Espetaki Bistro - Lagos

We visited this restaurant last winter when we were in Lagos and were very impressed with the quality of food, the service and the bang for your buck. They have moved their site just outside the old city walls to Ponta da Piedade. Items have been added to the menu but prices have remained the same as last year. Although the location is newer and more modern, it has lost some of the charm that came from being in an older building in the old city. The food is still good, portion sizes large and the service is great but not enough to make us want to walk the extra 15 minutes to get there. For us it was more about the coziness which has now been lost. If you travel by car, there is certainly a lot more parking and access is much easier. It's still worth a try if you're looking for good food at a reasonable price.

We happened upon Espetaki half way through our 10 week stay in Lagos. It is located on a small side street that winds its way round the right side of the Bon Vivant restaurant and shop in the old city. Although we had walked by this location previously, it was not open for the season until mid February. The inside is small compared to other establishments in the area but the warm welcome more than makes up for the limited seating. If you arrive and the front door is closed, knock and someone will soon be along to open it with profuse apologies. The restaurant is owned and operated by the Dad who is also the chef and the evening waiter/bartender is his school-aged son. You may be the only tourists there as it tends to fill with locals which is always a good sign. It's not your typical Portuguese restaurant top heavy with fish dishes. In fact, their specialty is kebobs of various types served with rice and fries. For 5 Euros and change they are a very tasty option. The first night we were there my husband had the chicken cordon bleu which he said was done to perfection. I had the steak with roquefort sauce which was to die for. The presentation was lovely and each main course comes with assorted veggies, buttered rice and french fries. For dessert we had the fruit kebob smothered in a delectable chocolate sauce. By the end of the meal we were so full but it felt so good we didn't care. Complete meal with a jug of house wine, soup, main course, dessert and liquors was under 40 Euros. We went back several times during our stay and were never disappointed. The only reason I didn't give it an excellent rating was because, like its seating, the menu is limited if you return several times which I am sure you will.