A Foodie’s Guide to Restaurants in Madeira, Madeira, Portugal

A few weeks ago, I published my foodie’s guide to restaurants in Funchal – the capital of Madeira. The article got so long (I was more than a little enthusiastic about Madeira after six weeks!) that I decided to save my restaurant recommendations for the rest of the island for a separate post. This article will be a lot shorter, because we only left Funchal at weekends when we could rent a car. It’s very difficult to get around the rest of the island without a car, so I’d highly recommend hiring one if you plan to visit any of the restaurants on this list. There are lots of fabulous hikes to do all over Madeira – from the coast to the mountains – and any of these eateries make a rich reward after a few hours of walking or hiking the trails.

Câmara De Lobos is the next town along the coast to the west of Funchal, which is known as the birthplace of Poncha – the lethal but delicious local citrusy rum drink. Restaurant O Lagar is not down in the bay itself, but up a fairly steep hill – you can walk it, but if you have mobility issues you’re going to want to take a taxi. It’s a huge restaurant that specialises in traditional Madeiran food including the famous espetada – essentially a long skewer of grilled meat. We tried the chicken and beef skewers, both of which were perfectly seasoned and prepared. The chicken went wonderfully with their spicy piri-piri sauce, while the beef came three different ways. After dinner, we were treated to some Madeiran folk dancing, complete with costumes featuring the traditional hats with stalks on. A little kitsch but I love that kind of thing! ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).