Restaurant in Lagos, Portugal
Tasting menus worth booking for two.
A Michelin Plate modern kitchen at the €€ tier, Avenida combines Algarve seafood with seriously sourced aged beef in a glass-walled room facing the Lagos marina. Consecutive Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) and a 4.5 Google rating signal genuine kitchen consistency. Book the dinner tasting menu if you want the full picture; easy to secure a table.
At the €€ price point, Avenida delivers a technically focused modern kitchen with a clear culinary identity, Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025, and a room that looks directly over the Lagos marina. For a cooking-forward dinner in Lagos, it is one of the stronger cases in town. If you have already eaten here once and want to push further, the full dinner tasting menu is the move — the à la carte is accessible, but the longer format is where the kitchen shows its range. Book without anxiety: getting a table is direct compared to most Michelin-recognised restaurants in Portugal.
Avenida sits inside the Lagos Avenida hotel on the main avenue, with a glass-walled dining room that opens visually onto the marina. The room itself is the first thing you notice: clean lines, an open kitchen with counter seating, and the kind of clear-sightline design that lets you watch the kitchen work from almost any table. If you are returning, the counter is worth requesting specifically. Watching the prep from that vantage point adds a layer to the meal that the dining room, comfortable as it is, does not replicate.
Chef Roeland Klein's background traces to a Michelin-starred kitchen in the Netherlands, and that pedigree shows in the technical approach. The menu reads as genuinely hybrid: maritime ingredients from the Algarve coast — grilled mackerel, oysters, mussels, salmon roe , sit alongside serious meat work, including rib-eye aged for 12 weeks sourced from José Gordon's El Capricho operation in Spain, which has one of the most documented reputations for aged beef in the Iberian Peninsula. This is not fusion for the sake of novelty. The pairing of Algarve seafood with benchmark-quality aged beef is a deliberate editorial statement about what the Algarve coastline can offer when treated with this level of sourcing precision.
For a broader sense of what this level of cooking looks like in Portugal, Vila Joya in Albufeira and Ocean in Porches represent the Algarve's starred ceiling. Avenida is not at that tier yet, but the Michelin Plate in consecutive years signals consistent kitchen discipline , the kind that often precedes a star conversation. For comparison in the broader Portuguese context, Belcanto in Lisbon and Casa de Chá da Boa Nova in Leça da Palmeira show what full Michelin-starred modern Portuguese cooking looks like if you want a benchmark.
The format gives you genuine flexibility. Lunch offers a shorter tasting menu, which works well if you are planning an afternoon on Meia Praia , approximately 800 metres from the hotel , or heading out on the water. Dinner runs the full menu, and that is where the kitchen has room to build progression across courses. The à la carte option means you are not locked into a set format, which suits groups with mixed appetites or anyone who wants to order around specific ingredients.
Google reviewer scores sit at 4.5 across 350 reviews, which for a hotel restaurant in a tourist-heavy city is a useful signal: it suggests the kitchen is consistent enough to hold that average across a wide range of diners, not just regulars who know the format. For reference, Antiqvvm in Porto and The Yeatman in Vila Nova de Gaia represent what hotel-restaurant cooking can achieve at the leading of the Portuguese market , Avenida is building in that direction at a more accessible price tier.
For international modern cuisine context, Frantzén in Stockholm and Maison Lameloise in Chagny show what a fully realised modern kitchen with deep sourcing philosophy looks like at the leading of the category. Avenida is working with a similar instinct toward provenance and technical precision at a fraction of the price and without the booking difficulty.
If you are planning a wider Lagos trip, our full Lagos restaurants guide covers the range. For everything else in the city, see our Lagos hotels guide, Lagos bars guide, Lagos wineries guide, and Lagos experiences guide.
Quick reference: Michelin Plate 2024 and 2025 | €€ price range | Marina-facing glass dining room | Counter seating at open kitchen | Tasting menus at lunch (shorter) and dinner (fuller) | À la carte available | 4.5/5 across 350 Google reviews | Easy booking.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avenida | Modern Cuisine | Located in a four-star hotel, right on the main avenue of Lagos, facing the marina and approximately 800 metres from one of the most iconic beaches, “Meia Praia,” this space combines the glamour of a...; The old saying “talent runs in the family” is particularly apt in this case! Dutch chef Roeland Klein’s passion for cooking was born from his father’s example, a chef of a Michelin‑starred restaurant in his home country. At the Lagos Avenida hotel’s restaurant, a few steps from the beach with a view over Lagos marina, you can choose to sit at the counter of the attractive open kitchen and watch the dishes being prepared, or enjoy the meal in the cosy glass‑walled dining room. With tasting menus — shorter at lunch and fuller at dinner — and à la carte options, the offering combines maritime flavours, such as grilled mackerel served with oysters, mussels and salmon roe, with outstanding meats, such as rib‑eye aged for 12 weeks, from José Gordon–El Capricho, considered a benchmark in the field. An ideal experience to share as a couple or among a group of friends!; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Al Sud | Creative | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| NOK by Alara | Nigerian Cuisine | Unknown | — | |
| Ìtàn Test Kitchen | Nigerian Modern | Unknown | — | |
| Camilo | Unknown | — | ||
| Restaurante a Petisqueira | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
The glass-walled dining room inside a four-star hotel on Lagos's main avenue has a polished but relaxed feel. Neat, presentable clothing fits the setting — think a step above beach casual. There is no indication of a formal dress code, but the Michelin Plate-level kitchen means overly casual beachwear would feel out of place.
Yes, it works well for a couple's dinner or a small group celebration. The counter seating overlooking the open kitchen suits two people who want engagement with the cooking, while the glass-walled dining room accommodates groups more comfortably. Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 gives the evening a credible anchor for a special occasion without requiring a Michelin-starred budget.
No specific dietary information is listed for Avenida. Given the tasting menu format and an à la carte option, it is worth contacting the restaurant directly before booking, especially if you have serious allergies or follow a strict diet — tasting menus generally require advance notice to adjust.
The menu spans maritime dishes — grilled mackerel with oysters, mussels, and salmon roe — alongside aged meats, including a rib-eye aged 12 weeks from José Gordon's El Capricho, a benchmark Iberian producer. At lunch the tasting menu runs shorter, which is the lower-commitment entry point if you want to test the kitchen. The counter seats are the best spot if you want to watch the dishes being prepared.
At €€, Avenida prices sit in the mid-range for a Michelin Plate restaurant with tasting menu options and sourcing from named producers like El Capricho. For Lagos, that represents solid value relative to the quality signalled by consecutive Michelin Plate listings. If you are comparing against a basic seafood spot on the same street, Avenida is more expensive but operating in a different category.
For dinner, the fuller tasting menu is the format the kitchen is built around, and the combination of maritime and aged-meat courses gives it range. The shorter lunch menu is the right call if you want the experience without committing to a full evening. If tasting menus are not your format, the à la carte option covers the same kitchen without the fixed progression.
In the Lagos area, Camilo and Restaurante a Petisqueira are the most relevant comparisons for seafood-forward dining at a lower price point. Al Sud is worth considering if you want a more wine-driven, produce-led format in the Algarve. For something with a more experimental kitchen in the region, Ìtàn Test Kitchen and NOK by Alara operate in a different register entirely and are not direct substitutes.
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