Retiro do Pescador — Restaurant in Vila do Bispo

It is really the best fish in the Algarve, by miles. My wife is Portuguese, we have a holiday home in Lagos and come here every year. We have tried most of the good restaurants from Sagres to Lagos and this is outstanding. We sometimes visit 2 or 3 times each holiday. It can get very busy so arriving early is a good idea. You can also book until 8pm in high season but after that it is first come first served. They do a great grilled Robalo, Dorada and the trigger fish is pretty special too. The fish is always fresh that day and locally fished from the sea, not aqua cultura (farmed fish). It is grilled to perfection with a special grilling sauce that really adds the perfect taste. The two brothers who run the restaurant are very friendly and welcoming. The restaurant is unassuming and you are equally welcome straight from the beach (in casual clothing not bikini or topless) or smartly dressed. They have a superb selection of home made Portuguese desserts so leave space! They also have a wonderful Portuguese wine list to add the perfect finish to a perfect dinner. Go there tonight you will...

Myself and my partner Beth stumbled upon this restaurant while walking towards the town looking for a place to have a nice meal and a few drinks. Got greeted by the most friendly waiter, David, and soon felt extremely welcomed. Service was excellent throughout the night and the food was exactly what we were looking for. Dishes were plentiful. Fish was extremely fresh and the steak was so tender with amazing chips and mushroom sauce. After a few drinks, we got very friendly with a few other waiters and the owners, Tiago and Nuno, who offered us a few local drinks after hours. They even gave us fresh local barnacles (which I didn't even know was a thing) to try and they were amazing. They also recommended some sights to see in the locality which turned out to be the best to date. Been in Portugal for 11 days and this was the best restaurant and experience we've had by far. Would recommend this...

I am at a loss to understand all the rave reviews. The food was inedible. We started with some stale tasteless bread and sardine pate, which consisted of small supermarket containers. The pate itself was gross. I think the wine also must have come from the supermarket as it was not drinkable. My stone bass entree consisted of a slab of greasy, bony, fishy tasting fish accompanied by plain boiled potatoes and a salad of inartfully cut tomatoes, onions, and peppers. The only thing decent was the salad dressing - very plain but ok. Decor is dated and sad and service was indifferent. We were told we could not sit in the almost empty nicer section because it was reserved but it was still basically empty when we left. And it was not cheap! We have had several delicious meals at our higher end resort for the same price. I am not one to leave poor reviews unless they are deserved - sadly,...