Where to eat in the Algarve, Portugal

Bar - Restaurante  O Sapinho in Figueira

O Sapinho, meaning small frog and, therefore, called by the locals the Frog bar, is one of those very simple and inexpensive restaurants that can be found in many small villages on the Algarve, nothing fancy, just good Portuguese food served with a smile.  O Sapinho is a Bar - Restaurante with a few tables outside for drinks. Inside, there are two levels with the restaurant tables set on the upper level and bar tables on the lower level.  This is a place where there is always a good atmosphere as there are locals calling in for a beer or something stronger and to watch one of the numerous football matches that are constantly shown on Portuguese TV - it's the national game and it is taken very seriously!  On the walls there are usually one or two paintings by Clive Cook who lives and works and has his gallery in the village.  Look out for one of his exhibitions, often staged at the The Slave Market in Lagos, as it is well worth a visit.

Figueira is a small village west of Lagos which is still very Portuguese in every way. The Sapinho used to be on the main EN125 that ran through the village on its way to Sagres but the village was bypassed many years ago and Figueira and Bar - Restaurante O Sapinho found themselves in a bit of a backwater. The restaurant has been open in many guises since we have known it but it was recently taken over by Rui, basically completely refitted and reopened.

The menu is simple and not extensive: six of us went recently and enjoyed a very good meal; with pre dinner beers, other drinks, two bottles of the house red and coffees, the bill came to 116 euros or £13 each, very good value indeed.

For starters I had a tomato and Mozzarella salad, there is nothing like a fresh beef tomato, especially Portuguese ones! Others had vegetable soup, (no fish soup here unfortunately), clams and shrimp cocktail. The couvert of bread, butter, sardine pate and cheese does not appear as a standard here, it has to be requested.

For main courses, two of us shared the monkfish Cataplana which also had clams and large prawns in it, plenty for two and very tasty. Rui's steaks are also very good, one of our party had peppered steak and another, steak with a fried egg - this latter dish is only €6.50 so tremendously good value. Our other two diners had lamb chops and chicken Piri Piri. We were served plentiful dishes of green beans, carrots and chips to accompany our main courses. We always say that the house red never fails to hit to mark and this was no exception. We drank two bottles of Alandra from the Herdade de Esporao vineyard in the Alentejo, which produces a fine range of wines including some from single Portuguese grape varieties.

By this time everyone was full so we did not follow with any puddings but there was caramel pudding, almond cake, a rice pudding and ice creams to choose from. We completed our meal with coffees and some good conversation. Although we were all related, there were three nationalities around the table so there was plenty to discuss and talk about and the mood was lively!

O Sapinho is a welcoming local Portuguese restaurant and there is always a bit of a buzz about it.  The food is hot, tasty and relatively inexpensive - it's well worth a visit.

Maggie & John 2007

Bar - Restaurante O Sapinho:  

tel: 282 695 445

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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