The House of Isabel - Pastry & Tea Room — Restaurant in Portimão

Nice pastry shop but would prefer something else. Went there 2 times. Three layer Algarve cake was way too sweet, impossibility sweet, I could not even finish it. It should definitely be done in another way. Had another one at different place and that one was much less sweeter and tasted better. But the second time I came, just cooked pastel de nata arrived. I was super excited but super disappointed. Filling inside reminded more of a scrambled eggs than a smooth custard. I never had a pastel with this unpleasant and not tasty filling, definitely should check the batch before serving scrambled eggs inside pasteis. There is plenty of choice thought and maybe other pastries are better for your liking. Regional Algarve desserts. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend to try...

I walked into this tea house attracted by its old, traditional look, and I ended up loving it. I'm not a tea drinker, but really enjoyed the Lucia Lima tea (lemon verbena). I tried two pastry/cakes in the store. They were very good, so I ended up buying 3 more kinds to takeout. While I was growing wary of sugar bomb Portuguese cakes and egg yolk-based treats, several of the cakes that I tried were delicious and not overly sweet. Specifically, the coconut mimo, chocolate cake, and almond roll cake that I tried were not overly sweet, while the signature (?) Algarvia Trilogy and Real Isabel cakes, although good, had the level of sweetness that I am used to experiencing in Portuguese cakes. The staff were polite and welcoming. The Ukrainian staff member spoke...

The service was terrible unwelcoming. I know he had a mask on, but the whole body language just said he didn't want to be there. Twice, when I came in and said 'good afternoon', I got no response, hardly looked up at me and my friend. Then, when I asked if we could sit, I got no reply either. Very strange manners and customer service. Won't go back. Unfortunate, because actually the 'Bolo Real da Isabel' was to die for.... Superb! Obviously I left no tip. I even tried to 'make conversation' about this Christmas time and the lovely sweet things they do to order, but even that didn't take his stinking bad energy away....