Hello. I’m hoping someone might be able to help out with recommendations for Madeira, Portugal. The last post was in 2018 and was very helpful for where not to eat. Obrigada.
1 Like
If you have visited Madeira already, are there places you can recommend?
My Madeira trip report, roughly in chronological order - part 1.
Vila do Peixe, Câmara de Lobos
Wood grilled seafood, if only they would grill their vegetables as well.
The grilled squid was very good as was the fish we shared (can’t remember what it was, but you choose your fish which is priced by the kilo). Not as cheap as some places, but we thought it was worth it. Sides are extra.
We talked to some other travellers later in our trip, and they really liked the sister restaurant Vila do Carne (also has a wood grill).
Do not order the Bulhão Pato clams, not comparable to the yummy stuff from continental Portugal.
Service was uneven as they were training some new staff.
The restaurant is also supposed to be known for its passionfruit cheesecake, it was ok, but then I love passionfruit and there wasn’t nearly enough of it.
We were very impressed with how the fish was split through the head.
Great view over the town.
Muralha’s Bar, Caniçal
We came here for the chicharros fritos (small fried horse mackerel) and they did not disappoint. The restaurant was also in the vicinity of the PR8 hike and is pretty cheap.
We did not like the camarão ã Muralhas, the shrimp were meh as was the sauce.
We noticed a lot of tables ordering the lapas (limpets) so you may want to try those.
We also ordered the bolo do caco, I can’t remember if it was good or not, but I think it’s supposed to be a good rendition (sorry middle aged, menopause brain).
We went to Vinhos Barbeito for the tour and tasting, €15 each, 4 tastings; they also had a premium tasting availble.
Since we were a couple we were able to try 8 different wines! We then paid extra to try one of their premium madeiras.
Santo Antonio, Estreito de Câmara de Lobos
Not cheap, but very good espetada in the heart of the espetada region. We ordered one with a laurel branch skewer and one on the bone since we like bones and fat.
Best milho frito (like fried polenta cubes) of the trip, I could eat these like potato chips, crispy and flavourful, albeit on the greasy side, like chips which meant they reheat well.
I have a photo of the skewers, but my mug is in there so I’ll leave it out; here’s the milho frito.
Other recommended espetada places we didn’t get to were As Vides, Restaurante O Polar, and Viola (in no particular order). I noted to avoid Lagar due to huge busloads of tourists.
Akua, Funchal
One of the restaurants owned by one of their more well known chefs, so more of an international bent with lots of foreign patrons.
This is their tuna tartare in a cone. It was more like tuna poke than tartare. I would recommend trying something else to start. We didn’t have a reservation so we sat at the bar which meant we could see what was going out, the trout ‘salmonada’ looked interesting.
We miss the carabinieri (we live in Toronto and have never had any half decent ones, only in Spain or Portugal), so we ordered the carabinieri and seafood rice. Not quite as fresh as on the mainland, but still very good, especially since they grilled them. There was lots of seafood in the rice.
Gavião do Ilhéu, Câmara de Lobos
In the heart of the old town. Decent grilled fish.
We got the mixed plate to try to the lapas. We had them in the Açores but didn’t like them since we found them to be unpleasantly chewy, gritty, with a taste that didn’t please our palates. These ones were small, not chewy, and doused in garlic oil (we love garlic). The rest of the fish was nicely cooked except for the tuna which was overcooked.
Câmara de Lobos is the place to try poncha which we somehow didn’t get to even though we stayed there an entire week 
Bar Number Two was on my list to try this drink in its place of origin. We did eventually have it somewhere else on the island.
Note: some restaurants include side dishes, some don’t. When in doubt, ask.
4 Likes
Not on the regular menu, but occasionally available as a ‘special’.
Try Casa Paco (and call ahead to see if they have them - or will order them in).
The same chef used to be at Labora - where I had a disastrous version of the dish, but the move to a smaller, less hectic place , has worked wonders and the Casa Paco version was excellent (but not cheap!). And worth it (I was there last month).
