Enter Portugal

Madeira's restaurants tend to be more expensive than those of mainland Portugal, many catering for the rapid turnover of cruise ship passengers who have little time to explore. This means that a little extra effort may be required to locate good, traditional restaurants and chefs that really know how to use the exceptional ingredients of the island.

Fajã dos Padres

An open air restaurant (with some indoor seating) with fantastic views over the ocean. Serving traditional dishes, with an emphasis on fish and shellfish. Open for lunch only.
www.fajadospadres.com

Restaurante do Forte

Set within the 17th Century fortress of São Tiago, in the old town district of Funchal. Restaurante do Forte provides exceptional food at very reasonable prices.
www.restaurantedoforte.com.pt

The choice of hundreds of species of fish off the coast provides restaurants with wide-ranging seafood menus. Tuna is the most popular, grilled over wood as steaks (bifes de atum). Swordfish (espada), black scabbard fish (peixe espada) and gilt-headed bream (pargo) are also popular.

Carne de vinha d'alhos, is popular throughout Portugal and its former colonies (in Goa it evolved into the famous Vindaloo curry dish), Madeira has its own variation of this dish which consists of pork cooked in wine, vinegar, garlic, chillis and coriander seeds.

Other popular meat dishes includes the sausage, offal, black pudding and beans stew, feijoada. Some restaurants serve delicious meat kebabs espetada in the traditional Madeira style, by skewering cubes of meat on laurel sticks to be grilled over wood fires. The taste of the laurel infuses with the garlic-marinated grilled meat in a wonderful way.

Vegetarians will find a dazzling variety of salads and vegetables on offer in Madeira. Sweet potatoes (batatas doces) are used to make Madeira's most popular bread, bolo de caco, often served with garlic butter. Vegetable soups are also very popular.