We were lucky, but make sure to book a table in advance!
A delayed flight out of Faro can be extremely annoying, especially when we are hungry. The food offerings in the airport leave a great deal to be desired, but if your delay happens to fall over lunchtime and allows for a couple of hours to escape the airport, then Faro Island beckons.
This strip of sand straddling the Ria Formosa lagoon and the ocean, usually viewed only from above by those of us taking off or landing, is a well-known destination for foodies in the Algarve with numerous eateries serving great local cuisine with a focus, of course, on fish and seafood.
Bags checked in and with time to kill, it is easy to grab a taxi and, within less than 10 minutes, you will be crossing the bridge to the island. It is difficult to eat badly on Faro Island and there are many options, but for those in the know, Restaurante Zé Maria is a must. 
A couple of weeks ago, with an early afternoon departure delayed to early evening (courtesy of British Airways), a group of eight of us somehow managed to nab a late table on the back end of their lunch service, and we were even lucky enough to find that a few portions of their legendary razor clam rice were still available.
This restaurant, located right at the dead end of the easterly point of the island, stands out from the others, not just for the food but also for its appearance.
This is a rustic, old style Algarve beach restaurant that looks pretty much the same as it must have looked when it opened back in 1975.
In the tiny kitchen, chef/owner Geraldina (Dina) Santos cooks up her signature rice dish, made with the freshest razor clams, cooked to order. Rich in the flavour of a highly qualified fish stock, the razor clams are poached to tender perfection in the rice and garnished with fresh coriander. It is, honestly, one of the best fish or seafood rice dishes you will find anywhere in the Algarve.
There were not enough razor clams left for our whole group to eat the rice, so others ate locally caught fresh fish, simply grilled over charcoal.
What we did not sample, but a dish which the restaurant is also known for, was their deep-fried fish, which is often ordered as a side to accompany the rice.
By the time we all got back to the airport, having enjoyed a few bottles of wine and a lunch to remember, our moods were soaring and we were actually thanking BA for having delayed our flight.
For future visits to Zé Maria though, I will give this restaurant the planning and respect it deserves, making sure to book one of the tables in advance on the rear terrace overlooking the beach and pre-ordering the rice in advance to avoid disappointment. But next time I get a flight delayed at lunchtime, I will try my luck again.
Open for lunch only from 12 to 4pm. Reservations essential unless, like us, you get lucky! 289 817 334
