Chá Chá Chá

We stumbled across this restaurant one evening, and that evening happened to be my birthday evening. We did not have a reservation. However, the host was kind enough to give us a seat by the bar. I must say we quite enjoyed the seat at the pavilion! The host was very friendly and the food was exquisite!! Definitely recommend it to anyone !!

I arrived in Olhaõ on Friday morning and stumbled across Cha Cha Cha. After walking around for a bit longer I decided to come back and see if they had space for me. Sonia was incredibly hospitable and put together a table for me outside at the last minute. As a solo traveller I really appreciated the attentiveness and warm welcome. I had asked if there was a bookshop in Olhaõ but as there sadly isn't, Sonia asked if I'd like to borrow a book to read from their cookery book selection to relax with whilst I ate with them.

I had three of the smaller dishes, bread and the rice pudding cheesecake - all accompanied with the Cha Cha Cha white wine. All very delicious! Especially the warm white beans with sheep cheese, one of the best dishes I've eaten!

After this experience I decided to chance it on the Saturday night and see if they had a table free. They very kindly found me a spot next to two wonderful women, who I ended up drinking wine with and having lovely conversations with our tables pushed together. The warm energy of Cha Cha Cha made the whole experience absolutely heartwarming and I came away feeling very positive! :)

A huge thank you to the team x

Me and my hubby had the pleasure of finding this absolutely gem of a restaurant. It was so good we went twice during our little break.
The food is superb, everything we had was delicious and of a very high standard. I would dare to say, it was one of the best meals I have had!
Not only is the food amazing, the staff were so friendly and charming, we couldn’t have felt more welcome. Almost like going to family for dinner.
The restaurant itself is lovely and has a fantastic atmosphere, a gorgeous place to have lunch or dinner.
We will definitely return to Olhao just to go back to Cha Cha Cha and hopefully see the Sonia and everyone else once again.
Thank you guys, you are amazing:)

Excellent restaurant just behind Olhäo's main drag. A good menu with some inventive dishes, but a bit more expensive than some. We had the burrata salad, the grilled prawns and the clams with courgette - all excellent. Fun decor and friendly service. Cash only. Recommended.

This is an absolutely gorgeous bar with great decor and atmosphere! The staff were super friendly and squeezed us into an indoor table at 7pm even though we didn’t have a booking. Food was really lovely, well presented and tasted great! Also tried port and tonic for the first time which was served with a gorgeous spoon. Only negative was that the portion for the aubergine dish was quite small (only two thin slices for €5) otherwise absolutely perfect and the best meal of our holiday! The price was really worth it; it cost us €40 for drinks, appetiser, 4 tapas and an espresso freddo and we we’re stuffed!

Me and my wife visited here on Tuesday, we were lucky enough to get a reservation in the morning by messaging on google. You must reserve a table in advance. We saw so many people turned away at the door. Not surprising the food, drink, service and atmosphere was brilliant. We went for two small plates and then the tuna steak and black pork for the mains, both were delicious and very fresh. Loved it here and recommend it to anyone.

We booked via Google and I was over the moon they could accommodate us. I ate the best prawns of my entire trip! I finished with the most delicious lemon meringue pie. The team were so friendly; highly recommend.

We had the most wonderful night!
The loveliest experience of our trip to Olhão and basically the entire Algarve!

Entering through the tiny door in the small street around the corner, we were welcomed by EVERYONE with a warm hello, were seated directly with an honest smile, which continued through the rest of the night! Wow!

The restaurant was getting packed quite quickly, but we weren't rushed to order at any time, instead, the host Kevin was bringing us samples of their homemade pickles, a sip of the rosé pet nat and their lemon almonds to snack as we read our way through the menu to start off our night.

We were ordering aperitifs afterwards..
White port with kombucha and a very nice dry small batch white wine.
.. just before the starters arrived:
We had grilled courgettes, home-pickled sardines, oyster mushroom saté skewers and grilled polenta with pumpkin and beans.
The mushrooms could have needed a bit more salt, but were seasoned nicely with an amazing mix of spices.
Courgettes were served cold, unexpectedly, but perfectly seasoned, sliced thinly with homemade ricotta and a spicy honey made with local piri-piri.
The polenta came smooth with charred bits, a silky pumpkin puree, roasted slices of garlic and al dente green beans, the combination was top notch!

Afterwards we had the grilled Dourade with lentils and fried veggies and, what stood out the most, TUNA KOFTA with a perfect raw slaw and yogurt. Wow.. what a treat.. we enjoyed every bit of that dish.
Seasoned perfectly with everything you would expect from a 'classic' köfte, juicy tuna-meat, crunchy slaw and creamy and spicy yogurt sauce!!

We couldn't help it, but asked for the mussles with piri-piri and white beans as our 'pre-dessert'.. turned out to be beautiful! Of course... as everything else we had so far... also because all the staff and the hosts were constantly checking on us with a smile, with passion, with love.
We could feel, smell and taste the passion of everyone throughout the whole night!!

We were also trying different wines, classic and naturals, port wines, Madeira and spirits.
Everything was spot on and complimented the food and atmosphere perfectly!

