Algarve's Grill — Restaurant in Portsmouth

Sitting down and noticing the boat and car sticking out from the walls I should have realised that these were strategically placed there to distract from, & overcompensate for the terrible food I was about to eat...

First I was served flat ginger ale (from what was left of an old bottle, probably opened a while ago...). After I complained, I was given another one from a brand new bottle. I think the server was trying to save money & hoped I wouldn't notice, even though it was clearly flat when poured...

Ignoring this first warning sign I eagerly ordered two tapas of meatballs & ribs (both of which I still have nightmares about to this day). The meatballs tasted extremely metallic (probably from the cheap tinned tomato they were drowned in), no seasoning, I genuinely couldn't taste anything. The ribs were soft & fell off the bone but again were completely devoid of any seasoning or taste. At this point I had a bad feeling about my main also but hoped they wouldn't get it wrong, after all I had chosen the "safe" option of grilled ribeye steak.

Unfortunately the steak was the most bland piece of meat I have ever eaten (including school dinners). It was only edible after drowning it with the salt mill for a good minute at least (I don't even eat a lot of salt in my food, but it was cooked & served completely without any seasoning so salt was the only option I had to raise my taste buds from the dead). Drowning it in the gorgonzola sauce didn't add much other than making the steak taste milky (hardly any cheese in it at all). As I forced myself to finish it I wondered if this is what Portuguese food is really about... I skipped dessert, not wanting another expensive disappointment, & couldn't wait to leave.

Note: This restaurant was picked by a friend whose graduation we were celebrating, which is why I did not complain...

Easter Bank Holiday where to go. As most places closed. Which was good luck. In my job role I cover 35 - 50 pubs Hotels & restaurants per week. Algraves of Southsea Portsmouth. Absolutely Glorious. Excellent service friendly staff from Manager to waitress to even the Chef coming out & asking about how was your food. Trust me alot of places could learn a lesson from the whole experience here at Algraves. Starters were great hot & Excellent size portions. Biggest chicken wings apart from being abroad I've ever had. The main? Well Algraves Special Paella. This was enough for four people. Mussels / crevettes/ chicken/ half a lobster / chirozo in exceptionally tasty typical rice saffron flavours. Second main , Half a lobster again & steak cooked perfectly. Desserts as if there was room . A classic take on Banoffee pie. Large waffle ice cream caramel syrup & cooked Bananas. Then the classic Portuguese Chocolate cake. Full of flavour. Then on the house two lovely shots of Portuguese port. From the Staff. My only complaint is to staff. Food is priced too cheap. Compared to what I see at other places. I would highly recommend Coming here. Three components covered. Excellent hospitality Excellent food Excellent prices. You must take a visit here. Went back again in June. Fantastic fish Kebabs....

We visited Portsmouth for the day and Was looking for someone to eat as the choice of restaurants are limited around the gunwharf shopping area. Algarve grill came up on Google and we decided to give it a go after seeing the glowing reviews on Google!

All I can say is that it certainly lived up to the reviews and this place is a real gem. We arrived around 6pm with no reservation which we thought might be a problem, but we had no issues getting a table. The restaurant really started to get busy and fill up after 7ish, bearing in mind this was a midweek evening so I can only imagine how busy it gets on Fridays and Saturday. The atmosphere of the restaurant was great, everyone having a good time and there was a really good ambience and feel about the place. The staff were amazing from start to finish, very attentive and friendly. They made you feel very welcome, my mum couldn’t decide what to have but we never felt rushed to order or hurry up. The food was amazing, some of the best ribs I have ever had. My mum had sirloin steak which was very nice and my dad had salmon which he said was fantastic. I also have to add that the prices are very reasonable for the quality of food and portion sizes. I am so glad we found this restaurant, this will be my go to place whenever I am in the area...