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Casa de chás Cleópatra
Well, this is certainly a different suggestion – and the menu here is not the most important part at all. We’ll explain why. The heritage of the Algarve – which belonged to the Arab world for centuries – is a popular topic and, it’s true, the influence of the Moors continues in place-names, etc., but, in reality, very little of the Arab culture remains in our day-to-day lives.
Outside the environment of the cyclical Medieval Fairs, it’s very unusual to find a restaurant like this – and even more unlikely to find one with direct links to the Maghrebi Arabic world.
Bruno Filipe Pires, Edition 619 (25 Mar 2010), 
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Bruno Filipe Pires
Open just a year, the «Cleópatra» always has Arabic music playing. There are no alcoholic drinks served – but other transgressions are permitted. As is allowed in the Middle East, here people can smoke the Egyptian version of the Arabic water pipe – a shisha (costing €4). That’s not to say that we’re smokers, but with friends and for something a little different, it would certainly be fun to share one of these pipes as if we were in Cairo.
Though commonplace in other latitudes of the world, the availability of shishas is a rarity here. But, in Portugal, there are people who take them very seriously.
Another side to this place worth mentioning is the choice of teas and infusions, supplied by the «Os faraós» emporium, in Faro – one of the various businesses belonging to the owner of «Cleópatra».
In all, there are 22 concoctions to choose from – ones that boost energy levels, ones that relax, aphrodisiacs and stimulants, all of them with very suggestive names! They’re served in tea bules, reminiscent of “1001 Arabian Nights”. We tried the tea called “steaming nights”, with chocolate and spices – as well as the «Cleópatra», with cherry and banana. The average price for teas is around €1.25.
Otherwise, anyone coming here to eat will find the industrialised Döner kebab (which in Turkish means literally “gyrating spit”). Happily, it’s not as common in the Algarve as it is in Germany – where you’ll find one of these grills on practically every corner. The meat of the kebab is cut to order, and served in a “pita” bread or “durum” (kind of roll) along with lettuce, tomato, onion, carrot and a yoghurt-based dressing. It costs just €3.
There’s also a vegetarian version, the “falafel” (made of a kind of chick-pea paste, very popular in the Middle East). For desserts, there are some Egyptian sweets in the display cabinet and pancakes with ice-cream. The «Cleópatra» has a sister restaurant in Olhão - already winning over the locals - and soon there’ll be another in Lisbon, and in Portimão…
Specialities: teas, shishas and kebabs; Hours: daily from 11am to 1am; Languages: Portuguese, Egyptian; Bill: €13.50 for 2 people; Owner: Magia da História Lda; NIF 508 509 629.
