The first time you enter Ocean, you can be forgiven for just hearing the sound of your own jaw dropping. Sitting atop a rock on the edge of the dramatic Algarve coast in the south of Portugal, the location is so imposing it can take the breath out of even the most jaded traveler. Outside the massive windows, awe-inspiring waves are crashing into the jagged shoreline, surrounded by sun-kissed rolling green hills, and a sunset so pretty you’ll run out of space on your phone from all the photos you’ll be taking.
The room itself is beautiful too, but less dramatic, letting the outside shine, while striking a balanced aquatic tone. If you didn’t already realize if from the name of the restaurant – the interior will likely put it all together for you – Ocean is about the bounty of the sea and it’s surroundings.
The service is of course of absolute top class, friendly, attentive, and professional. Servers, chefs, and sommeliers mingle throughout the dining room as they bring dishes and drinks to the tables, but even though they are many, they are always discreet, leaving the food and conversation to shine. 
As an Honest Cooking & Travel Magazine reader, I suspect you are well traveled – and you’re likely weary of fancy restaurants in luxury hotels. Too often, they are not worth the premium price you’ll pay, too occupied with living up to the “fancy” moniker than actually contributing anything else of value.
Ocean is different. While it is located in the (absolutely wonderful) five-star Vila Vita Parc resort in Porches, this isn’t “just” a hotel restaurant, but truly a dining destination in itself. One of southern Portugal’s brightest shining stars on the global restaurant scene and one of a handful of ambitious establishments in the region that push the boundaries of what fine dining looks like in Portugal.
At the helm at Ocean is Austrian born chef Hans Neuner, who has been in the region for almost 20 years, and who works tirelessly on imagining and reimagining Portuguese flavors, textures, and traditions. He’s a passionate fan of Portugal, a scholar of its history, and an explorer of its tastes. He is definitely bringing his Austrian heritage to Ocean, imparting precision and visuals that wouldn’t be misplaced in Vienna, but Ocean is very clearly a Portuguese adventure.
During Honest Cooking’s visit, we were served a menu called Tastes of Discovery, which struck a hard-to-come-by balance between whimsical, educational, decadent and delicious.
The menu is firmly based in a dedication to exploration. For five years, Ocean’s kitchen has been following Portuguese history around the globe, tracing the flavors that emerged from centuries of migration and trade.
Watch: Our Complete Tastes of Discovery Menu at Ocean Restaurant
What started during lockdown as an exploration of Portugal, Madeira, and the Azores expanded to follow the old spice routes through India, Thailand, Macau, and Japan. Neuner then traveled through Africa and across the Atlantic to Brazil and Mozambique, discovering how Portuguese heritage shaped colonial cuisines. The journey continued north to Canada for bacalao traditions, and then reached Hawaii, where Portuguese immigrants created dishes like Huli Huli chicken.
Rather than just a greatest hits collection, Tastes of Discovery felt like a living expression of how Portuguese culture spread and evolved across continents. It’s the kind of menu that could easily feel like a gimmick, but Neuner’s approach feels more thoughtful than that, distilling five years of travel into dishes that really tell a story. It is quirky at times, reflective at others, and manages to bounce equally easily between casual and traditional.
Neuner isn’t afraid to push the boundaries, and many of his flavors are big and bold. Like the duck, served with a purple curry of raspberries, beetroot and black walnuts that hits both wide and deep on the palate. Classic flavors, but turbocharged, amped up to 11.
Or the “ocean kimchi”, Iberian pork served with fermented pak choi and violet shrimp, where layers of soil and sea intermingle, creating a unique flavor that feels traditional and rather groundbreaking at the same time. Then there are the celebrations of the authentic local Portuguese traditions – like the bacalao with citrus and onion – firmly grounded in local history, but joyfully presented to make the experience bigger.
Neuner also sprinkles in some trompe l’oeil presentations like the anchovy butter which comes shaped as the fish itself, and served in a tin can, and an absolutely lip-smackingly delicious oyster dish that plays with textures, colors and flavors. And it doesn’t stop there. There’s celebration of casual and nostalgic too, the Huli-Huli chicken, presented on a small ukulele accompanied by a dancing hula-doll, or the petit fours to finish off dinner; presented on large Oreo-like plates and Game-Boy mockups.
I think you get the gist, dining at Ocean is as fun as it is delicious.
Restaurant Ocean
Vila Vita Parc
R. Anneliese Pohl, Alporchinhos
8400-450 Porches, Portugal
