Where to eat in the Algarve, Portugal

Restaurante  O Celeiro in Almadena

Many times we have often been pleasantly surprised by the good natured humour and friendliness displayed by staff at restaurants in the Algarve.  It's genuine too, unlike other countries where the feel is that “well, they are spending money, lets humour them”.

Humour at O Celeiro, has just that little edge on most other places and, things which are normally taken for granted, move onto a different dimension.  Want pepper on your meal?  You are likely to have a beaming waitress standing at the table with a metre long pepper grinder.  If it's full it must be all she can do to hold it up, let alone twist it to grind the pepper.  Want a big beer?  Be careful, you are likely to get a litre of beer in a bowl at the top of a ½ metre stem.  Very tricky to drink without getting wet, it's a bit like a yard of ale with the bulb at the top.  As for the customary complimentary drink with the bill at the end of your meal, you will only get one glass of liqueur no matter how many people are at the table, however, it is a big glass.  More like a goldfish bowl actually, and it's very easy to become the centre of attention while trying to take a graceful sip.

Big pepper grinders and drinks are not the only well proportioned items, the meals too certainly fill the plate and are excellent value.

Recently, for a birthday treat, we decided to go to O Celeiro.  The restaurant is just off the South side of the N125 at the cross roads at Almadena but hidden behind a screening of trees so it's very unlikely you will have spotted it if just driving by, towards the West coast.

It is a restaurant that has a great rustic charm.  The gravel car park with mill stones acting as boundaries and the stone steps bordered by old farming implements, makes it all look very inviting as you approach the typically Portuguese front with its heavy windows and welcoming lights.  Just inside, there is a bar with comfortable benches and stone tables, where you can enjoy a pre dinner drink while you choose from the menu.  Sometimes, depending on what specialities they have that night, they may be displayed here as well.

We were dining with friends this night and after a natter over a ½ bottle of red, a beer and fresh orange juice, we were shown to our table.  An enormous platter of covers arrived to keep us busy while we waited for our starters.  We had quails eggs, chorizo in flaming brandy, pickled carrots, olives, mini fried meaty parcels, tuna pate, pancetta, and cheese as well as a big basket of mixed breads.  It all tasted as good as it looked, and despite its size was quickly demolished.  For starters we had ordered chicken pate with a Cumberland sauce, served with a garnish of carrot, cucumber and red pepper and buttered crunchy breads.  Other starters were white asparagus, beautifully cooked and covered with a hollandaise sauce  and mango and apple with Parma ham, a quite delicious combination of flavours and textures.

Pausing between courses we sampled the house wine, a wonderful Douro red at €12, and would probably have had another if it wasn't for the responsibility of driving back.  I wasn't an elected driver this night and ordered a beer ( yes that one - the BIG one) so that the wine could be enjoyed by the others.

Our main courses arrived, all presented with a real flair.  Are all chefs wanabee artists?

Two of us had ordered the lamb special at €15.50, a full shoulder of tender lamb with a mint and honey sauce, absolutely delicious.  The other main courses were fillet steak with a rosemary and pepper sauce, served with a fresh salad that was declared to be the best salad ever, at €19 and a Seafood gratin at €17.50 which contained white fish, mussels, squid, clams and prawns all covered in a creamy, cheesy sauce.  Bowls of mixed vegetables completed our feast and the empty plates at the end were evidence that the meals had been much enjoyed.

The desserts are something special at O Celeiro, not at all like the very basic choice at most Portuguese restaurants and not to be missed.  Despite a big meal, we felt we just had to try the apple and cinnamon sponge, the pears in red wine sauce, the almond cake, and the tiramisu and because we couldn't decide which we really preferred our host gave us a selection.

Coffees and the bill were requested and along with these came that goldfish bowl of a glass with a liqueur (don't really know what it was, but tasted of brandy and port but not as strong as the mixture would suggest) poured liberally into it at our table.

The bill for our night out?  Well, O Celeiro is not cheap, but for a memorable meal in relaxed, comfortable surroundings we thought it was well worth the €159 bill, which included the wine, 2 bottles of water, pre-dinner drinks and THAT beer.  It's a restaurant that we have been to before and it never fails to impress with its welcome and outstanding menu.  This is one for that special night out.

O Celeiro is a very popular place to eat, and as there are only about 14 tables, booking is essential.

Phone for a table on 282 697 144

If you would like to know more about Portuguese Food and Drink, why don't you dip into our Restaurants in the Algarve section and our series of articles on Portuguese Wines and Ports.  We also feature some Traditional Portuguese Recipes and a glossary of useful Portuguese food & drink words and phrases

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