Lagos Algarve Portugal

Thank you

2011-08-22T07:30:00.000+01:00

For the last few years I have been writing this blog and I have decided to end it to do other stuff. I will leave it up for information but it will go out of date. For information about our city go to www.lagos.me.uk

bye for now

and thank you

Buy a bar in Lagos??

2011-04-04T15:21:00.000+01:00

There is a saying in Lagos if you want to make a small fortune here bring a large one. Having a bar in the sun is probably a dream lots of people have but it will be hard work and it will be usually one without lots of profit, sure you will have an income and a life in the sun. What you don't want to do is arrive in town with the attitude that your bar will the best place in town and that you will be the busiest. Lagos is a community and a very small one and on the whole everyone gets on with their life and interacts in a friendly manner.

So one should join the Lagos family and not try to upset the great balance we have here, so what happened you might ask?

Soon a new, well old bar will reopen and the new owner has not really made a good impression, OK he is young probably got great ideas about what he wants to do with the bar but to go around and give the impression that the rest of the bars might well as give up, criticize the previous owners for their sexuality and indicate many of his friends wont use the bar because it is a gay bar, you have a bar you do your own thing but, and hopefully, you welcome everyone, it was not a gay bar. So a bit of advice to this knuckle head you are not going to be a success here with attitude like that.

Prediction, the bar you have, has not been a busy place for years and here at the blog we reckon another year another owner and another failure, hope you have big pockets

Rant Over

Stones have a nice new paint job, and still the best rock music in town.

Portugal 'sells' Ronaldo to Spain in €160m deal on national debt

2011-04-01T16:07:00.000+01:00

from reports in todays Uk newspaper

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/portugal-sells-ronaldo-to-spain-in-8364160m-deal-on-national-debt-2258903.html

that would certainly a poor flail if it went through

Stop the Press

2011-03-26T02:41:00.000Z

BREAKING NEWS..... the Old Tavern is no more well the bar is still there but nows it is call Phoenix Nights

see http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001997184516

the country is in debt so lets open a bar

2011-03-25T10:13:00.001Z

the country is in debt so lets open a bar, Portugal's prime minister resigned over plans to cut debt like the rest of Europe and a bailout is on the cards and if you believe the Daily Express that going to cost the UK taxpayer £400 http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/236637 how they know this when the size of bailout has not been decided I don't know but hey, the UK taxpayers are footing another war to the tune of a few million a week a missile has a reported cost of 500,000 each http://www.channel4.com/news/libyan-campaign-is-costing-britain-millions-a-day so a bit a money to the the longest ally the Brits have had, is a drop in the ocean, which is looking nice today with a bit of sunshine!

Rant over, the new bar near the Tivoli Hotel and Luis bar is to be called McCabes, it has no windows and the ones it did have have been covered over, interesting idea when most places want customers to see inside before coming in, will this put people off?

Here is the big news the Hideaway has a new owner, another person who thinks they can make a success of a business that has failed many times. As regular readers will know, it not called the Hideaway for nothing, but we wish them luck and we will visit.

may I point you to an excellent local Lagos politics blog it is translated to English from Portuguese by google
click here

New Season New bars

2011-03-22T10:57:00.000Z

It happens very year some close then someone comes along to reopen them...

The first new entry very soon will be Wolfs Lair on the site of last years failure Avalon but more famously Kuinns, it is being opened by a well known local couple and we wish then well as it is near the main street there is no reason it should not succeed.

The people from the Irish Rover are opening a new bar near Luis bar across from the Hotel Tivoli previously the site was a Indian restaurant. Also rumoured is the Vu bar on the far side of the marina is going to be opened by an irish couple. Lagos going greeen???

Due to reopen after a major refit is the the Three Monkeys looking forward to that one.

Finally, a bar in Lagos that has been on the bar scene for many years is soon to have a new look and new name

2011-03-03T13:37:00.000Z

Official video from the tourist authority

Sun is out

2011-03-01T14:44:00.000Z

First blog of the year hope you a good new year and kept to those new year resolutions... i bet not

As the title says Lagos has had a few good days of sunshine and with the brighting of the world so do the bars and restaurant open up for another year. Will it a good one we all hope so, not to revel in other problems but we should see a increase from visitors who may have gone to North Africa for holidays.

