Review of 'Casa Do Mar Restaurante & Bar'

While wandering through the streets of Lagos on our recent visit we were looking for somewhere serving reasonably authentic local food at reasonably good prices. This is trickier than you might expect as there are lots of places selling fast food and other cuisines but few that actually attempted to serve good quality, Portuguese food. Of course, this is a tourist area so it is still always going to be touristy but we looked anyway and settled on “Casa Do Mar” for several reasons: It was busy (so how bad can it be?), it had a great special on piri piri (which we had not had since we got to Portugal) and it had a good seafood menu.

Located just off the seafront, around the corner from “Castelo de Lagos”, this busy restaurant had a number of tables out on the pavement along with staff standing out front, when not serving, looking to have passer-bys look at their menu. We were seated at a small table on the wall next to where servers came in and out with food. The menu is on a huge board outside but also on a single, two-sided menu divided into “Sopa (Soup)”, “Tapas”, “Marisco (Seafood)”, “Fago (Stove)”, “Massas (Pasta)”, “Carne (Meat)”, “Pizzas”, “Acomphanhamentos Extra (Extra Side Dish)”, “Cataplana” and “Saladas (Salad)” along with “Menu Crianca (Kids Menu)” (the opposite side of the menu is drinks). The prices were somewhat reasonable with mains anywhere between the €10 and €25 range.

We were really only looking for something relatively light, so stuck to two mains along with drinks. After flagging down the staff to take our order it did take quite some time before we got it, I suspect because of what I had…

I opted for the grilled octopus and potatoes (about €21) which was absolutely delicious. The octopus was plump and extremely tender with, as you might expect, not a huge amount of taste (perhaps slightly fishy?). We have really enjoyed the potatoes and here was no exception - Very creamy and perfectly (also) tender. A good amount of butter brought the two elements together quite nicely. It was a bit pricy for what I received but I can't complain about the food.

My companion opted for the piri-piri chicken that came with chips and a small salad (about €12). The chips were very good while the chicken was quite juicy but it only had the mild taste of piri-piri (perhaps added at the end rather than part of the cooking). The salad was unremarkable.

At €44.09 for the two of us (including service and two drinks) it was a reasonably priced meal. Simple Portuguese food, cooked quite well at a reasonable price. Just not remarkable.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2026-04-02

Cuisine: Portuguese

Address: R. Silva Lopes 27, 8600-623 Lagos, Portugal

Location: Lagos (Portugal)

Map:

Telephone: +351 920 125 172

URL: https://www.facebook.com/casadomarlagos/