My husband and I were enjoying all of the fantastic local Portuguese food in the beautiful mountain…read morevillage of Monchique. We felt like something more familiar after two weeks of fabulous local food. By chance, we decided to pull off the road to give Ceiceira a chance. We looked the restaurant up online before we entered, and to our surprise, the restaurant specialized in Southe US cooking and locally produced wines. Intrigued, we entered the main part of the restaurant, It was large, clean, and tastefully decorated. On one side were tables, and on the other was a wine-tasting counter. A friendly server approached and immediately seated us in the patio area. The patio was equally nice, with some high-top tables and informal lounge-style seating. The restaurant is beautiful inside, but the view is spectacular. You can see the entire village of Monchique(it is a postcard-perfect picture). In the background was American Country Music played at a reasonable volume. The extensive menu contained some tasty Southern US choices, such as battered/fried chicken and waffles. If this is not your thing, there are plenty of traditional Portuguese items as well as items that may appeal to the many Brits who frequent the area. The owners, a husband(British) and wife(Alabama) team came out to introduce themselves. They explained that their menu is evolving to appeal to a wider range of customers. They told us that they produce much of their wines on-site and are in the process of planting their own vineyards. The fried chicken, marinated Brussels sprouts, and devilled eggs were delicious. Ceiceira was a truly unexpected delight and one of our most memorable dining experiences.

This place is newly opened, an English chef and American partner. This was early October so I…read moreguess they missed the real holiday season? not sure We did not have time to eat here...we looked at the on-line menu (difficult to read and now being updated) and decided it was not exactly what we wanted - sort of tapas-y-ish But we dropped in for a coffee and cake just to see and, as it turned out having quite a chat First, I have been to this restaurant when it was a coach party place...not good, went just the once. It is now unrecognisable; it is completely redone and is simple but very pleasant and strangely calming...very well done Secondly, they clearly have big plans; they want to use fresh and local produce and keep things authentic but with a twist. Our friends who live there hadn't tried it yet so no real foodie reports - so the stars above are really only for the welcome and the decor...encouragement to please try it out and report back As we drove up and down the hill (its on the left as you go up the hill at the Monchique end) we looked to see how busy they were...mediumly I would say...the trouble is the menu at the moment seems quite fixed (and samey?) and so I would have to ask just how often would you go there? Its basically tapas. And is there a real market for this? Locals, tourists or expats? I hope so for their sake but I feel there should be 2 menus...either a standard one or dishes of the day on a slate and the tapas one Apart from 2 French people having lunch, while we were there, the only other paying customers...others seem to be friends, family or staff or a mix They had put up a screen and made themselves breakfast that morning and watched a World Cup rugby match - why didn't they advertise it to all the local Brits...bacon sandwiches all round??? They are talking about New Year on the roof (ticketed) and a special meal...sounds good but again the website needs to be up and running fully and they need to advertise They seem very nice, very friendly and enthusiastic and we wish them well with their bold enterprise...we will definitely try it out if we go back next year and will stay in contact with our friends to see what they say

We stopped by this town on our scenic drive south to Sagres, and came across this nice little…read morebakery and cafe that serves bread, pastries, salad, sandwiches, and soup. None of the young ladies working at this eatery could speak English, but fortunately one spoke French so I could communicate with her. She told me about the food options besides coffee and tea, so we both got a soup of the day which was a very delicious cream of vegetables soup. I could not believe that full size bowl of soup costed on €1.30 each! After the soup we wanted a little more food so we got a small chicken pie and a small duck pie besides a very nice slice of chocolate cake. Everything was very good and costed less than €5 in total. It was a good quick stop for a light lunch/snack before we continued our drive down south.

This bakery was recommended by one of the staff at our hotel and he stated this is "one of the…read morebest" in Portugal, especially for their Pastel de Nata, so I had to try. There is a plethora of pastries to choose from! Along with an order of the Pastel de Nata, I was told to try the Bolas de Berlim, like a custard filled donut of sorts. The woman at the counter was friendly and spoke English. Service is quick. The cafe itself is a pleasant spot to just hang out and people watch with lots of outdoor seating. This place definitely lives up to the hype and I would highly recommend stopping here for a sugary snack!

The pastries are excellent. You must try the Pastel de Nata. Isabelle and Carla are the best and…read morethe service is excellent. The bakery sits in the town center and you can relax and people watch to your hearts content.