A number of bars are sprucing themselves up for the season, the three monkeys is having a facelift and should be open soon, DCs bar has a fresh new paint job and design good one there. the Jam has new wall graphic and things are a changing at the Old Tavern (more on that soon). Work is also progressing on the bar next to fools and Horses.

In a blog in march we shall update the bar reviews we did a few years back also coming up is a article about travelling to Lagos from Faro with the impending tolls on the A22

need a transfer from the airport check this out for a cheap way Clicktransfers

The new box on the right of your screen is a music chart from http://www.reverbnation.com which shows artists from within 25k of Lagos click the play button to listen

Merry Christmas

2010-12-19T11:49:00.000Z

Merry Christmas to all the blogs readers.

Contrary to rumours the New Year fireworks are going ahead see here. The rumour came about because of the cuts by the council very few Christmas lights on the streets.

Well what new restaurant does Lagos need oh yes another Indian. Just up Infant Sagres from the green tiled Obrigado Shop is the Taj Malhal the prices are a few euros cheaper than the others. So will have to try it out, if you have comment.

The Moon Rising is now called Arte cafe a value for money menu and a paint job.

The audioboo track of the moment is from the classic band The Ramones

Ever wondered if when jesus was born they had all the net and social networks what would have happen see the short video at youtube click here

Its the Peppies

2010-12-09T19:43:00.001Z

So its the end of the season and nearly the year,

over a few superbocks we give the following a big thumbs up named this year in honour of peppy smiles a regular visitor to the city.............

So it the Lagos Oscars

The Peppies.

EVENT OF THE YEAR

The Help for Heroes Charity Night

THE OLD TAVERN

it raised 4000 euros and saw a selection

of Lagos finest beef strip for money click here

Website of the Year

www.lagos.me.uk

no one else has come up with anything better

Dance Bar

ROSKOS

this new bar has quickly developed into

the bar to go to for DJs

Rock bar

STONES

from blues to thrash it has it all

(except Spandeu Ballet!)

Sports Bar

SUBLIME

the number of screens and different sports

beats all others.

New bar of the year

PICKLE AND PIE

although its on the Marina it

has good entertainment

Late Night Bar

Stevie Rays

Bar to See Award

JAM

for a the good staff and the actual

bar itself a number of music memorabilia built into the bar

Bartenders of the year

DENISE of Whytes

TAM in Eddies

they make their bars a pleasure to visit

Cocktail Bar

Zanzibar

Restaurants of Year

Budget

CASA ROSA

Beach

Antonios

at Porto Mos

Indian

SHALIMAR

Italian Restaurant

don Giovanni

Ethic Restaurant

Lemon Grass

Portuguese Restaurant

Casinha do Petisco

Chinese we don't think

any are worth it

(comment if you do)

Top Burger

again the Rude Boy

at Nah Nah Bah

Best Budget Breakfast

Cafe Odeon

The 'Spider Murph'

Omelette of the year

Cafe Fresco

The Bacon Butty Awards

Fools and horses

Bacon Baguette

and finally

Lagos Legend Award

given to excellence in Lagos life

LUCINDA

the owner of Zanzibar a great personality

with a word for everyone on the door

at her bar late into the night.

Light Out in Lagos

2010-11-16T10:30:00.002Z

We thought last years christmas lights were cut back but according to reports in the press it another cut back coming. The Local council has to reduce the budget and one council near to Lagos has said we would rather feed people than have fireworks. So it going to be interesting to see what Lagos comes up with this season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUEcjy_Dp8U this is what they did a couple of years back

interesting blog here

also VAT (IVA) to increase and here is a list

Final call for the Peppies

2010-11-01T18:01:00.000Z

In the next week we shall be sitting at a big table with a superbock and deciding on The Peppies the Lagos awards for best bars, personality and food. So add a comment on who you want to see with a award and maybe just maybe it will come true.

New audioboo Track of the moment is from the new Monster Magnet opus Mastermind called Gods and Punks, let us know what you think by adding a comment more details on Monster Magnet here

its all about food and drink

2010-10-15T13:07:00.001+01:00

As previously reported a friend of ours has been over and here is her take on Lagos it mainly about food and drink as she has had the tourist delights before.

