8 Best Restaurants in Funchal, Madeira

The best seats in this intimate restaurant are at the counter in front of the open kitchen, where you can watch the talented young chefs work their magic with local seafood. Though there are a couple of meat items on the menu, fish is the star, with complex yet delicious flavors and beautiful presentations. Both the small plates as well as the more substantial fish and rice dishes are perfect for sharing.

A café by day and bar by night, Barreirinha is popular with the locals no matter what time of day you visit. This is partly thanks to its menu of easy-to-eat items like burgers, sandwiches, burritos, and salads, and partly due to its location on a hillside with small outside tables on the terrace overlooking the ocean. Huge white parasols shade you from the Madeiran sun while local musicians keep the atmosphere lively.

This excellent coffee shop has a few branches across Funchal, including one in the Mercado dos Lavradores. After browsing the market's fruit, vegetable, fish, and flower stalls, take a seat at one of the cafe's small wooden tables and enjoy a bica (espresso) and a pastel de nata (custard tart). Step inside and you'll see row upon row of neatly presented cakes and tarts laid out in the chilled counters like gems in a jewelry box.

Amidst astounding floor-to-ceiling views of Funchal, Executive Chef Octávio Freitas creates beautifully presented, locally sourced dishes at this Michelin-starred eatery on the top floor of The Views Baía hotel. Choose from 6- or 9-course tasting menus, or a 12-course surprise menu served only to eight diners a night at the chef’s table, all featuring local ingredients like black scabbard fish roe, limpets, and cured tuna combined with innovative items such as mushroom gel or smoked seawood broth. Leave room for the creative takes on traditional desserts like Azorean pineapple and Madeira molasses cake.

Seated on the 16th floor of the Savoy Palace, in a cozy room with painted ceilings, you’ll feel like you’re dining under the stars—and the food will truly transport you to another world. Chef Carlos Gonçalves serves up innovative five- to seven-course tasting menus (à la carte is also available) using local ingredients but with a twist—think traditional cozido panelo (vegetables and sausage) transformed into tasty tacos and creamy rice with nori seaweed and lemon puree.

Located within the Cliff Bay Hotel, this upscale restaurant serves ambitious, high-end tasting menus, with prices to match. Views are lovely from both the contemporary dining room and the terrace, dishes are presented as works of art, and the extensive wine list showcases bottles from around the world. The excellent sommelier is happy to pair each course with top Portuguese wine, if you choose.

A classic spot to sit back and relax, this quaint tea shop specializes in various herbal and fruit teas, as well as coffees, cakes, and light lunches, that you can enjoy at outdoor tables facing a pretty square. You can pick up teas to take home, too.

You'll find this striking restaurant on the rooftop of The Vine Hotel, where at night the city sparkles below. The name comes from the Portuguese word for "grape," so it's no surprise that wine takes center stage here, with an excellent selection of local vintages that the waiters can confidently talk you through.