Fortaleza da Luz in Praia da Luz celebrates its 50th year by winning TripAdvisor’s highest accolade!
This year, Fortaleza da Luz has been honoured with TripAdvisor’s Best of the Best award, placing it in the top 1% of reviewed dining destinations worldwide. This prestigious award is a fitting birthday present for the iconic restaurant, which coincidentally celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
Proprietor Luc St John Webb expressed his gratitude for this recognition from the world’s most influential food and travel guide: “I’m so proud to receive this award, especially in this milestone year.”
The culinary history started for Fortaleza when the 17th century fort was converted into a restaurant in 1974 by a US couple. The Fiskes enlisted Mike Rothwell and his wife Isabel Barroso to manage their new establishment until 1984. Luc marked this important anniversary earlier in the year by having lunch with Isabel. “It was a great honour to celebrate this date with one of the original founders,” he remarked.
Luc’s father, Brian, first discovered Praia da Luz in 1986 while searching for a location to run a restaurant. Previously, he had successfully managed Keith Floyd’s restaurant Floyd’s in Bristol for many years. On his visit, he fortuitously came across the neglected fort and saw its potential to become a first-class dining venue. Ever since, Fortaleza da Luz has remained a family-run business.
It was at this time, the restaurant’s renowned Jazz Lunch started; held every Sunday, it has become a ‘must attend’ event and is regularly booked well in advance.
Set against the historic fortress, the restaurant offers stunning views of the rugged Algarve coastline. The beautifully restored fort, with its romantic vaulted interior and meticulously landscaped gardens, has become one of Luz’s most iconic landmarks.
Built in 1670 to protect the local church and villagers from marauding pirates, the fortress originally featured a battery of cannons on the ramparts aimed out to sea. These attackers frequently raided Algarve’s coastal villages, looting and capturing residents to sell as slaves.
After extensive military use, the fortress eventually fell into disrepair and was auctioned by the government in 1894. It was purchased by Sr. Marreiros Neto, then mayor of Lagos, who had fallen in love with the building while restoring the nearby church. He converted the upstairs into a private residence and often travelled on horseback from Lagos to Luz for leisurely weekends. The downstairs, which is now the restaurant, once served as stables.
The recent TripAdvisor accolade is a testament to the restaurant’s consistent excellence and is based on a high volume of 5-star reviews from visitors over the past year. Since its inclusion on TripAdvisor in 2010, Fortaleza da Luz has garnered over 2,000 reviews of visitors who want to share their experiences.
This success reflects the hard work of the talented chef Helio Espinosa, manager Rubia Mello and their dedicated team.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our valued guests for their wonderful reviews over the past year. Without their support, none of this would have been possible,” concluded Luc, who, with three young children, is committed to keeping the family flag flying above Fortaleza for many years to come.
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