Restaurant in Almancil, Portugal
One Michelin star, serious tasting menus.
Gusto by Heinz Beck holds a Michelin star (2024) and is the Algarve's strongest case for a serious tasting-menu dinner. Chef Heinz Beck brings his La Pergola philosophy — Mediterranean, Italian-influenced, technically precise — to an elegant room with a terrace above the pool. Open Tuesday through Saturday evenings only; book four to six weeks out in summer.
The most common misconception about Gusto by Heinz Beck is that it's simply a hotel restaurant — a fallback option for Conrad Algarve guests who don't want to drive into Almancil. It is not. The entrance is independent from the hotel, the dining room operates on its own terms, and the kitchen holds a Michelin star (2024). If you are travelling to the Algarve and serious about one high-end dinner, this is the booking to make. The qualifier: Gusto is a dinner-only operation, closed Sunday and Monday, open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 PM. That gives you a limited window, and seats go accordingly. Book at least three to four weeks out — in peak summer season (July and August), six weeks is safer.
Gusto is the Algarve outpost of Heinz Beck's culinary philosophy, shaped by his three-Michelin-star work at La Pergola in Rome. The menu leans into Mediterranean and Italian influences, with a declared emphasis on balance and what the kitchen frames as healthy cooking , not in a reductive sense, but in the sense of technical precision applied to lighter, ingredient-led combinations. The format gives you a choice: à la carte, a 7-course tasting menu, or a 9-course tasting menu, both with wine pairing options. If you are coming once and want the full argument for the kitchen, the 9-course with pairing is the version to book. The 7-course is a reasonable alternative for those who want the tasting format without the full commitment in time or spend.
The room itself is contemporary and controlled , not loud, not theatrical. The atmosphere settles into something closer to focused elegance: a private lobby bar precedes the dining room, which keeps the transition from arrival to table deliberate rather than abrupt. The terrace, positioned above the pool, shifts the mood toward something slightly more relaxed, and in the Algarve's long warm evenings, it offers a meaningfully different experience from the interior. If terrace dining is a priority, request it specifically when booking and confirm closer to your reservation date , it fills quickly.
The drinks program at Gusto earns attention beyond a footnote. The private lobby bar is not an afterthought: it functions as a genuine pre-dinner destination, and the pairing options across both tasting menus indicate a wine list built to support the kitchen's Italian and Mediterranean direction rather than simply to fill a legal requirement. For a venue of this calibre in the Algarve, the wine pairing is worth taking seriously. Portuguese wine at this level has genuine depth , Alentejo, Douro, and Dão producers at the leading end of the market pair well with Beck's style of cooking, and a well-curated pairing at a Michelin-starred restaurant in this country represents good value relative to equivalent pairings in Lisbon or Porto. The bar program itself , cocktails, aperitifs , is positioned to complement rather than compete with the food. Arrive 30 minutes before your table time, use the lobby bar, and treat it as part of the evening rather than a waiting room.
Fagottelli Carbonara is the dish the kitchen is known for: handmade pasta in the shape of small pouches, filled with carbonara and Pecorino cheese. It is a technical showpiece and a direct line to Beck's work at La Pergola. Order it if it is available. It is the clearest single indicator of what the kitchen can do and the most useful benchmark if you are comparing this experience against other fine-dining meals in Portugal.
Gusto operates Tuesday through Saturday, evenings only, with last seating at 10:30 PM. It is closed Sunday and Monday , plan your Algarve itinerary around this if the dinner is a priority. Booking difficulty is high. The restaurant holds a Michelin star, operates in one of Europe's most visited summer resort corridors, and has limited covers. For travel between June and September, treat a four-to-six-week advance booking window as the minimum. The address is Estrada da Quinta do Lago, 8135-162 Almancil , within the Quinta do Lago resort area, which means a car or taxi is necessary unless you are staying at the Conrad Algarve. The price range sits at €€€€, consistent with Michelin-starred fine dining in this tier across Portugal.
For context on the broader Portuguese fine-dining market: Belcanto in Lisbon and Vila Joya in Albufeira (two stars) sit above Gusto in terms of Michelin recognition, while Ocean in Porches is the most direct Algarve peer at the same award level. Casa de Chá da Boa Nova in Leça da Palmeira, The Yeatman in Vila Nova de Gaia, Antiqvvm in Porto, and Il Gallo d'Oro in Funchal complete the picture of where Portugal's starred dining is strongest. Within the Mediterranean fine-dining category more broadly, La Brezza in Ascona and Il Buco in Sorrento offer useful comparisons for Beck's Italian-Mediterranean register. Gusto's Google rating of 4.8 from 117 reviews reflects consistent execution , a meaningful signal at this price point, where disappointed expectations tend to surface quickly in review data.
