9 Best Restaurants in São Miguel, The Azores

The original chef from Louvre Michaelense, Hugo Ferreira, helms this charming eatery focusing on modern versions of petiscos, Portuguese tapas. Ingredients from the islands steal the show in both the veggie dishes, showcasing seasonal produce and greens, and the tasty grilled or smoked seafood plates, ranging from octopus to arroz de peixe, rice flavored with the freshest fish.

It’s more than worth a trip 20 km (12 miles) east of Ponta Delgada to dine at this popular open-air seafood restaurant with lovely water views; since the place doesn’t take reservations, bring your swimsuit for a dip in the adjacent pool while you wait. The friendly staff will grill up your choice of the fresh local fish on display---perhaps tuna, stingray, or barracuda---but you can’t go wrong with baked mussels in a buttery garlic sauce or just-caught limpet, plus (a rarity for the islands) a well-stocked salad bar.

The sophisticated Nikkei-style tasting menus, which mix South American and Japanese style with Azorean ingredients, combined with knowledgeable servers and a welcoming atmosphere (think minimalist wood tables and an open kitchen) add up to one of the finest dining experiences in Ponta Delgada at this always-packed restaurant. Chef José Pereira, who worked for many years in Geneva before heading home to the Azores, uses as many local ingredients as possible in his artfully presented dishes such as crispy nigiri with tuna tartare and Azorean whitefish sashimi with miso and yuzu; his wife Anne Teixeira prepares the decadent tropical desserts.

Though the menu is small and the modern space is tiny, the carefully prepared, market-fresh Azorean plates punch way above their weight. Tasquinha Vieira’s focus is on a “cuisine of proximity,” using top-notch ingredients and innovative techniques while respecting the islands' culinary culture, and you can’t go wrong with any of the shareable tapas-style plates of fish, meat, and vegan options.

It seems like everyone at this old-school restaurant tucked into the Terra Nostra Garden Hotel is here to partake of the signature dish: cozido nas Caldeiras das Furnas, stew cooked underground in the hot springs, available in both meat and vegetarian versions. Those with less hearty appetites can opt for a fine selection of fresh fish or Azorean beef. After lunch, your receipt earns you free admission to the lovely adjoining Terra Nostra Gardens.

This charming all-day café-restaurant-cocktail bar dates from 1904, when it sold products imported from Paris; today its glass cases are piled high with Azorean creations from tea sets to hats to jewelry, most available for purchase. Stop by for a healthy breakfast, small plates of local cuisine with a contemporary twist for lunch or dinner, or just to take a break with some local tea or an inventive cocktail or two—and don’t bother trying to resist the house-made desserts calling your name from the countertop.

An authentic yet welcoming locals' favorite—and Ponta Delgada’s oldest restaurant—serves up a handful of simple and well-prepared dishes along with rotating daily specials in a bare-bones space. The communal tables at this old-school eatery encourage friendly chats with your neighbors as you dine on fried dishes like sardines, horse mackerel, and moray eel, all washed down with house-made Concord grape wine or moonshine.

This charmingly rustic family-run eatery serves an ever-changing menu using produce straight from their gardens, along with other organic ingredients from the surrounding area. The friendly staff serves a fixed menu (cash only) with a tempting selection of homemade dips to start, along with salads, soups, fish, meat, and desserts, plus a reasonably priced selection of wines made by family members on the mainland.