Opened in May 1995, Vila Velha is a beautiful, genuinely charming rustic styled cottage with a wonderful homely appeal. Since owner Lia and her business partner opened the restaurant in Sagres next to the town’s Pousada, this tastefully styled restaurant has achieved great and ever growing success.
Lia is truly dedicated to her profession and is a perfectionist into the bargain! She has opted for an excellent balance of the best of Portuguese and international cuisine. Her formula has stayed the same and has earned Vila Velha a reputation as ‘the best in the west’.
On arrival, the main entrance is beautifully inviting and the vines growing over eucalyptus beams in the covered terracing all add to the dining experience, hinting at the pleasures in store for the wise and appreciative dinner.
Inside, you’ll find a menu where everything possible is home-made (even the bread is home-baked), so pleasing today when standards generally have slipped in so many establishments over the years. Lia will happily undertake private business and private lunches and there is a fine upright piano which guests are invited to ‘have a go’ on, assuming, of course, that they can play.
From now until September, the restaurant is open every evening, serving mouth-watering favourites such as tagliatelle with monkfish and prawns, duck olunt ‘Gabriella style’ and hake fillets and scallops with Hollandaise sauce.
• To book, call Lia on 282 624 788. The restaurant opens for travellers who like an early start at 6.30pm. Closed on Mondays.
