Casa De Chá Da Boa Nova

This is Chef Rui Paula's most iconic locations, built on the rocks adjacent to the Atlantic ocean with spectacular views. I recommend lunch only unless it is Summer. We arrived and by chance Chef Rui Paula was there at the entry and greeted us. We were six and had a round table with a marvellous view. We did the 21 moments plus a few bottles of wine, not the pairing. The food was amazing, and we loved the games and culture that went with the courses. The experience took four hours in total. Payment was in advance to secure a booking. For our children here at Christmas it was a highlight. With a modest gratuity the cost for this remarkable Michelin two star experience was just over €300 per person. It was our second visit and we loved it.

This was a disappointingly average experience, especially for a 2 star restaurant. Let's start with the positives: the view from the property can't be beat, and the restaurant certainly adds little touches to deliver an experience that is more than just the food, like the design and sounds of the dessert cart, the mini game during the appetizers, and the bread made right at the table. The service was a mixed bag. While attentive, I found it very rehearsed and impersonal. Every dish was explained with less than 10-15 words, that's how memorable it was. The staff were even quite stifling and too formal at times. As an example, when I was returning from the washroom, I passed by a customer who was simply taking a photo of the coast from the window in the main lobby and the staff rushed out to ask her if she needed help finding her table, when it was clear from the context that all she wanted to do was take a photo. She wasn't disturbing anyone else, there were no tables nearby, she wasn't taking an annoyingly long series of selfies, but the staff acted with an urgency as if she was somewhere she didn't belong. But the most disappointing part was the food itself. The portions were incredibly small, even for a Michelin star tasting menu. This is the only restaurant where I've left hungry after completing a 12-course tasting menu. And for the price, that definitely should not be the case. I came way feeling I overpaid even for a Michelin star experience. The flavours were also not very refined. More than one dish had too many flavours competing with one another, with no clear direction on what the dish was trying to emphasize. And the 2 dishes which featured the use of curry were completely overpowered by the curry flavour. I'd expect a kitchen of this standard to know that a little goes a very long way when it comes to using curry powder, especially when portions are this small. I don't know how or why the Michelin guide rated them 2 stars again. Maybe the 2 stars sets diner expectations too high? Either way I've definitely had much better food at 1 star and Bib Gourmand restaurants, and I would not revisit.

The 2 star michelin restaurant in Portugal with the best view to the beach I’ve ever tried so far. We try the full set menu with many kind of seafoods: mullet, crab, fish, red prawn…. The ones we like the best is 3 types of prawn with different types of cooking. After finishing the dessert with 03 dishes, we also received a very nice gift from restaurant. Enjoy a good meal together with a super view is the beautiful memory in my life. :)

We had a dinner to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Overall, we had the worst experience among the 2-3 Michelin star restaurants we visited. The food, service and atmosphere were all underwhelming. We were seated in a small room - instead of the main dining area - despite our note that it was our wedding anniversary when we made the reservation. The part of the reason we chose this restaurant was to check out the architecture so it was a bit disappointing. CONCLUSION: We would not recommend it but if you do decide to go, would go for lunch and ensure you get seated at the main dining room at the time of the booking. In essence, you are paying for the architecture and the views, not the food. We felt the service (especially the manager’s attitude) was superficial. Also, we felt pressured to order a 21 course meal when we didn’t want it. The staff was almost too formal and stiff - we didn’t feel comfortable or particularly welcomed. The food was mediocre at best - certainly below expectations for a 2 Michelin star restaurant. Especially the main course, cod dish, was way too fishy. I couldn’t finish it. We went to Belcanto a couple of days later - another 2 Michelin star restaurant in Portugal. We had much nicer experience there.

We had an outstanding dinner last night at Casa de Chá. I am not a food guide expert, nor am I trained about what eventually could or should be expected by a 2-starred restaurant: so I judge based on my taste, sensations and emotions. Casa de Chá really deserves a visit because here fish and seafood are treated with the outmost respect not changing their nature but rather adding flavours around them to enhance their characters. The place is beautiful but I’m happy that we went there for dinner rather than lunch, not to be distracted from food by the incredible sea view. Next time we’ll try lunch time 🤗 thank you chef Rui Paula and the crew for making our stay so delightful.