Restaurante Alameda Faro sits at Rua da Polícia de Segurança Pública 10, 8000-151 Faro. It’s a small room, ten minutes’ walk from the old town walls, and in 2026 it became Faro’s first Michelin star. The name comes from Jardim da Alameda, the city’s oldest public garden, just around the corner. Official site and bookings: restaurantealamedafaro.com. Email:.
Chef-owner Rui Sequeira and his wife Cristina opened here in December 2018, after a lot of people told them Faro simply couldn’t support fine dining. Rui had trained young in Portugal’s top kitchens, made the final of Top Chef, and worked a stage with Serge Vieira in France – but before he committed to bricks and mortar, he tested the idea at home. Oitavo Frente was a supper club for eight strangers around his own table, a surprise tasting menu with no name on the door. It sold out, and it told him what he already suspected: Faro was ready for this.
That’s still the spirit of the menu. Traditional Algarve technique gets pulled somewhere more contemporary, built around whatever the season and the small local growers hand him that week, plus fish straight off the Ria Formosa. Nothing about the room tries to be Lisbon or Porches. It’s Faro, cooked properly.
The pitch is high gastronomy without the stiff white-glove act – serious cooking, a lighter, more personal room to eat it in. Seatings typically run Thursday to Monday, with dinner slots around 19:00 and 20:30. Public hours list 19:00-00:00 Sunday, Monday, and Thursday to Saturday; Tuesday and Wednesday closed. Confirm the exact seating when you book, since a room this size fills fast.
Before you book:
- Reserve as soon as your Faro dates are firm – it’s a small dining room with one Michelin star, not a walk-in option.
- Smart-casual is right. You don’t need a jacket, but flip-flops and beach shorts will feel out of place.
- It’s a short taxi or a flat walk from Cidade Velha and the marina – no need to hire a car just for dinner.
Who it suits: Faro city-break guests who want one starred night without the drive out to Porches. Food travellers flying into FAO who fancy dinner within reach of the airport hotel. Couples folding one formal evening into a longer lagoon week.
Skip it if you’ve got young kids in tow, you just want a quick shorts-and-sandals bite, or the only night you’re free happens to be a Tuesday.
Worth it? Yes, if a Michelin dinner is a reason you’re spending a night in Faro rather than driving straight through. For other tables in town, see best restaurants in Faro. Full listing: Michelin Guide – Alameda.