Category: Cafe Reviews

Restaurante Snack Bar Petúnia - Vilamoura Marina

10/7/2024

It's fairly common and somewhat amusing in Portugal to find that the same establishment has multiple names - restaurant, snack bar, cafe...

Filed Under: Vilamoura Restaurant Reviews • Algarve Restaurant Reviews

Petunia in Vilamoura Marina is a classic example of this. If you're staying in Vilamoura, especially if you're by the marina, Petunia is conveniently located and offers some nice Prato do Dia options!

See Also: 9 Tips for Eating Out in Portugal - Prato do Dia

what we ordered.

Costeleta de Vitela - €8.90

Veal chops with French fries and a salad

Carne Prato do Dia - Veal Chops with Fries and Salad

Chocos Fritos - €8.20

Fried Cuttlefish with fries and a salad

Peixe Prato do Dia - Fried Cuttle Fish with Fries and Salad

This was the first time I had ever tried fried cuttlefish and boy was it a great experience! The cuttlefish is so silky smooth and the batter was everything you'd want!

Where to eat in VIlamoura:

Crepe with ananas (pineapple) e gelado (and ice cream) - €4.50

Crepes are quite popular around Portugal. In this case we were a bit underwhelmed by the crepe, particularly because the pineapple was canned. I would recommend skipping the pineapple option and choosing one of the many other crepe toppings. A plain crepe is €2.50.

Restaurante Petunia VIlamoura Menu

Go ahead and tap a photo for a larger view of the menu at Petunia.

Best and worst places to stay in lisbon:

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Pão d'avó Maria PortimÃo

9/9/2024

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I was looking back through photos when we were car shopping. Buying a decent car in Portugal when you're on a budget can be a challenge as the cost of vehicles is high.

One day after driving all around Algarve we ended at Auto D. Henrique in Portimao. We were starving and it was around 7pm yet we managed to buy a few things from the kind lady at Pão d'avó Maria across the way.

PÃO D'AVÓ MARIA PORTIMÃO

Just a few pastries remained at the end of the day along with brigadiero, a Brazilian traditional dessert.

What we ordered.

We ordered two slices of homemade quiche, two coffees (espresso), and a little filled pastry.

PÃO D'AVÓ MARIA Review

Pao d'avo Maria is a small local cafe and bakery in Portimao. The name means literally Grandma Maria's Bread and you have to love the feeling that brings. Our visit was quick and tasty and the service simpatico despite it being the end of day. :)

More Cafe Reviews.

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Noa Cafe Bistro Vilamoura

9/9/2024

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Noa Cafe Bistro is a trendy spot in Vilamoura. You can find Noa Cafe across from the Vilamoura McDonalds and at the end of the block Mourapao is located on.

What we ordered.

Pancakes 8€

A stack of 2 pancakes topped with sliced strawberries, bananas, and a blueberry was presented elegantly with a drizzle of syrup and dusting of powdered sugar.

Pancakes at Noa Cafe Bistro in Vilamoura

Eggs Benedict 9€

The eggs Benedict came with a small side salad and was finished with paprika and chopped chives.

Noa Cafe Bistro Review

Noa Cafe Bistro is totally an instagramable foodie spot in Vilamoura. The food is really nicely plated and looks beautiful. They have indoor and outdoor seating and it's very chic inside. It's been a while since our visit. What we ordered was good, but nothing I dream about having again, if you know what I mean?

When we stayed in Vilamoura a few times we stopped and looked at the menu again, but always opted to go down to Mourapao instead. Mourapão is not as 'gram worthy in a way, it's more down to earth and has a great variety with better prices than its posh relative Noa at the other end of the block, imo.

I would like to give Noa a try again if I'm ever around Vilamoura to see if our visit was an outlier or if anything has changed.

Algarve Foodie Blogs:

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Pão & PÃO Boutique Vilamoura Cafe

9/9/2024

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Vilamoura is an upscale resort town in the algarve and as a result is chock full of restaurants and cafes.

Let's visit pão & pão boutique for fika.

There is a lot of outdoor seating at this cafe in Vilamoura and we decided to sit outside for our treats,

What we ordered.

We ordered two portuguese pastries and 2 cafes. Remember, when you order a "cafe" in Portugal, you are always ordering an espresso. That is the default here.

In certain regions, like Lisbon, you may hear people order a "bica" and this also refers to an espresso in Portuguese.

While we're at it, you can order a "cafezinho" (pronounced cafe-zeen-yo) which is another way of ordering espresso.

Tarte de Maçã

Maçã is the Portuguese word for apple. A tarte de maçã, or apple tarts, is often available in Portuguese bakeries and cafes.

It's no substitute for a classic American apple pie, but it's still an enjoyable apple pastry with warm cinnamon spice and I'm always a fan of the tarte crust in Portugal.

Bolo de Arroz

Bolo de arroz is another Portuguese pastry which literally translates to "cake of rice".

I loveee bolo de arroz. They are like a very tall muffin and they remind me of a mix between a muffin and cornbread. Bolo de arroz is lightly sweet and it has a dusting of crunchy sugar on top which adds a nice texture!