We ended the night with a cheesecake, made from Portuguese oranges and a chocolate base.. wow.. was bitter sweet, tangy, sour, sweet, creamy, just lovely and heartwarming... HEARTWARMING would also be the word I would use to describe the experience we had, such a special treat!!

I love to go out, I love to have good food and drinks, but this place made my dreams of hospitality come true.. that happens once in a loooong while .. thank you!
Please please please please stay exactly the way you are! Keep on being so lovely, kind and passionate!
The gastronomic world needs people (and places) like you!!!

Much love!

Kevin & Berit

Beautiful little spot, an absolute must if staying in Olhao!! The food was delicious, the alvarinho/reisling wine was divine, and the service was fantastic from everyone, couldn't fault it!

One of the best places i'v been lately!
It's not just about the delicious food, the very welcoming and cozy atmosphere or the careful and costumised friendly services - i tell you this place is an absolute experience!

Every little detail is cared for and special, there's a story behind everything from the place itself (it was an antique brothel :p) to the wine they serve as well as must of the ingredients they use! You can taste and see that everything is as fresh as it could be, the fish, the vegetables, the bread... Keeping the true connection to the genuine Portuguese Gastronomy but adding perfectly their own twist and magic!

Everyone we interact with, from the waiter to the owner where not just kind and welcoming but absolutely passionate and this tops up the experience!

I'm already a fan and will recommended to everyone!

Don't miss your opportunity to dine here! Absolutely delicious and generous meals with unique and creative traits. The staff is incredibly friendly and accomodating. Also, the restaurant's aesthetic is adorable. Definitely book in advance though as we were lucky to get a table even if we were there as soon as they opened.

A fantastic meal. Our most expensive mean in Olhao, but also our very best.

Which is a worthy prize as there is a great selection of restaurants and very good food in Olhao.

We could not fault any of it. From the attentive service to the fantastic food, to the charming atmosphere.

The tuna salad, grilled prawns, black pork and oyster mushrooms were mentioned in other reviews and quite rightly so. Fantastic.

I would highly reccomended going, but with only one service a night you need to book.

We were drawn to Cha Cha Cha on a wander through Olhão looking for somewhere to have dinner. We got lucky with someone just leaving because at 8.30, even on a Monday evening in May, it was basically full.
We had the most wonderful meal - delicious, fresh ingredients that were beautifully presented without being pretentious and without pretentious pricing either. Lovely staff, a great atmosphere and a meal to remember for sure! We have recommended to our parents to come when they stay in Olhão next week!

Hands down best restaurant in the Algarve. As vegans we found it really hard to eat in the region but this place not only has a lot of vegan options, but they taste so fresh. The flavours were always well balanced and never banal, especially the tapas. We were blown away by the grilled lion mane mushroom and the lemon tart. An unexpected surprise, we went there twice in a row to try those again. The personnel was so friendly and joyful, it made the experience even greater. Definitely recommended.

big fan of this place! Began and wrapped up my olhão tour here for a good reason — food is amazing (the vibe is modern european, reminded me of my experience at London’s BRAT, albeit less stuffy and waaaay more homey), owner and his crew are beyond friendly even though they’re all incredibly busy, and the place is just the cutest. A fab experience overall — would totally recommend!!

We had a really fun meal here last night. The food was excellent, along with a great wine list. The staff were very friendly and had a good laugh with us. Loved sitting outside on the lovely street corner. One of our best meals so far....will be back!

We stayed in Olhão only for one day. We found this place on google maps and firstly would like to go there by judging only reviews. When we stopped at Cha Cha Cha and saw so many people celebrating their time, eating amazingly looking dishes, we already knew that this is what we need at this only night in Olhão. Waitress was lovely, they treat us like family. Despite it was late and kitchen was to close at 9pm, they prepared for us delicious preto porco and tuna steak. Highly highly recommend!!! We definitely come back to you! 💙

Probably the best restaurant in Olhao. We thought it was closed for the winter season but to our surprise they were just away for the holiday. So happy we got to experience this restaurant. It was our favorite of our trip to Olhao.

We found the menu to be highly curated, with most everything uniquely hand crafted.

The food was excellent and expertly combined with exquisite deep layered flavors. Simple yet complex. You will not find another restaurant in the area that offers such creative twists. Enjoy!

We were recommended Chá Chá Chá by our hosts while staying in Quelfes. Kevin kindly fitted us in for lunch at short notice, and we are so happy he did! It was our best meal of the holiday. An amazing array of inventive dishes using seasonal and local ingredients, with their own delicious wines. I'm gluten free and intolerant to cow dairy, so it was amazing to see the options with sheep's milk and all desserts made gluten free! Funky decor and friendly staff/owners. Thank you!

OUR BEST MEAL IN OLHÃO!

We had prawns to start with which were the best prawns we’ve eaten in the Algarve this year.

We followed with the black pork and the dourada. Both came accompanied with a delicious slaw salad and rice! Perfect!

Just fantastic food and ambience. The owners/staff were really friendly and accommodating.

Would 100% wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant and it has been a definite highlight of our stay here. Don’t be put off by the cash only as it’s definitely worth it and not overly expensive.