99's Fire House Cafe

99's Fire House Cafe is a café and restaurant on Grand Parade by Red Sands Road, at the entrance to the Alameda Gardens, run under the Gibraltar firefighters' association with the decor to match. It is not on Tripadvisor; on Google it has 4.8 from 39 reviews, and the Index score is 4.70. We re-read the newest fifteen reviews on 6 September 2026; the most recent is from 2 September.

It reads like a place people are delighted to have found. A warm, homely room where the chef comes out to ask how you liked it, owners who tell their story, locals who chat, and children given ice cream when one of them fell over. Miranda on the floor is named twice for exceptional service, and a Spanish party praises how carefully allergies were checked against every dish.

The food is comfort food at low prices, and the reviews are specific: a Portuguese francesinha made authentic by the chef's Portuguese husband, grilled chicken with charred skin and juicy meat, a mixed grill, a very fresh tuna steak with fries and salad, daily dishes such as curry meatballs with rice, a barbecue that cooks meat to order, and homemade desserts including a hot fudgy brownie with ice cream and a mango and passion fruit cheesecake. Portions are called generous in three languages.

The single complaint is about hours: a party turned up at ten at night in July 2026, found it firmly shut, and asked for the real opening times to be posted. Check before an evening visit, and one June reviewer suggests booking.

Come for a cheap, generous lunch by the gardens, away from the Main Street crowd, and try the francesinha or whatever the daily dish is. Nobody from Gibraltar Index has eaten here; this write-up is drawn from the reviews.