Where to eat in Faro

Restaurants, cafés and street food in Faro, Portugal that locals actually go to — plus the local names for the chains you already know.

• Tertúlia Algarvia — Algarve regional, Cidade Velha (2). Order the Cataplana de polvo com berbigão. An explicitly regional menu — the place to eat the dishes the Algarve is named for.
• Tasca do Ricky — Portuguese, Baixa (2). Order the Cataplana. Tiny, cooked to order, no bookings in high season — the queue is the review.
• A Venda — Petiscos, Baixa (2). Order the Mackerel with sweet potato. An open kitchen and a grandmother's-front-room feel, with genuinely good vegetarian plates.
• Adega Nova — Traditional Portuguese, Baixa (2). Order the Monkfish rice with clams and prawns. Since 1986 — long communal benches, huge portions, cash only.
• À Do Pinto — Seafood, Baixa (2). Order the Clams à Bulhão Pato. Consistently the busiest well-rated seafood room in the centre.
• Ponto Smokehouse — Smoked sandwiches, Baixa (1). Order the Smoked pulled pork on a crusty baguette. Three tables opposite the train station, and lunch comes in around six euros.
• Alameda — Modern Algarve, Baixa (4). Order the Slow-fermented bread with tuna muxama. One Michelin star; Rui Sequeira's tasting menu retells Algarve folk tales dish by dish.
• CHECKin by Leonel Pereira — Contemporary, Cidade Velha (4). Order the Suckling pig. A restored grain warehouse, and an Algarve-born chef's career retrospective on a plate.
• Ostraria Lodo — Seafood, Baixa (3). Order the Xarém with seafood. Ria Formosa oysters and shellfish bought direct — the specialist locals send people to.
• ATO Restaurante — Contemporary Algarve, Baixa (3). Order the Local clams in brown butter and kimchi. The chef buys from small boats, so the menu changes with the landings.
• Vila Adentro — Portuguese, Cidade Velha (3). Order the Cataplana with lobster and shellfish. An eighteenth-century azulejo factory with original tile panels and a Moorish tunnel below.
• Estaminé — Seafood, Ilha Deserta (3). Order the Clams à Bulhão Pato. The only restaurant on the island — solar-powered, 360-degree views, boat in and boat out.

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