Restaurant O’Grill in Espargos is a common tour stop with inflated prices and food well below local standards. Most reviews describe scams, poor quality and bad value. If a guide pushes it, walk away—Sal has far better places to eat for less.
That awkward moment when the guide smiles a bit too much
There’s a very specific moment on some Sal island tours: the minibus stops, the guide announces “lunch time”, and something in your stomach —not hunger, instinct— tells you this won’t end well. O’Grill appears right then, like a set that’s already been staged.
You don’t walk in out of curiosity. You get dropped there.
A restaurant that doesn’t live off regular customers
O’Grill doesn’t work like a normal restaurant. It works like a tour stop. Most reviews describe the same pattern: people arrive in a group, with a guide, without choosing the place, and only afterwards realise that price and quality have nothing to do with each other.
It’s not a spot locals in Espargos go to.
It’s not a place people return to “because they loved it”.
It’s a place that depends on a constant stream of new tourists.
And you can feel that.
When the plate doesn’t justify even the name
The criticism is remarkably consistent:
– Watery, bland cachupa with barely any meat
– Seafood rice made with “seafood powder”
– Tuna and chicken left half-eaten
– Plates with more side dishes than actual protein
Nothing especially offensive to look at… until you taste it.
Then comes the second part: the price.
Tiny salads at European prices.
Tour set-menus around €10–15 that would be unthinkable in Sal outside this context.
Fine… until you ask questions
Some comments say the initial attitude is acceptable. The problems start when something doesn’t add up: dishes that never arrive, others suddenly “not available”, bills with card surcharges not mentioned beforehand, long waits and explanations that don’t convince anyone.
There’s no rush here.
Because you don’t need to come back.
The problem isn’t that it’s expensive. It’s that there’s nothing to justify it.
Which is almost always
The negative reviews aren’t isolated, emotional outbursts. They’re repetitive, even down to very specific details:
– Guides recommending the place
– A clear feeling of being scammed
– Inflated prices
– Very low quality
– Some reports of feeling unwell afterwards
When a restaurant sits at 1.8 stars with comments this similar, it isn’t bad luck. It’s a pattern.
If they take you there, you still decide
If you’re on a tour and the guide suggests eating here:
– Say you’d rather find something on your own
– Ask prices before you sit down
– Avoid “group set menus”
– Check the bill carefully
And most importantly: in Sal, eating badly and paying too much is not mandatory.
Not everything “local” is authentic
O’Grill is a useful reminder of something important:
not everything included in an excursion represents the island.
Sal has honest, tasty, fairly priced places.
This isn’t one of them.
If a restaurant needs tour guides to stay full, something is failing in the kitchen.
