Restaurants

Café Império

4.6 785 reviews Closed N266 204z, 8550-232 Monchique, Portugal

Discover this place

At Café Império, the heart of Monchique, Portugal, a culinary gem awaits. This cozy restaurant is celebrated for its casual atmosphere and inviting outdoor seating. Specializing in delectable piri-piri chicken, fries, and a variety of fresh salads, each dish bursts with authentic flavors that transport you to a plate of comfort. Guests rave about the top-notch service, with many highlighting the light, airy cakes that are a delightful surprise. With wheelchair-accessible amenities and a family-friendly vibe, Café Império is not just a dining spot; it's a cherished experience, perfect for tourists and locals alike. Reservations are recommended for this lunch and dinner hotspot.

Photos

Amenities & More

Service options

Outdoor seating
Takeout
Dine-in
Delivery

Highlights

Great coffee
Great dessert

Popular for

Lunch
Dinner
Solo dining

Dining options

Lunch
Dinner
Dessert
Seating
Table service

Amenities

Restroom

Atmosphere

Casual
Cozy

Crowd

Groups
Tourists

Note: Amenity details are aggregated from verified visits, the venue's website and Google. They may change without notice. We recommend confirming key details (pet policy, accessibility, reservations) directly with Café Império before visiting.

Reviews for Café Império

4.6

785 reviews

100%

19%

Review highlights

Based on 785 reviews

Café Império is widely praised for its authentic Portuguese charm, specializing in a simple yet expertly executed menu centered around succulent piri piri chicken served with fries and salad. Reviewers highlight the consistently great food quality, warm and attentive service, and excellent value for money. The cozy atmosphere adds to the overall dining experience, making it a favored spot for visitors exploring the Monchique area. While parking may be challenging and the restaurant operates with cash-only payment and limited dishes, customers appreciate the unique, flavorful experience and recommend making reservations due to popularity. Attention to opening hours is advised to ensure a visit. Desserts and freshly baked bread also receive positive mentions, rounding out the appeal of this rustic eatery.

Goncalo Familiar

Apr 20, 2025

Typical portuguese cozy restaurant. Great food, great service, great price. This the type of restaurant your heart fills warm after the meal. The desserts are out of this world. Really good meal

simon perry

Feb 28, 2025

Original and unusual experience.The only dish is Chicken, delicious succulent Piri Piri served with the chefs own recipe Piri Piri sauce, Fries and salad.Call for reservations and cash only. But it’s a bargain ! Not far from Monchique Resort , easy to miss and difficult to park but definitely worth taking a trip if you want authentic Piri Piri chicken.

Foodieeda

Feb 24, 2025

One of my favorite spots we visited in Portugal! Be careful to the opening hours, but make sure you go here! I loved the chicken, fries and the bread. Top service, top food, so tasty.

Arun Kothanath

Jan 31, 2025

As always, great food. They only do chicken, fries and salad.

Sergio Franco

Jan 22, 2025

Absolutely brilliant food at very reasonable prices, if you are in the area and are looking for some great piri piri chicken after visiting Monchique and the top of the mountains this is the place to stop at!

Tatiana ELEK

Jan 16, 2025

Absolutely the best meal! So authentic! Best check tomato salad, chips and chicken ever !Yet their rare unsung hero is their cakes that are so light and airy I could eat 5 ! Definitely coming back for another meal that will wow us.

Ralph

Jan 07, 2025

An extremely relaxed, family owned business, where I was instantly made welcome. The food is simple and tasty, whilst the ornaments and fittings really add to the charm of the place... The fact that the owner is working there after some 50 years of running this little gem is a testament to its appeal...

Maria Emilyn Finkernagel

Jan 02, 2025

Such a delicious lunch and dessert. We ordered everything from cheese, butter, sardine, pate, and olives. For lunch we ordered chicken and french fries. Everything was hot and fresh and delicious. The best part was definitely the dessert as everything was homemade. Inside of the restaurant there is a big see-through fridge with all the different desserts and we got everything except for the meringue. I definitely recommend the passion fruit cake along with the walnut cake. The chicken was really good but the spicy chicken wasn’t spicy. It’s OK though because they gave us hot sauce to eat with it. The tomato salad was also delicious and perfectly seasoned salt, olive oil, and vinegar. The server was really nice and funny and told us that there was a big festival going on so our whole entire party went there in the afternoon it happened to be the town’s spring festival.We were a party of eight people consisting of six adults and two children under 15. Everything came out to 120 including beverages and dessert. Definitely a must stop when in the area.