If you are building a broader trip around the Almancil area, see our full Almancil restaurants guide, Almancil hotels guide, Almancil bars guide, Almancil wineries guide, and Almancil experiences guide for a fuller picture of what the area offers.
Start with the Fagottelli Carbonara if it is on the menu , handmade pasta pouches filled with carbonara and Pecorino cheese, and the dish most associated with Heinz Beck's three-Michelin-star work at La Pergola in Rome. For the full kitchen argument, the 9-course tasting menu with wine pairing is the most complete way to eat here. If you prefer flexibility, à la carte is available, but the tasting menus are where the kitchen shows its range.
At €€€€ with a Michelin star and a 4.8 Google rating across 117 reviews, the value case is solid for a serious fine-dining occasion in the Algarve. The comparison that matters: Vila Joya in Albufeira holds two stars and charges accordingly , Gusto offers a starred experience at a slightly lower rung of the price ladder. If you are spending one significant evening in the region, this is a defensible spend. If you are price-sensitive, 2 Passos at €€€ delivers strong quality at a more accessible price point.
Gusto has a private lobby bar that operates as a pre-dinner space, but the venue functions primarily as a full-service restaurant rather than a bar-dining concept. It is not set up for casual drop-in bar eating in the way some fine-dining venues offer counter seating. If a bar-forward evening in Almancil is what you are after, check the Almancil bars guide for more suitable options.
Workable, but not the natural format. The tasting menus are well-suited to solo diners who want to focus on the food, and the counter or smaller tables can accommodate one. The lobby bar also provides a comfortable solo arrival experience. That said, at €€€€ and with a formal room, solo dining here is for the committed food traveller rather than someone looking for a casual single-cover dinner. If the solo experience matters more than the starred format, austa or Pequeno Mundo may sit more comfortably.
Yes , this is one of the clearest special-occasion choices in the Algarve. The independent entrance, the lobby bar, the terrace above the pool, and the Michelin-starred kitchen give the evening a considered structure that works well for a milestone dinner. Request the terrace if weather permits. Book the 9-course with pairing for the full occasion. The 4.8 rating suggests the kitchen delivers consistently, which matters when the stakes are high.
For a food-focused traveller, yes. The 7-course and 9-course tasting menus with pairing options are where the kitchen's Italian-Mediterranean philosophy is most coherent. The 9-course is the more complete argument. Wine pairing at a Michelin-starred venue in Portugal at this level is generally good value relative to equivalent experiences in Lisbon , Portuguese producers in the pairing tend to be less internationally priced than French or Italian counterparts. If you are choosing between tasting menu formats, the difference in courses and time commitment is the deciding factor: budget for a 2.5 to 3-hour table for the 9-course.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto by Heinz Beck | €€€€ | Hard | — |
| 2 Passos | €€€ | Unknown | — |
| Pequeno Mundo | €€ | Unknown | — |
| austa | Unknown | — | |
| Sao Gabriel | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between Gusto by Heinz Beck and alternatives.
Order the Fagottelli Carbonara — it is the dish Heinz Beck is known for, handmade pasta pouches filled with carbonara and Pecorino cheese, and the single clearest expression of why this kitchen holds a Michelin star. Beyond that, let the tasting menu do the work: the 9-course format with wine pairing gives the broadest view of the kitchen's Mediterranean and Italian-influenced approach.
At €€€€ pricing, it is worth it if you are here for a tasting menu occasion, not a casual dinner. The Michelin star (2024) and the creative authority behind the menu — Heinz Beck holds three stars at La Pergola in Rome — justify the spend for serious diners. If you want Algarve fine dining at a lower price point, Pequeno Mundo is the practical alternative, though the format and ambition differ considerably.
Gusto has a private lobby bar that operates as a pre-dinner destination, not a bar-dining venue. It is the right place for a drink before your table, but the full menu is served in the dining room or on the pool terrace.
It works for solo diners, particularly at the counter or on the terrace, and the à la carte option gives you flexibility without committing to a full tasting menu. The Michelin-starred format means service is attentive enough to make solo dining comfortable rather than awkward.
Yes — this is one of the stronger cases for booking it. The independent entrance from the Conrad Algarve hotel, the private lobby bar, the pool terrace, and the 7- or 9-course tasting menus with wine pairing all add up to a structured, occasion-ready evening. Book Tuesday through Saturday; Sunday and Monday are closed, which catches some visitors out.
The tasting menu is the format this kitchen is built for. You have two options — 7 or 9 courses — both available with wine pairing. Given Heinz Beck's philosophy around Mediterranean ingredients and what he calls 'healthy cooking', the longer menu makes the most of the range. À la carte is available if you want more control, but the tasting menu is the more coherent argument for the price.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
