Casa de Chá Habib’s Kebab, Faro

First of all, this is a great example of how to transform a typical (read: sad and uninteresting) Portuguese caf in a dull, cement block road, into a fun place that’s full of life.

It’s as simple as that: the management put up some paintings in rich red tones, rearranged the position of the tables, added a few Morrocan touches here and there – and most importantly of all, started to look after people well!

In fact, these are probably the largest kebabs we’ve come across (this is the 3rd restaurant of its kind that we’ve been to), and we heard of it because it belongs to the “comidas.pt” chain - a service that delivers food to people’s homes in the Faro/ Olhão areas and involves a number of local restaurants. Anyway, here there are a number of menus to choose from – the cheapest being the pitta-bread with fillings (plus lettuce, fried onions, red cabbage, grated carrot and piquant yoghurt dressing). This costs €4.50 and includes a drink and coffee. There’s also a vegetarian option, with the politically-correct falafels (chickpea balls), and there are some other more unusual variations, like Brazilian picanha and Portuguese black pig.

For those who don’t like Durum wrap pittas, there’s always the dish option, costing €5 – and the portions are huge. While food like this isn’t subject to any extra austerity tax, it is a very economical way of eating out, and has attracted fans of all ages (when before, the place was always empty). After 10pm, groups of three people or more can enjoy themselves trying out the hookah (waterpipe), again for €5.

There’s also a good variety of teas, and free Internet. The management here assure us that they’re concerned with quality, and that all the food is prepared daily. It certainly looks that way!

Specialities: Turkish / Israeli cuisine, with varied menus at economical prices; Hours: Monday to Sunday from10am – 1pm; Bank cards: Multibanco; Bill: €9.50 for 2; Management: Maria Letty C. Cuenca; NIF 214 042 120.