Experience seasonal flavours at Espiche Golf in the Algarve

Let’s explore the variety of fantastic dishes this restaurant has to offer, as the menu changes every few months to reflect the current season.

For this visit, we got the spring menu, featuring light meals and fruity additions. The food here is based on traditional Algarve cooking, with as many of their ingredients sourced locally.

A scenic location

As we walked in, we were greeted by our waiter, who seated us at a table under some shade, overlooking the golf course.

Located in the Espiche Golf Clubhouse, the establishment is a modern, chic building designed by architect Nadine Berger, with a focus on elegance, sustainability, and seamless integration with the surrounding landscape.

A wooden terrace extends outward to offer a spectacular view over the green fields, with a balcony even higher up for those who want to feel the breeze and see even more stunning sights. This layout is truly breathtaking, earning recognition in 2015 by winning third place at Golf Inc. Magazine’s Clubhouse of the Year award in the category of New Construction.

Culinary pride

Our meal began with a couvert comprising bread, tuna pâté, olives, and rosemary-flavoured butter, a cheese and charcuterie board with homemade pumpkin jam and dried fruits, and a plate of calamares, crunchy yet creamy inside, served with a light, zesty lime sauce.

Even without the intention of playing golf, the offers alone make the visit worthwhile, serving as an enticing preview of what is to come.

The main course was a beef hamburger, which had just about everything to induce a state of absolute bliss: the classic cheddar cheese, some crispy, delicious slices of bacon, and caramelised onions that make your heart melt into your digestive system. It doesn’t end there, though, as we also tried a dish of grilled salmon, served alongside traditional Portuguese mashed potatoes and mustard sauce. The fillet was expertly grilled, with a crisp exterior while remaining succulent and tender at its centre, as each element complemented the next, creating a dish that felt refined without losing its rustic appeal.

With our bellies almost full, we were gifted with one more act of culinary delight from Chef Elisabete Oliveira: the desserts. Firstly, an apple and raisin crumble with homemade vanilla ice cream, which was a marvellous combination of crunchy and sweet. The ice cream melted over the crumble, contrasting phenomenally with the taste of apple, and it was all coated in a sweet, sugary caramel drizzle. Finally, we got to try the homemade red berry cheesecake, one of the seven wonders of the Algarve. It was light, fruity, creamy and overall quite splendid, serving as the best possible end to our meal.

This may have been what we decided to eat, but there’s a lot more on the menu of the Gecko Bistro, as they have a wide array of tapas, from chicken wings with sweet chilli to crispy panko prawns with lime sauce. The salads are equally tempting, including a goat’s cheese with lettuce, walnuts, figs, and honey vinaigrette, as well as a Cesar with romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, parmesan cheese, croutons, and crispy bacon, among other options. They offer a range of bread dishes, such as the Club Sandwich with chicken, bacon, boiled egg, tomato, lettuce, and garlic mayonnaise, as well as smoked salmon toast with rocket, cucumber, and lime.

The restaurant also makes risottos and pastas, like the vegan risotto with asparagus, mushrooms, and Taiti lime, and the fresh seafood pasta with shrimp, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, and parmesan. The grilled salmon was perfection, but their signature Shrimps “à la Gecko”, served with basmati rice, garlic, chilli, ginger, and coriander, are definitely worth trying, or if you’re feeling particularly British, there’s fish and chips on the menu. We had a beef burger, but they also make them out of chicken, salmon, and beetroot. If you’re in the mood for meat without buns, they offer a fantastic sirloin steak with green pepper sauce, as well as lamb chops with mint sauce and ribs with barbecue sauce.

Nature preserve

While the Gecko Bistro is the main focus here, the golf resort where it’s based is also worth mentioning.

Espiche Golf is located near Lagos, within a nature preserve, meaning its existence is inseparable from the surrounding landscape. This 18-hole course, opened in 2012 and designed by experienced architect Peter Sauerman, integrates nature into the game, hosting a variety of endemic flora and fauna.

The Espiche Golf Clubhouse is a great destination not only for a visit but also for events. Whether it’s for a casual personal gathering, a private party, or even a corporate meeting, the staff is happy to work with you to craft the best experience possible for you and your guests.

If you’re looking to make a big plan or just want to reserve a table at the Gecko Bistro, you can contact the venue by calling +351 282 688 270 or emailing them at gecko@espichegolf.pt.