we are desperately to eat something and every single restaurant say to us the kitchen it’s was close excepted this guys !

First it was a very welcome from the staff second give as a very delicious fresh Sardinhas and a lot off tips from the city because he saw we are traveling with our little baby it was a must.

Very entertaining and Easy going person the food it was very good but the staff it was the reason we go visit again .

Thanks for amazing atmosphere guys See...