Spice Cottage Salema — Restaurant in Vila do Bispo

My family used to love going to the old spice cottage. We actually attended on its second ever night by pure chance and were blown away. However, now that they've moved into posh (soulless) new premises in town, they seem to have lost their way a bit. After recieving the menus, we were asked what we'd like to order (by a different waiter) after less than two minutes. They seem very well drilled but you can't help but feel like you're being rushed. The onion bhajis were poor compared to the ones you can find in East London, and came out the kitchen three minutes after ordering them. The currys themselves were still pretty good, although mine seemed a little generic (Hyderbadi "chef speciality"), and again came out the kitchen very quickly once we had finished our starters. If you want a tray of pickles with your popadoms, you'd better be prepared to pay for them. And if you want a box to put your left overs in, yup, you'd better be prepared to pay for that too.

By this point, we were so disappointed in how our beloved Spice Cottage had turned into a soulless military operation, we were more than ready to leave. But no. After all the hurry up, the moment we wanted to leave, the minutes just roll by without any of the staff wanting to take payment. In the end my mother had to physically get up and ask for someone to take the payment. The irony is, after all that, we would have left a tip had we not been charged a nominal fee for boxes. However, our resentment and disappointment rendered us unable. So that's the end of my family's love affair with the cottage. Unfortunately, we won't...

Excellent food. Service was great too. Only reason I give four stars for service is due to the initial greeting. We get there at 9pm, multiple tables empty with one table empty and set, for what I presume was a reservation. Like most people getting there fairly late, it was a last minute decision. Despite the open tables, the lady still acted like we did something wrong by not making a reservation. Instead of simply welcoming us, asking us our party size and if we had a reservation, we got the, do you have a reservation then the look as if we did something wrong and it would be difficult to accommodate. She told us five minutes to make up a table and from that point on, everything was excellent. They sat us in about one minute. So no clue at all the pomp and circumstance. Other people walked in and were treated the same. Not even sure they had more reservations on the books. All of our food was very tasty and approachable. The server was kind and helped me order something I'd like given a little restriction. The gin and tonics weren't consistent, but very good none the less. Either the gin was poured over the ice the first time and before it the secod time, or the amount of alcohol provided was less. Either way, it was visually less. Highly recommend this place and not matter the time you want to go, make a reservation well ahead of time for peek times and call ahead to...

Always freshly prepared, bursting with delicious Indian spices and flavors that warm you up from the inside out, Spice Cottage is a must if you are in the area. Seriously, skip all the bland Portuguese food and come here to experience real hospitality, soul food, and warm atmosphere that would leave you feeling alive.

After our first visit several weeks ago based on the recommendation of a local, we've been coming to this excellent Indian restaurant at least twice a week. We are always greeted by such a warm, hospitable lady, who, I think, is the owner of the place. She does such an excellent job of keeping the quality of everything so high: ingredients, service, recipes, and interior.

Our experience in Portugal when it comes to food has been very different. After staying in Lisbon for several months and now in the South, I have to declare the best food in this country is NOT Portuguese. Spice Cottage is a wonderful example of how ethnic cuisine thrives here and delivers mouthwatering Chicken Afghani, Chana Masala, Paneer and Saag dishes, and crispy, freshly...