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Instagram vs. Reality hygge kaffe lisbon Trendy brunch review

8/6/2024

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It was the final day of our weekend in Lisbon and instead of paying for breakfast at our hotel in Saldanha, we decided to walk to a nearby spot that is highly recommended for brunch in Lisbon - Hygge Kafe.

Lisbon Hotel Deals

In this post:

Looking for something specific? Jump ahead:

Hygge Kaffe Vibe

Immediately loved the vibe of this place from the green and white awning...

Hygge Kaffe Lisbon | Traveling Through Food Lisbon Restaurant Review Blog

.... To the artsy, floral table ....

Cute painted tables | Hygge Kaffe Review

... to the thoughtfully designed napkins ...

The napkins read:

At Hygge, we thrive on the scent of cinnamon, we gather around waffles and/or cakes with mugs of hot coffee, sharing stories, the simple pleasures, a hot cocoa, board games, books and laughter. A haven of joy, the spirit of coziness weaving through, making it a warm and inviting home for all."

Love.

Even the napkins are heartwarming at hygge cafe in lisbon

... to the charming tiled buildings within your gaze....

Lisbon tiled buildings add to the charm of outdoor dining at Hygge Cafe

Hygge cafe had cute down to a science. Would you like to take a peek inside?

Lisbon's Hygge Cafe Menu At The Entrance

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Portugal Travel Tip:

Many restaurants will post the menu outside (usually there's someone sitting right by it so it's a bit awkward) but many menus will also have a QR code on them. If you open your phone's camera you can scan the QR code to open the menu on your phone. It is also common to see the menu QR code on the restaurant's tables or the back of the chairs. It's kind of funny, but handy!

Inside the trendy Lisboa brunch spot | Hygge Cafe Review

Inside Hygge Cafe is also very cute! But is the food as cute? Let's see what's on the menu..

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Lisbon Hygge Cafe Menu

Paper menu for the cafe at hygge house. Tap the photo for the full menu!

See Full Hygge Lisboa Menu Here!

We ended up ordering 1 cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting topped with pistachios, a savory waffle with bacon, an espresso, a bottle of agua com gás (sparkling water) and a menu de almoço (weekday lunch deal which included a smorrebrod (an open face sandwich/toast), a bowl of soup, a fresh squeezed juice, and a coffee for just 12€!)

Our entire order was under 26€

Feeling very happy to have all of this coming our way, we sat back and enjoyed the outdoor cafe seating and watched life go by on a Lisbon street.

Sparkling water arrived in a branded glass bottle. You see this in many restaurants in Portugal as well as hotels. One cafe (espresso) arrived as well. Remember, we ordered two.. =)

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The coffee.

Wondering about prices at Hygge Cafe? The sparkling water was 1.60€ while espresso was 1€

Não faz mal, no problem, I didn't mind waiting a bit longer for a coffee. I had already had some of the instant at the hotel and while it in no way compares to a fresh espresso like this, it did at least provide me with a bit of caffeine on this morning.

An espresso, simply ordered as cafe in Portuguese, at hygge cafe.

The price of an espresso at Hygge cafe Lisboa was one euro.

The espresso was nice and 1€ is a reasonable price for an espresso in a trendy cafe in Lisbon! They even have their own branded sugar packets. :)

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The waffles.

The waffle Salgado (salty/savory waffle) was 8€ and featured turkey bacon flakes in between and on top of two waffles, a sunny side up egg, and some micro greens for garnish. Oh, and "maple" syrup. lol.

Real Maple Syrup

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The Avocado Toast.

I opted for the Florentine Smørrebrød which consisted of avocado cream, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, and smoked paprika over a slice of Gleba bread. It was nestled beside a colorful salad (which was a pleasant surprise as I wasn't expecting it!) with a few radish slices and pomegranate seeds. Stunning visuals!

Let's see how the egg looks inside:

Inside the poached eggs of the Florentine Smørrebrød at Lisboa's trendy brunch spot Hygge

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The Cinnamon Roll.

It had been quite some time since we had an iced cinnamon roll and they seemed to be a specialty here at Hygge Kafe so we couldn't resist ordering one. I wanted to give it a try before getting too full from the smørrebrød.

Once again, the aesthetics are on point. Doesn't this cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting and crushed pistachios look amazing?! You know what would go great with it? A cafezinho (a little coffee). But mine still hasn't arrived.

And wait a minute, neither has my soup or my fresh squeezed juice. There was quite a bit of confusion, and our server seemed puzzled. We don't know who dropped the ball, but in the end all of our food showed up and that's what matters!

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The food we almost did not receive

The soup of the day was a nice creamy vegetable soup and the fresh squeezed juice was abacaxi (pineapple) and it was delicious. By the way, another word for pineapple in portuguese is ananás.

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Lisbon hygge cafe reviews

For us, our personal experience at Hygge Kafe was a bit of an "instagram vs reality" type of deal. The aesthetic of this Lisbon cafe is on point and the food is so visually appealing, few could deny that.

The reality is that it was a bit of a miss for us.

