Overrated, wannabe French Parisian style eatery. Cramped quarters unless you dine 6plus guests -…read morewhich buys you the largest and most roomy table. The chef (Jeremy) is a skilled line cook, producing authentic escargot bourguinon, Beef bourguinon, pate fois gras and sautéed fois gras over brioche with sweet jam/glaze. Warms bread is filed out in small bits with a nice compound butter to match. Steak dishes include a nice entrecôte swathed in a nicely prepared and seasoned wild mushroom ragout. Other cuts like a filet mignon or rib eye are successful because the meat itself (like most Portuguese beef) is properly aged and needs little but a sprinkle of local salts and turn of pepper . For the pescatarians, liocally sourced dorado or robalo filet over creamy local mashed potato's and your choice of two vegetables(I prefer the brocolli rabe or crispy cauliflower) needed here to augment the fish or meat without over saucing). Grilling and crispy sautée on all proteins is usually perfect. . This basic meal with a nice Portuguese red or white (let your host choose the wine pairing - usually a perfect match). A finish with a properly prepared crème brûlée which is bruleed tableside with a flair. Espresso with sharino ( a shot of medronho sguardiente) or a snifter of locally made digestif called beirao closed"s the deal. Now here's the rub. I have eaten here more than a dozen times, almost always for a special occasion hosting out-of-towners, the price to value ratio .is off. With then exception of the escargot (readily available for DIY l, imported from France PRE - frozen and seasoned in shell at Auchan in Faro tor a mere 12 Euro for 2 dozen; a quarter of the restaurant price. The balance of the small menu is basic Portuguese cuisine which gets you up charged to 100 Euro pp or more depending on your wine selections All ingredients are available screamingly fresh at the local Mercado l(where Jetrmyband his front of house partner shops (as I do) // where half dozen fine butchers (""Talho) carry the meat,, and dozens of fishmongers carry fresh morning caught seafood from local waters, Monday through Saturday. Shop at 9:00 am for the best choices. As a local resident I avoid Artefact because it is a cutesy tourist trap, wrapped in a French brioche Special occasion is nice, but easily reproduced by a reasonably skilled home cook. Most local Portuguese restaurants will feed you as well at half the price. Top Tip: Don't buy into Travel advisor ratings. These are subsidized reviews. If you need the occasional snob appeal that Artfact offers, bring 6 guests and be willing to drop a grand. Your guedts will be impressed and well fed. Not the top restaurant in town. Dig deeper in the Tavira periphery and neighboring towns. You will get honest great eats, and a reasonable bill. Better still, source the bestningredients yourself, add some love and you too can have Artefact at home as often as you wish. Your guests will be impressed too.?

In an ancient building in central Tavira, the restaurant's dining areas have a historic, homey feel…read morewith a modern, artistic flair. Paintings by, most likely, local artists provide modern renditions of some of my favorite impressionist and post-impressionist artists, including Degas and Van Gogh. The service was friendly and efficient, but could have been better with water and wine glasses going empty more often than optimal. The food was tasty, but with flaws that prohibit me from giving one of my highest ratings. Our group of 20 stuffed into the small front dining room with little space for patrons or staff to maneuver. The starters were tastefully presented, a multi-level tray with cured meats, sausage. and salamis with a small cup of pate of some sort as well as a cheese tray with assorted sliced cheeses and a cup of orange sauce of unknown origin. The accompanying slices of crusty bread were soft inside and crispy out. The biggest problem was that there were only two trays of meat and cheese per table, making it difficult to get more than a sampling of each. The entree choices were limited to two, fish or steak, both coming with a small portion cauliflower au gratin on the plate. I chose the steak, a sirloin that was perfectly cooked between medium and medium-well so as not to leave too much blood on the plate. My steak was good, but with far too much gristle, causing me to chew and chew and chew and chew (etc., etc.), then swallow rather than spit out a big chunk of, well, you get the idea. They also brought out one small bowl of crispy, homemade french fries (chips to the Brits) to be shared by two people, not nearly enough for those of us who were still a wee bit hungry after the meal. The fries were scrummy, but each person should have received their own portion of fries. The dessert plate, again with one plate for every two people, was tastefully presented with a tiny, flaming copper pot full of brandy being poured on top of both of the two thinly sliced pieces of cheesecake, which was very good. There were also small pieces of cake and two teeny, tiny chocolate truffles that appeared to be homemade and were delicious. Dessert was the highlight of the meal with just enough of each component to have a taste without being overwhelmed by too much sugar. It was a very nice evening, but fell short compared to our previous week's dinner at another central Tavira restaurant where we received a better, more substantial meal and our beverage glasses were regularly topped-up. However, I will return with a much smaller party to see if my experience was merely the result of too many people overwhelming the kitchen and staff. CombatCrtitic Gives Artefact 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

