Frank’s: The Best-Kept Secret in Albufeira

I’m going to preface this entire post by saying I absolutely love the traditional food you get in the Algarve: grilled fish, vegetables, and the salada algarvia (Algarve tomato salad). The fish in Portugal, and the Algarve especially, is so fresh and delicious, and I love the produce in Portugal. I’ve eaten these traditional Algarve meals regularly since childhood and, as they say, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. But the saying is true: variety is the spice of life. That’s why I was so excited to try Frank’s: a new restaurant that is creating a buzz in Albufeira and that’ll be the welcome change in cuisine when you’re dining in the Algarve.

Frank’s only launched in mid-March and is already the #1 restaurant in Olhos de Água* on TripAdvisor for a simple reason: the food. But for the purposes of this blog post, I want to highlight some other features that made me give Frank’s a glowing review and dedicate an entire post to it, something I rarely do for restaurants.

Family-friendly: I had lunch at Frank’s and it was a great call (not just because I’m ravenous at lunch). The restaurant tends to be less busy at lunch, which meant my son was able to make friends with the children in the table next to us. They calmly played together while the adults could enjoy the scrumptious food in peace. Any restaurant that is so accommodating with kids playing, gets extra points in my book. And because the restaurant is at the end of a pedestrian-only street, parents can rest comfortably knowing that their kids won’t run outside the restaurant and straight into the middle of a busy street (phew!). Frank’s offers a kids menu, which parents with picky eater children will appreciate. Naturally, I sampled my son’s food, and I can safely say that it’s not just adults who get to enjoy yummy food. The fish was freshly-caught sea bream and the hash brown fries were delicious. Which brings us to the food…

Food: The food (casual, modern European fine dining) is why Frank’s has been making Ericeira-sized waves in Albufeira. My top tip is to go in a small group so you can sample as many dishes as possible. But you’re going to eat well here regardless of whether you go alone or in a group. There was nothing I disliked, although I did have a few favorites (don’t forgo the muxama, or the prawns, or the aioli…). I won’t name names, but I went with one picky eater who loved his beef cheek burger so much, he even ate things I never seen him eat.

Both the fine execution of the cooking and the pretty presentation demonstrate how passionate the three chefs (Dan, Adam, and Rob) are about their art. They even told us they bake the bread in house. But the fact that the dishes were so different to the other restaurants I’ve been to in the Algarve is something everyone can appreciate. I felt I was eating at a nice restaurant in Cascais. Frank’s change their menus every so often, so there’s always something new to try. Insider tip: if you go at lunch, ask for the dessert menu as, apparently, most people don’t want dessert at lunch (I can only assume because they’re so full from the delicious starters and mains, because why would you ever skip dessert?). Rumor has it, their best-selling brownies are the best you’ve ever had.

Drinks: Who can resist a delicious cocktail (or two) while on a beach vacation? I recommend going to Frank’s on a “Thirsty Thursday”, where you can get 2-for-1 cocktails, 2 pints of Super Bock for €5, and 2 glasses of house wine for €6 (bargain!). With better planning, I’d have gone on a Thursday for lunch, hit the beach in the afternoon, and then gone back for Thirsty Thursday in the evening. But I went on a Sunday, so I had a small glass of their Lisbon-region Mar da Palha sauvignon blanc and a small glass of vinho verde. One of the owners, Adam, was so helpful in recommending wines to us and we were very happy with our wine.

Indoor/outdoor: Frank’s has beautiful outdoor patio with a cool, nautical sail canopy to shade you from the sun. But as we went on such a hot day, the owners kindly sat us inside, in front of the air conditioning and brought us out a massive bottle of Água das Pedras (my favorite sparkling water) to quench our thirst. Whilst the inside is very comfortable in the heat, there’s something about al fresco dining that is very Portuguese, and so I recommend the patio when temperatures permit.

Frank’s is the kind of place where you’ll be talking about their food long after you’re back from your vacation, and the restaurant that you’ll recommend to your friends who are traveling to the Algarve.

A Portuguese Affair x Frank’s Giveaway: The owners at Frank’s will treat one select follow to a free bottle of house wine when they dine with them. All you have to do is follow Frank’s on either Facebook or Instagram, and like the original post on any of A Portuguese Affair’s socials. The giveaway will end at 18:00 local time on the 11th of August, 2022 and will be contacted by Frank’s directly. Good luck and enjoy the food and drink!

*Olhos de Água is an 8-minute drive from Albufeira and offers a quieter beach, if you want to get away from the crowds of Albufeira.