Well hello Lagos again, and you are looking well this years visit was as always a pleasure. Good to see the the cars parks are operating and the riverside is look less like a building site, cant wait to see what you have planned for the top of the car parks. In last years review I was disappointed with the dog poo problem this year was a great improvement and I see the council is providing free doggy poo bags well done.( last years review here)

So what did I do, well for a start my fat club wont be happy as it must be another stone put on with the drink and food we consumed. The following review is in no particular order, it is just as it comes to me. In my last post (here) I recommended Casa Rosa so no need to go into that again. We had a football day at the Old Tavern well hubby wants to watch so off we went, couple or more beers and mojitos were consumed, at half time I was sent off to get the food supplies and on a Sunday afternoon not a lot of takes aways were open, however one little gem Cafe Odeon we got take away wraps and excellent value for were too. Its is also a place we went for the famous 3 euro breakfast and great pancakes.

Our hosts and a few of the friends invited us to the beach restaurant Antonino's on Porto d Mos, well for around €25 a head we had a long afternoon eating and consuming litres of House Green wine which around 3.50 a litre was superb. The party had a selection from the menu, I had a succulent turkey steak in mushroom sauce we all had some delicious homemade desserts. the fig cake was voted the winner, it had some local spirit pured over that's for me next time, I had a large slice of cake. A perfect view and great lazy afternoon place. The daft men of our party proceed to hit the bars of the town, loving everyone they met and ending up wrecks.

Due to fishing a man thing, we went to the marina a couple times and Lazyjacks is recommended for the food, especially the chilli nachos I had. I was offered a boat trip and said I would think about it, ok he said but looked a bit confused when 45 minuted later I returned, to say that I had thought about it and didnt want to go.

A bit disappointed that the Dona Ana snack bar has been removed used to love the big ice creams there but Britacia in the town serves good ones. Also whilst in the Centre try out the wood fired oven traditional bread at Merandaria

Had a good meal at Moon Rising which according to my hosts had just reopened so when I come back next year to see if its still open. Overall we had a great time as usual, it rained it always does in Portugal you know, well when we are there it does. Quick thanks to the hosts for the night in and the coo-verts. See you all next year must get off to fat club now..................

I like the prawns

2010-10-06T12:52:00.001+01:00

With the demise of One Fat Monkey, the best place to have a good hearty meal is Casa Rosa, although if Moon Rising lives up to the new promise then it will have competition.

So with friends from the UK off went Mrs L to Casa Rosa for a feed. So I will leave Peppy Smiles for this review.

On arrival the place was not busy so the service was attentive, the waiter / manager even sat for a chat before ordering and to start we had prawns in garlic and chilli, it was as good as you would get served in so called high end restaurants. For mains we had the burger and Mrs L the veggie version, I had the bolognese which is a eat as much as you can but one large plate is more than enough. The burger were homemade and excellent plus they added homemade onion rings. We also poutined the chips with added cheese and gravy. The chef is on par with the top places here in Lagos providing mouthwatering specials and how they do this for the price is amazing. In all which included a number of beers the cost was €10 a head. It is certainly a place I would recommend and for the blog awards announced at the end of the month it is certainly a contender.

Talking about the awards as Matty is not around anymore, we are renaming them the 'Peppies' after Peppy Smiles who visits Lagos once year to basically eat and drink so we look forward to her comments about the places we like. The next blog will be peppies review of the time here this year.

great blog

2010-10-05T09:55:00.001+01:00

of course there are some other blog posts that show off our place in the world have a look here for one from a vistor. and another here

Moon Rising has risen again and the chef from the One fat monkey which sadly closed is now doing a similar and great value menu there. Good luck to them will go soon and report back.