HIGHLY recommended if you seek a hamburger I. Albufeira. They have "bun choices" plus great burger…read moretoppings I recommend them

Breaking my rule, eating at the same place twice. Good spot for breakfast, fresh fruit stuff-…read moresmoothies, juices and açaí bowls. Good coffee as well.

Food is excellent! Omelette: super light and fluffy with a…read morebit of crisp on the edges €5 Salads: tuna and beet one was offered. Portion is pretty plentiful and fresh ingredients €8 We tried the hot chocolate €2.50 and espresso €o.65 Espresso was super bitter and the hot choc wasn't the best. Soup: very good but it would be better if it was hot and not just warm €1.80 Service was good. Kind of a seat yourself. We went at a peak time around 12:30 and there were only two servers so it took a bit before she got to us. Cons: - There was a mix up with the orders since we switched to a larger table so the couple who had our old table got their/our food first - forgotten to give us cutlery for one of us that got the omelette earlier - forgot two out of three of our drinks and apologized for the late service of it They were super busy so we were more forgiving that the service wasn't perfect. You

Incredible food & service! Ordered the Japanese pancakes with honey butter & fruit and it was a…read moredream!!! Best pancakes I ever had. My husband ordered the eggs platter & the sauce concoction was addicting! Tomatoes burst with so much flavor and hash brown was crispy & perfect. Will visit every time we are visiting & strongly suggest you try.

Great breakfast and brunch - very good service too food is excellent. The tea was tea was freshly…read moremade and they gave us koeksisters as a free treat. They were delicious. They speak English and Portuguese well. American music they play in the restaurant.

This was the first place that we ate at in Portimao and I was quite impressed…read more First of all, the inside is spacious and has a lot of seating is available. Service was very prompt and servers were extremely friendly, knowledgeable about the menu and quick to answer all of our questions. They have quite a large selection of drinks and most are reasonably priced. The food was also extremely well-priced considering the excellent quality and large portion sizes offered within the restaurant. I ordered a tomato soup which was pretty good, although it could've used a little bit more seasoning. I was definitely extremely impressed with my veggie burger however! The burger itself was cooked perfectly, packed with veggies and tasted absolutely delicious. It also came with plenty of sides including coleslaw (which was amazing!), salad, and french fries. I absolutely recommend ordering this dish. My friend ordered the piri-piri chicken which she said was absolutely scrumptious (although I didn't taste any due to the fact that I am a pescatarian). We also tried some of their roasted potatoes and all I can say is wow. They definitely know how to serve up a good meal in the restaurant. The only reason that is loses a star is for the lack of outdoor seating, which would've made the experience that much better. But I would most certainly return to this place if I happen to pass through Portimao in the future.

Very touristy, but great ambiance. Indoor and outdoor seating. Prices are very expensive for the…read morefood, but it hits the spot when you're by the sea. We tried the soup, a salmon, and seafood paella. All were average by comparison to all other food we had in Portugal.

You're definitely paying a premium for beachside seating. The food was pretty good, nothing…read morespectacular. Service was slow but pretty typical for Europe. Loved the "wine of the week" for 5 euros.