With the exception of the soup, the hot foods were not hot by the time they reached us, unfortunately. Cold eggs and hollandaise sauce, anyone? I didn't think so...

The waffles were a bit on the dry side and I always think it's a gamble to order something with "maple" syrup, iykyk.

Similarly, the cinnamon roll was on the dense and dry side. Now this could be the style of a Scandinavian cinnamon roll for all I know. It's just not our preference.

Hygge gift ideas.

Hygge Roll-on • Cozy Socks Vintage Gift Basket • Skal Drinking Mug Hygge Gift Set • Fika All Day Poster •Hygge Gift Basket w/ Journal

The coffee, soup, little salad, and fresh squeezed pineapple juices were all great though!

In the end our dining experience was a bit stressful as it took so long to get all of our food, most of it was not received at it's prime, and all of this took our morning from a leisurely brunch and hotel check out to catch a 12:30 bus to arriving at the bus station with literally moments to spare as we were the last to board the bus and had been bracing ourselves that the uber would not make it to the bus station in time.

I would like to chalk this experience up as a fluke since the place has so many amazing reviews, but we can only share what our direct experiences are.

If you decide to try Hygge Kaffe out, you will love the atmosphere and get great foodie pics, if that's your thing. Let us know how the actual food tastes on your visit!

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More from this weekend trip to lisbon in june

Lisbon Hotel Review - Turim Saldanha

Cool Lisbon Restaurant - Ararate Armenian Restaurant

Best Pizza in Lisbon?

Coming soon:

A weekend trip to Lisbon in June

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Mourapao Vilamoura Portugal Restaurant Review

7/31/2023

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Mourapão will always hold a special place in our hearts as it's the first place we ate after arriving in Portugal on the D7 visa.

Filed Under: Vilamoura Restaurant Reviews • Algarve Restaurant Reviews • Portugal • Restaurant Review

After those hectic final weeks waiting for the visa to arrive, selling belongings, hoping nothing important was forgotten, visiting with family, traveling and moving internationally for the first time (& during a pandemic!), handling canceled flights etc.... to finally arrive in Vilamoura was surreal. Nothing felt more simultaneously comforting and rewarding than the prospect of a pizza and a pastel de nata at the same time.

Enter Mourapão.

Um café e uma tigelada em Mourapão

Located in Vilamoura near the Marina, Mourapão is a short walk from the secret apartment.
With indoor and outdoor seating available as well as an extensive menu, mourapão can cater to just about any guest.
Bonus, it's open until at least 10pm!

Here's what we have tried:

Tigelada

Tigelada is a traditional Portuguese dessert made with eggs, milk, and sugar. Typically baked in a wood fired oven inside a Portuguese ceramic bowl, this sweet dessert is all about the texture as shown in the photo above.

--> Shop traditional Portuguese Pottery

Pastel de Nata

Pastel de Nata is easily the most popular pastry you must try in Portugal with its flakey crust, pudding like custard filling and optional cinnamon topping. Remember when we made Pasteis de nata at home?

Margherita Pizza

For an optimal experience, be sure to dine in at Mourapao and enjoy classic pizza made with fresh ingredients.
(Although you can get take out or pizza delivery in Vilamoura through apps like Glovo fyi) Take a look at that pizza slice - the cheese pull, the browning, the sheen... If this pizza is for you, you will know it. ;)

Discover more Pizza in Portugal here

Traveling through food

Restaurante Snack Bar Petúnia - Vilamoura Marina

what we ordered.

Costeleta de Vitela - €8.90

Chocos Fritos - €8.20

Where to eat in VIlamoura:

Crepe with ananas (pineapple) e gelado (and ice cream) - €4.50

Restaurante Petunia VIlamoura Menu

Best and worst places to stay in lisbon:

Pão d'avó Maria PortimÃo

​PÃO D'AVÓ MARIA PORTIMÃO

What we ordered.

PÃO D'AVÓ MARIA Review

More Cafe Reviews.

Noa Cafe Bistro Vilamoura

What we ordered.

​Pancakes 8€

​Eggs Benedict 9€

Noa Cafe Bistro Review

Algarve Foodie Blogs:

Pão & PÃO Boutique Vilamoura Cafe

What we ordered.

Tarte de Maçã

​Bolo de Arroz

Discover More cafes

Instagram vs. Reality hygge kaffe lisbon Trendy brunch review

In this post:

Hygge Kaffe Vibe

Portugal Travel Tip:

Lisbon Hygge Cafe Menu

The coffee.

The waffles.

The Avocado Toast.

The Cinnamon Roll.

The food we almost did not receive

Lisbon hygge cafe reviews

Hygge gift ideas.

More from this weekend trip to lisbon in june

Coming soon:

Mourapao Vilamoura Portugal Restaurant Review

Tigelada

Pastel de Nata

Margherita Pizza

Pizza in Portugal.

Best Places To Stay in Vilamoura, Algarve Portugal

Algarve Restaurant Reviews

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PÃO D'AVÓ MARIA PORTIMÃO

Pancakes 8€

Eggs Benedict 9€

Bolo de Arroz

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