Tapas ò Destapas — Restaurant in Portimão

On August 7th, 2024, I went to dine at this restaurant, which I’ve known for a few years. Among the items ordered were Lulinhas à Algarvia for €9.80. After a few minutes, we were informed that the squid was small and asked if that would be a problem, to which we responded that it wouldn’t be. We ate, paid, and the next day, when I checked the bill, I noticed that the Lulinhas à Algarvia, which should have been €9.80, were charged at €15.90. At no point were we informed about the price difference. This shows a lack of professionalism.

The following day, we returned to the restaurant for dinner, and I confronted the owner about the incident. He confirmed that the Baby Squid cost €15.90, but we were never told that the price would be higher. It’s not about the extra €6.00, but about how it happened, without even an apology. Additionally, there is no mention on the menu of Baby Squid at €15.90. The same staff member served us on both days—a man with a beard and glasses, whose name I do not know. On the second day, he once again demonstrated a lack of professionalism when asked why the beef “pica-pau” was cheaper than the tenderloin “pica-pau.” He responded rudely that ‘it’s that way because it’s what’s on the menu.’ Only after insisting did he explain that the difference was related to the quantity, as if we were supposed to guess. The menu contains no information about the weight of the...

Worst meal in Portimão. Its bad enough for someone with dietary requirements (celiac) that they have to be the burden of every culinary outing. Finding a restaurant with any gluten free alternatives or even a pack of gf bread in the freezer is already a challenge in itself. So I cater for disability, I bring my own packet of gluten free bread everywhere I go which is an absolute pain if Im honest. I asked the waiter if they had gf bread, of course they did not; so I asked kindly if they could toast or warm my own bread that I brought for emergencies. The waiter scoffed at me, told me he would find out for me and then disappeared for eternity. The food was served, everyone else at the table started eating. I continue to wait. I asked his colleague who also disappeared for a long time. And eventually after a 3rd discussion he said he “wont touch that”

If you aren’t going to offer any substitute for celiacs or other allergies, the least you could do is clean a corner of the grill or have a toaster in the kitchen where the customer can warm their own bread.

GF bread is absolutely tasteless cold. Expensive tapas with cold tasteless bread is enough to ruin the entire experience.

Worst meal we had...

Not a good experience.

I arrived as a single and they told me they had no tables. I pointed to an open table for two, and the waiter muttered something and left to clean it off.

The wine selections are just "red" and "white". I asked for details (sweet? dry?) and the waitress just said "I don't know. It comes from a box." When the wine did come, the waitress just unceremoniously plopped the liter onto the table and left.

Getting the waitress to take my order was not easy. She had a tablet, and even though I only ordered three starters and four tapas she was unable to keep anything straight. It took about 5 minutes just to order. She had an iPad, and at one point offered to read back my order to make sure it was accurate. Her read-back omitted a couple of items. I said "you missed X and Y" and she said "yes I know but it's here on the tablet so I have it." I wonder what the point of the readback was then. Just a weird experience.

The food was decent but, combined with the lackluster service, not...