Fresh Fish & Friendly Faces in Ferragudo

The easiest day trip from Portimão

Just across the mouth of the Arade River sits the charming fishing village of Ferragudo, only a 10-minute Uber ride from Portimão. In travel terms, that's barely enough time to decide how hungry you are.

Ferragudo is exactly what I imagine when someone says "quaint Portuguese fishing village." Cobblestone streets wind between whitewashed houses trimmed in bright colors, flower pots spill from balconies, cats nap peacefully in gardens, and nearly every corner seems to lead to another inviting outdoor terrace restaurant.

The scent of grilled seafood drifts through the air, making it nearly impossible not to stop for lunch. And stop we did.

We settled into a waterfront table at Borda do Cais, where we were greeted by the friendliest servers who welcomed us like old friends. We got there right when they opened, so had the restaurant mostly to ourselves at first. People eat lunch (and dinner) much later here than we do in the US.

After being seated, we were invited to take a look at the fresh fish brought in that day before deciding what to order. It’s not often that your lunch gets a formal introduction before arriving at your table.

After looking over the options, we chose a whole turbot, a mild white fish similar to halibut.

He’s an ugly little fella, but was tasty!

When it arrived, it was filleted tableside and served with buttery garlic potatoes and a fresh salad that tasted like it had come straight from someone’s garden that morning.

And of course, there was wine.

In Portugal the house wine costs nearly the same as water, so why not indulge? In the spirit of embracing local customs, I ordered the Espumante da Casa, the house sparkling wine.

This was not your average house wine.

It was crisp, refreshing, and dangerously easy to drink. In fact, it may have been the best sparkling wine I've ever had. You know something is good when you're already wondering how you're going to find it back home before you've even finished the glass.

As wonderful as the food was, what really made the experience memorable was the people. We genuinely enjoyed every server we met, but this gentleman was a real gem. During our conversation, he told us he had spent ten years working as a head waiter on Royal Caribbean ships before deciding to return home to Ferragudo.

By the time we left, we felt less like customers and more like distant relatives who had come by for a family meal.

After lunch, we did something we rarely do. We got dessert.

We wandered over to a little spot called Benjamin Bistro, known for its cheesecakes. Shawn chose the carrot cake cheesecake, while I went with the strawberry classic. Both were delicious, although the slices were way too big for us to handle after that lunch.

Between the charming village, the incredible food, the warmest welcome, (and cats), Ferragudo turned out to be one of those unexpectedly perfect afternoons that we’ll remember long after we leave this place.

And this last photo perfectly captures the dynamic in our relationship. While I was busy soaking in the moment, Shawn was taking care of practical matters and arranging our Uber ride home.

Every great adventure deserves a great travel partner, and I happen to be married to mine.