Lunch at Vila Joya Sea

I wanted to watch the sunrise over the water so we woke at 5:30 to walk to the beach. We arrived just in time to watch the sparking orange ball come up above the water.

It was a bit cool out at that hour so we walked back through the empty streets and stoped at the same bakery (Padaria Central) which opens at 7am for a coffee and next door at the Black and White Cafe for a cinnamon roll that was delicious. We attended 9:30am yoga on the rooftop, got shit on by a bird during a meditation, and then got dressed and ready for our fanciest reservation.

I found Vila Joya by searching for the best view with dinner in the Algarve. To spend less money and avoid driving 45 minutes after eating and drinking, we decided on a lunch res.

Vila Joya is a resort (costing $1000/night at its off season “low end” room) but they offer reservations for their Beach Shack restaurant. The menu is seasonal and changes each year but currently is Latin America and Japanese influence. They had a Michelin star restaurant on site but this is not the same one.

As soon as we arrived at Vila Joya, the hospitality of a resort was evident. Leo welcomed us in, gave us a tour as he escorted us to the restaurant and the property was absolutely beautiful! Before lunch there was a small deck to drink cocktails and the waitress showed us the menu. She then came back and said that she had prepared our menu for us and asked about allergies and preferences. It was super confusing and we thought maybe we had signed up for a tasting menu. Rather than asking questions, we just went with it and had no clue what we were ordering.

The water glasses has these cute little cacti in them. We started with a pisco sour to drink and continued with a Japanese twist on a frozen margarita after. I think the twist is that there was sake in there.

Our first course was guacamole and chips. Which seems simplistic but had some additional herbs—coriander seeds, to be specific—that made it stand out. Additionally, you could tell the chips were made fresh. We were seated at the “chefs table” so we enjoyed watching everything being made. The service in this restaurant was beyond excellent.

Next course was a Peruvian Ceviche made with the catch of the day which was sea bass. The orange is sweet potato which was a nice balance to the acidity and the corn nuts added a little crunch. I need to make more ceviche, it’s so fresh and yummy.

This fish course was a surprise, when she read us our personalized menu, neither one of us remembered her saying this. It was a fish steamed in spinach with a yellow sauce. It was good but perhaps my least favorite course.

We were definitely getting full by then but this tamale course was specifically requested by Chris and I am so glad it was! The sauces on this tamale were so flavorful and the filling was so delicate. Definitely unlike any tamale I have had before.

Final course: entrecôte with chimichurri! This came with a side of puréed cauliflower topped with grilled cauliflower and macadamia nut “cheese”. Everything about that course was perfect. I felt so full I couldn’t even imagine eating dessert (and we know that means VERY full.)

Now if you recall, we had no idea what this experience was costing us. Did we get two of everything? Was each course one order and sharing?

It ended up being $270 for lunch. Considering the cocktails were about $120 of that, and the meal was so wonderful, we thought the value was definitely there.

But wait, there’s more! We were going to sneak on to their beach after lunch, but no need to sneak…Leo drove us around and showed us where there are towels for us to borrow. Then, when we got to the beach, there were cabanas for us to use!

It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon and the addition of the cabana made the lunch totally worth it. The water was warmer and the tide was low so we swam and enjoyed searching the tide pools for sea life as well.

I would highly recommend Vila Joya…if only I could afford a $1000/night resort!