Feb 28, 2024 4 min read What to do in Algarve

Algarve | Where to eat in Monchique?

You just read our point of view if Monchique is worth a visit... and you are interested. Great! Now let's get to business and talk about one of the main features of Monchique: the food! Food is amazing all around Portugal and the Algarve. Monchique responds brilliantly to the call. Click here for our suggestions around the region.

As it is a mountain region, food is rich, cosy and slowly cooked. The main stars are the pork-derived products (charcuterie/sausages/enchidos), the corn meals (papas de milho/xarém) and the cabbage stews. Also there is a respectable Olive Oil production around Monchique, that you should keep your eyes pealed for.

It is worth mentioning the Feira dos Enchidos de Monchique, a local fair to celebrate local sausages and charcuterie. There is no better time to talk about Monchique's food as the first weekend of March every year. It's literally starting this weekend!

If you are not in luck to catch the sausage fair, don't be disarmed. Here are a few restaurants we recommend, that we have visited in all seasons of the year:

Luar da Fóia

Close to Monchique, Luar da Fóia is a beautiful restaurant with a stunning view over the valley, go with an appetite. Food is very good and portions are generous. Go for anything pork!

Jardim das Oliveiras

Also close to Monchique, but a bit further up the mountain, you arrive at Jardim das Oliveiras, that looks like a secret oasis overlooking the valley. All tables and chairs are different - hecticness is indeed a style - but don't get scared, service duly comes and the food is beautiful. They may have the best sautéed wild mushrooms, local to Monchique, that we have ever tried! Also go for the carob tart, it's a must in the Algarve.

Velochique

This one is not a restaurant but a café oriented for bike lovers, right in the town center of Monchique. It also has a bike park and repair shop. It has an industrial modern vibe and even if we weren't brave enough to bike there, it was a pleasant experience. Plus Bruno is a biking sports aficionado, so he was in his element. This place is perfect for a lighter meal - pancakes, a bowl or an avocado toast - things that you find anywhere in the world but won't find that easily in this side of Algarve. Give it a go!

Tasca do Petrol

Last but certainly not least is one of our staple restaurant in the Algarve as a whole, Tasca do Petrol which we have visited at least once a year in the past decade. Come with an appetite. Please. And go with the flow. Service is hectic as in... they literally treat you as family. They tell you what there is and they serve you. When you say you are full, they will convince you you can have another dish. And you accept it. You eat it. You pay for it. You will come back. Just like Johannes Radebe said in the Table Manners podcast, they can take all our money.

Go for the cabbage stew, the slow roasted pork, goat and lamb, the bread (migas) or corn (papas de milho) meal and do not forget to ask for that little shot of Medronho, Monchique's local akvavit.