Eating out at Boavista
Guests often ask me about where they can eat when staying on Boavista. Well, the good news is, that in addition to the hundreds of restaurants on offer in Lagos, Luz, and all places in between, there are some superb options within walking distance of your home on Boavista.
Boavista club house and bar
The club house, located on the resort, offers superb and reasonably priced food 7 am to 11 pm, with a wide range of breakfasts, snacks, lunches and dinners - and the staff there are just great. New for 2009 is a takeaway service - where you can call in or phone for your order, and for the cost of 1 euro, have it delivered to your apartment or villa, which means you can have a superb meal delivered to your doorstep, balcony, or terrace to enjoy either during the day in the sunshine, or during the peace of the evening with the sun setting.
Although located in the golf club, the club house restaurant is open to all visitors to Boavista and is very child friendly (the staff just love children and make a great fuss of them!) and neither is there a dress code, which makes eating or just having a drink and admiring the stunning views over the Bay of Lagos a real pleasure! Menus can be found by clicking on the following: snack/lunch menu, takeaway menu and dining menu
Montes restaurant and bar
Also on Boavista is the renowned Montes restaurant (282 764 382 for reservations). Owned by the same people who have not just one but two, Michelin starred restaurants in the UK, Montes offers a wide range of snacks/lunches (and the largest selection of luxury (and different) coffees in Lagos during the day, and truly fine dining in the evenings.
Traditional Algarvean favourites are presented with modern flair, like seared Golden Bream resting on a bed of Linguini, tossed in a sweet tomato sauce with a Ratatouille of vegetables, and oven roasted chicken breast filled with Portuguese salsicha sausage, served with potato dauphinoise and cream spinach with nutmeg.
Tipped to become the 'place to be seen at' in the area, Montes also has some very special promotions during the summer, including the 10 euro 'all you can eat buffets'. Click here for menus. .
Bem Boms restaurant
Located just a 10 minute walk from Boavista, Bem Boms is a real favorite of my husband and I's.
The food isn't cordon bleu (and neither are the surroundings) but it is a good, Portutugese restaurant with ridiculously cheap prices (we ate there the other night for 20 euros, for the two of us, including a full litre of house wine at 4.50 euros). If you're drinking wine, do try the house wine (ask for a 'jarro' as it's cheaper than a bottle) as it is very drinkable.
Food wise, there's a great choice of both meat and fresh fish dishes, with my favorite being a prawn omelette (the prawns are huge), fried prawns (yes, I like Algarve prawns) and my husband really likes the mixed grill which is great value at 9.50 euros. The staff at Bem Boms speak very good English, but if you want to try out your Portuguese, they're happy to oblige (they're my pseudo teachers!) Closed Sundays but open until 10 pm every other night.
Quen'en Fim
Another good choice, located just past Bem Boms on the right (opposite the turn to the Intermarche supermarket) so in total, about a 15 minute walk from Boavista.
Again, a typical Portuguese restaurant (it's where the locals go) with prices about the same as for Bem Boms. Staff here do not speak very much English, but don't be worried if you don't know the lingo, as somehow it just seems to work.
Wine here is about 4.50 euros a litre (again, ask for a 'jarro' of house wine as opposed for a bottle) and there is perhaps a wider range of meals here on offer than at Bem Boms. Again, the fried prawns are excellent, the meats superb and there is a good range of fresh fish. Also, don't forget to ask for the Prato do Dia as this tends to be one dish that is the day's special, and is cheaper than the other dishes (and is usually a pork or chicken dish). Talking of Pork, if you don't normally eat this in the UK (like I didn't use to) then do try it in Portugal - it is very different, very tasty and very cheap.
Quen'en Fim also has a takeaway service where you can go in and order your meal and then take it back for balcony/terrace dining.
Bar Atalaia
This is located next to Bem Boms and at the time of writing is an unknown quantity as it has just opened. It is essentially a Portuguese bar, but Duarte the owner has started doing a Prato do Dia each day then take it back for balcony/terrace dining. We'll be visiting very soon, so watch this space!
Other restaurants in the area
If you are looking for cheap and cheerful food, but of high quality, then all guests receive a list of recommended restaurants when their holidays are confirmed. My husband and I have spent many, many happy evenings and lunchtimes trying out all the local Portuguese restaurants in the area, and are happy to recommend all (bar one!) that we have tried. There are particularly good restaurants five minutes' drive/taxi away in Porto do Mos, which do not attract many tourists, as the clientele is largely local, so the prices are low, the food good and wine highly drinkable!
