Restaurant Review: Casa Algarvia – Cabanas
Located down a cobbled street just back from the seafront boardwalk in Cabanas, you find Casa Algarvia, a small and cosy bar and restaurant.
Before I proceed with my review, I should point out that I have been in the bar several times before. I unexpectedly availed myself of their restaurant when the local pizza place decided (for some unknown reason) that they were unable to provide us with our planned takeaway.
I’m really glad things turned out the way they did, as my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Casa Algarvia’s simple menu includes grills and burgers as well as a hot madras curry that I will have to try soon, with HOT curry being something often hard to find in Portugal.
On recommendation, I chose the black iberico pork, which was tender and seriously rich in flavour. It was served with a simple salad and some stand-out home made chips. Despite a very generous portion, I left a completely clean plate.
My wife’s serving of prawns was similarly generous in proportion and, having staked my claim to a few of them, I can vouch that they were tasty and imparted a good amount of flavour from their marinade. Side dishes were the same and my wife left no scraps either!
Desserts were skipped on this occasion after our enthusiasm for the main course (although a home made chocolate cake tempted us). We can vouch for the pleasent house wine and rich coffee, however.
Prawns and delicious home made chips at Casa Algarvia
As we sat and digested our food, we likened Casa Algarvia to a place called “A Portugesa” that we discovered in Praia da Rocha around ten years ago. Sadly, “A Portugesa” ended up with new management and we missed its simple and honest meals that were sourced with local knowledge and prepared with care. It’s great to have found somewhere similar, and amusing that it turned out to be in a place we had popped into before for a drink.
That leads me on to the only criticism I have, if it can truly be called a criticism, in that Casa Algarvia does little to draw people’s attention to its agreeable enclosed rear terrace. Still, plenty of tourists had found it on the night we visited, and the atmosphere was upbeat and convival. I have to admit, as summer draws to a close, that my wife and I felt a little smug about still having this place on our doorstep when the tourists all go home!
