O Manjar Restaurant in sunny Albufeira, one of the most coveted holiday destinations in the Algarve region, Portugal, is something of an institution when it comes to typical Portuguese dining. If you are wondering why you have never heard about this before, try exploring the roads that lead up one of the side streets of the main strip of the old town and you will be sure to find this gem.
As it is located slightly out of the main square, O Manjar Restaurant is surely much nicer and quieter, although there are hardly any tables free during service hours. Since it does not take reservations, we suggest you try and go for it anyway. While you wait for a table, visit the bar across the street for a drink as they will collect you once they are ready to sit you.
The dining room itself is quite cosy and simple, which ultimately lets you focus on your table and the food you are experiencing. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful and are always making sure their clients’ needs and wishes are met. In addition to this, they also have a special children’s menu, so it is definitely a family-friendly restaurant.
Prices for a full meal range between € 12 and € 25 per person, which appears to be a great option for well-cooked local food without a cumbersome price tag. In fact, it is most likely you will leave the O Manjar Restaurant with the impression you ate just way too much and should not have tasted the beautiful dessert on top of everything else.
O Manjar Restaurant is a place where locals come with their families to enjoy great food and a friendly environment, and this is always a wonderful sign. The menu is varied but consistent, and everything there is made with fresh local ingredients, mainly fish, seafood and meat.
However, if you are looking for the speciality that brought O Manjar Restaurant its outstanding reputation, make sure you order their steaks. Asking for meat at a restaurant in Albufeira—where fish comes as top priority for the inhabitants’ daily meals—may put you off a little, but you will not want to miss what is considered to be the best steak in the Algarve.
Oversized, cooked to perfection and oftentimes accompanied by gratin potatoes and carrots, which makes a great change from the usual chips and salad, their special steak has been luring clients from all over the country and abroad that visit Albufeira for a number of years now.
Nevertheless, there are other delightful and unforgettable dishes at O Manjar Restaurant. Whether you choose to go for a nice grilled sea bass or a rib eye and topping it all off with a nice cheesecake slice (not always available) or caramel mousse, the overall experience will be amazing.
O Manjar Restaurant
Rua do Movimento das Forças Armadas 17
8200-157 Albufeira
Algarve, Portugal