The new audioboo from 3 inches of Blood website here

A weekend of food

2010-10-01T13:06:00.001+01:00

Three days with friends and three restaurants, So its Thursday and we are off to Osaka Sushi place and a 15.90 each as much as you like menu could be a bargain, Ordered a few beers and the looked at the menu try the lot we thought, the system is the waitress takes your order over it comes when you want more she takes the order. Now this could make some people think they are being greedy by asking all the time but don't, you have try everything with this fast and friendly service. The dishes are perfect and so well cooked (or not as sushi!) had some Saki as well a great evening and a recommended place. They also do Teriyaki dishes as well. 8/10

Its Friday Night and Nah Nah Bar, firstly don't go here if you are not hungry, the dishes are big, well Mrs L loved the chicken burger (Figos Wet dream) but only received SIX fries the rest of us who had burgers got a lot more, so she pinched off us. We had a good selection of dishes (there were eight of us) and all were perfect, if you like hummus you have got to try it here, the best in town ? probably. However, also don't go here if you are in a hurry, the night we went there was only one waitress for full restaurant and therefore slow was the word but a good atmosphere and a group of friends time will fly by. 7/10

Saturday Night and Thai is on the menu at Lemon Grass, we had not been here before and to be perfectly honest as it is not Thai owned and a English chef we had our doubts, But certainly that idea was blown away, by the standard of the food, again the party had a wide range of dishes from the menu and not one complaint they have certainly done their homework on Thai food and when asked for something not on the menu it was served and passed the mustard, superb. Again only one waiter but he coped and gave us attentive service, and we had a few beers and he kept up. The only slight niggle was and it happens in quite a few places in good restaurants why is water served in cheap plastic bottles? 8/10

On on Wednesday went to Cafe Odeon, and I had chili and cheese fries for 3.50 bargain and Mrs L pancakes as always great value.

The blog awards are coming soon so leave a comment recommending place you like. We have decided on ethic restaurant of the year (non Portuguese) this weekend.

Quick note T3 is apparently closing due to greedy landlords, an empty restaurant next year ?

Just a quick one

2010-09-24T15:05:00.000+01:00

Building work has started on the old Plum bar recently named Bons Tempo next door to Fools and Horses so new pub restuarant we shall see for next year.

This is my 100th post on the blog and we have had over 26,000 hits thanks since.

the new audioboo track of the moment is from Slash new cd Ghost which feature Ian Asbury see here

want a great new t shirt check out Bathroom wall on the advert above

New track old news

2010-09-20T16:53:00.000+01:00

The Moon Rising is open again after being rumoured not being till next summer, will check it out this week.

Elements the organic place has closed it doors for a "holiday" the gossip says the couple are not to reopen have have gone their separate ways, it was a bit of a disappointment and not a busy place.

The track of the moment scroll down the right hand side of the blog is 36 Hours by John cooper Clarke a poet from Manchester see http://www.johncooperclarke.com/

Tolls on A22 by next summer

2010-09-18T11:34:00.000+01:00

April 2011 brings tolls to the main motorway between Lagos and Faro adding up to over €20 for a journey along the road. There is a alternative the N125 but an older and will be very congested road could add two hours from faro to Lagos, longer than some flights here.

There is to be some improvements to the N125 to increase traffic flow, at a cost of 150m. Also local will be given a ten month grace period before charges are installed and then a 15% discount. In the meantime, it is unclear how the Government plans charging ‘tourists’ using the A22.

Currently, the Government is planning on having cars fitted with devices similar to the ‘Via Verde’ system and are also contemplating fitting microchips on licence plates which will be read at regular intervals along the A22.

But car hire companies in the Algarve will be locally registered, and therefore their drivers, tourists or locals, should be exempt, unless a method is devised allowing discrimination between a local or a tourist driving a rent-a-car.

Similarly, foreign-registered vehicles will also be unable to pay tolls as they would not be fitted with devices unless costly toll booths are erected along a motorway designed not to accommodate them.

So its a wait and see situation as usual.

Audioboo

2010-09-12T23:01:00.000+01:00

The track this week is from the Manic Street Preachers if you like what you hear tick interesting or not click so what at the bottom of this posting.

Dont forget send in your favourite bar and restaurant and now your best bartender comment or email here

Musical Marmite to both their fierce critics and intensely devoted fans, Manic Street Preachers have been mixing punk, metal, literary allusion and passionate political rhetoric for more than 20 years. Postcards From A Young Man (Sony Music), their milestone 10th album, finds the Welsh trio musing on familiar themes including death, consumerism, internet alienation, disenchantment with New Labour and the decline of British industry. So far, so Manics. But it is also the band’s most accessible and energised work for years, reclaiming some of the rousing populist clamour of their 1996 best-seller Everything Must Go

Moon Setting and Matty awards (the Lagos Oscars)

2010-09-07T16:10:00.001+01:00

The Moon Rising bar has closed down , for now. a management versus owner argument probably rumoured to open again next year.

