I always like to try a restaurant that we have not yet had the pleasure of eating in whenever we visit Tavira. On this year's mini break we were fortunate to end up in the Portas do Mar on a Saturday night after a recommendation from Luis who runs the Brisa in Tavira.
You will need to walk 20 minutes from town, drive or catch a cab, at a cost of 4 euros, to get to the Portas do Mar but it's well worth the trek (if you are staying here out of season it's very near the only ferry crossing that will be running to the Ilha so this might make a good stopping off point on your return). On our visit it was quite empty, unlike most of the restaurants in town, but the punters that had made the journey seemed to be a regular crowd who appreciate the food and wine. During the high season of July and August you will be lucky to get a table and booking well ahead is apparently essential.
The restaurant itself is quite old school in terms of its décor and menu, which is no bad thing, and it's situated in a lovely spot right by the river which is a great location to watch the sun go down. We sat in the conservatory area at the front on our visit which was very pleasant. Our waiter and waitress for the evening were both attentive without being over fussy I would recommend that you have a chat with them if you have any doubts about what to eat or drink as they are very helpful.
As with most places in Tavira, but perhaps even more so at the Portas do Mar, fish and seafood in particular should be what you are ordering. Armed with a gin and tonic, resisting the allure of the couvert, and after much debate while nibbling on the very tasty bread we finally made our order. I kicked off with a lovely fish soup comes highly recommended; plenty of white fish in a delicate veggie laden broth made for a good start to our meal. B had the asparagus and shrimp soufflé, after a lot of discussion about the merits of in or out of season, which was less successful being a tad burnt on top and a bit undercooked inside. Stick with the fish and keep it simple would be my advice.
For our main we shared the seafood cataplana which I enjoyed immensely and B thought was a food obstacle course. I love the drama of the large clam like dish being brought to the table and then flipped open to reveal a multitude of mussels, clams, crab, lobster, bits of white fish and spicy sausage all in a lovely fragrant sauce. To do justice to this meal, and to make sure you do not leave the restaurant hungry, you will need to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in. You will be supplied with the shellfish tools of the trade in terms of cutlery and you will need to put them to good use. If this is not your idea of foodie heaven you might be wiser to sticking with a fillet of fish.
The wine list at the Portas do Mar has plenty of choice, even for those of us drinking on a budget, and is very keenly priced. We had a lovely bottle of Planeta which cost 9 euros which was a couple of euros less than we paid in town.
I liked this place a lot, probably a little more than B did but as I am the one posting up this review I will give the Portas do Mar a well-deserved 4 stars. I look forward to a return visit. read more