Getting a few comments and emails for the Matty awards this year so leave a comment or email us here with your bar and restaurant for the year... one comment says we should have a bartender of the year award so go vote if we get enough then an award will be added

Lagos Portugal: Eating in Lagos for 5 Euros or less from lagos.me.uk

2010-08-30T12:36:00.001+01:00

Click this link Lagos Portugal: Eating in Lagos for 5 Euros or less: "So, you asked the question 'Lagos is getting expensive, where can I get a good meal for €5 or less'? In response we have stared this se..."

What was that all about?

2010-08-30T11:44:00.000+01:00

at the end of summer party saw catalan theatre group la Fura dels Baus perform in front of a estimated 30,000 people in Lagos it was superb but what did it mean below is the groups take on the show
that today tetralología Wagner can be understood, first as suicidal degradation of nature, a technical man's hands, as have a place where destructive spiral of war, genocide and the irrational exploitation of natural resources and the other the loss of individual and cultural identity of modern man, crowded, manipulated by himself and others, half devoured by propaganda that mediates its decisions and makes supplant their unique individual interests other caste or class, artificial, political, economic or pseudo ... The proposal of the Fura retrieves a symbolist vision of characters who, strongly characterized by their ancestral elements remain in the middle of the stage wrapped in their light dresses and scenery. All this in a slow and continuous rotation of tones, highlights and shadows to evoke deeper ecology and forgotten of our existence.

OK so that's what it meant I thought it was pretty colours and acrobats!!

further info from the website here

End of summer party

2010-08-27T13:27:00.000+01:00

Every 29th of August is the traditional end of summer in Lagos, with the beach parties and fireworks it is a time to visit the town, this year 2010 the council and a ALLGARVE* promotion are putting on a great show by The Catalan group La Fura dels Baus will present the show GNOSIS a link here to a video

After this event the town will slow down a bit, but still has a good buzz around town to late October, it will also be around that time the Matty awards discussed, an now annual event that the blog and some friends award the best bars etc in town. This year we want a readers of this blog award, so we need your votes for best bar and best restaurant. Two ways you can do it leave a comment on this blog or email us link here e@mail

the other day Mrs L and myself had a wander to the Marina, as regular readers will know we not fans of the marina, it is a great asset to the city but the eating and drinking places do not have much character, so we started in Lazy Jacks an box of a bar with lots a notices confusingly all over the walls, need a menu then read all the blackboards, would not one large boards be enough, it does OK food, pies burgers etc at a reasonable price but service is slow even for drinks and not that friendly but it is august and they could have had just about enough.

So Oasis next again like all the places here another character less box but the food looked good, oh and the burgers this time did look homemade, also a tick here for the staff a smile or two.

We missed out on the more restaurant places like Do cais and Amurus both busy and doing good trade.

Next door to lazyjacks was Searfais cafe a new addition this year and good prices, for example a can of 7up was 1.00 next door 1,50.

Upstairs, and the Pie and Pickle we have reviewed this before here it was quiet but still had good service had a bottle of Magners here 5€, new bar upper deck now this looks like a glass box no one in but I hear it is good for a lazy chill out session and music.

The find of the day, well we new it was there but never went it not on the marina but behind it across the road, Bar Paris, a gem of a bar has a restaurant and great prices Magners 3€ so next time you are on the marina walk behind Vu bar (apparently its for sale) through the complex and across the road you wont be disappointed

* yes I did spell it right its the tourist promotion agency for the algarve link

Don't forget vote for your Lagos Bar and restaurant of the year

BYE GREAT BUDGET FOOD

2010-08-20T00:43:00.000+01:00

It has been rumoured that the One fat Monkey diner was to close and now its true, next week the place that has provided some great food at low prices is to shut its doors, it has been said that the rent was increased to a level that made the diner unworkable, another landlord who put up rent when a place does well, and ends up with no rent coming in.,

This weeks audioboo is from Mariza a portuguese fado singer who has worldwide success and will be playing the Auditorio in Lagos on 21st Augusr 2010 it should be a good concert website