Downtown around the cathedral and Avenida Arriaga, holding the Madeira wine lodges, the Rua do Sabão tea rooms and the Rua da Alfândega bar strip.
Ákua is chef Júlio Pereira's fish counter in central Funchal, opened in 2019, working the Atlantic catch against produce grown on the island.
Signature: Atlantic fish of the day, Limpets, Island vegetables
Order: Whatever the counter lists off the day boat, cooked simply over fire.
Tip: The room is small and popular with locals at lunch, so reserve. The operator publishes no schedule online.
Kampo is chef Júlio Pereira's land-facing Funchal restaurant, built on island growers and on matured Rubia Galega beef carved at the table for sharing.
Signature: Matured beef, Island vegetables, Madeiran sharing plates
Order: The maturado chuletón or T-bone from the beef section, carved for sharing.
Tip: No two sources agree on the schedule and the operator publishes none, so call before lunch. Dishes are built to share across the table.
Armazém do Sal works a Mediterranean and contemporary Portuguese carte on Rua da Alfândega, billing itself as a warehouse of flavours in central Funchal.
Signature: Grilled squid with beetroot mayonnaise, Pork belly with sweet potato puree, Salmon pappardelle nero
Order: Grilled squid with mashed potato and beetroot mayonnaise, off the chef's selection.
Tip: The house publishes no schedule online, so call ahead for lunch. Reservations go through the site or by phone.
Terreiro Concept is a zero-waste Funchal gastrobar and dining room cooking and mixing from its own kitchen-garden plantings and island growers.
Signature: Garden-led plates, Madeiran fish, Garden cocktails
Order: A cocktail built from the kitchen garden, then the daily fish.
Tip: The gastrobar runs straight through from 11:00 while the restaurant works lunch and dinner services. Friday and Saturday it stays open to midnight.
Beerhouse brews on the São Lázaro pier in Funchal, pouring its own beer beside a marina terrace and a kitchen of fish and regional Madeiran plates.
Signature: House-brewed beer, Fish of the day, Regional plates
Order: A glass of the house brew with the fish of the day.
Tip: The terrace faces the marina and the cruise berth, so it fills fast on cruise days.
Restaurante dos Combatentes is a plain central Funchal dining room with a garden, cooking regional Madeiran plates at everyday weekday prices.
Signature: Regional Madeiran plates, Bacalhau
Order: The regional plate of the day, which is what the room is built around.
Tip: Lunch is the busy service with local office trade. Both services run Saturday too, and it is closed Sunday.
A Gruta reopened in 2019 above the Funchal port, cooking clay-pot Portuguese food and staying open past midnight when most kitchens have shut.
Signature: Clay-pot dishes, Grilled meats, Madeiran desserts
Order: A clay-pot dish finished at the table, which is the house method.
Tip: One of the few Funchal kitchens still serving after midnight, and later again at weekends.
UVA is the rooftop restaurant and wine bar at The Vine in Funchal, where chef Thomas Faudry runs a farm-to-table Madeiran line above the harbour.
Signature: Madeira wine list, Madeiran seasonal produce
Order: A glass of Madeira with the daily plate, at the rooftop rail.
Tip: Dinner Tuesday to Saturday, and the rooftop is worth arriving early for at sunset.
Armazém do Sal works a Mediterranean and contemporary Portuguese carte on Rua da Alfândega, billing itself as a warehouse of flavours in central Funchal.
Signature: Grilled squid with beetroot mayonnaise, Pork belly with sweet potato puree, Salmon pappardelle nero
Order: Grilled squid with mashed potato and beetroot mayonnaise, off the chef's selection.
Tip: The house publishes no schedule online, so call ahead for lunch. Reservations go through the site or by phone.
Terreiro Concept is a zero-waste Funchal gastrobar and dining room cooking and mixing from its own kitchen-garden plantings and island growers.
Signature: Garden-led plates, Madeiran fish, Garden cocktails
Order: A cocktail built from the kitchen garden, then the daily fish.
Tip: The gastrobar runs straight through from 11:00 while the restaurant works lunch and dinner services. Friday and Saturday it stays open to midnight.
Restaurante dos Combatentes is a plain central Funchal dining room with a garden, cooking regional Madeiran plates at everyday weekday prices.
Signature: Regional Madeiran plates, Bacalhau
Order: The regional plate of the day, which is what the room is built around.
Tip: Lunch is the busy service with local office trade. Both services run Saturday too, and it is closed Sunday.
Beerhouse brews on the São Lázaro pier in Funchal, pouring its own beer beside a marina terrace and a kitchen of fish and regional Madeiran plates.
Signature: House-brewed beer, Fish of the day, Regional plates
Order: A glass of the house brew with the fish of the day.
Tip: The terrace faces the marina and the cruise berth, so it fills fast on cruise days.
A Gruta reopened in 2019 above the Funchal port, cooking clay-pot Portuguese food and staying open past midnight when most kitchens have shut.
Signature: Clay-pot dishes, Grilled meats, Madeiran desserts
Order: A clay-pot dish finished at the table, which is the house method.
Tip: One of the few Funchal kitchens still serving after midnight, and later again at weekends.
Prima Caju runs the all-day brunch counter at CAJU Le Petit Hotel on Rua da Carreira in Funchal, on bowls, pancakes, eggs and pressed juice.
Signature: Bowls, Pancakes, Eggs
Order: A savoury bowl with eggs, or the pancakes if you came for the sweet side.
Tip: Walk-ins only, no reservations, and the small courtyard fills through the late morning.
Loja do Chá pours tea off Praça do Colombo in Funchal from a list of more than 300, with an own-label Tea 1419 line blended from organic Madeira ingredients.
Signature: Tea 1419 blends, Scones, Vegetarian plates
Order: A pot from the Tea 1419 line with a scone from the counter.
Tip: The upstairs tea room is quieter than the shop floor. The operator publishes no schedule online, so check before a late-afternoon visit.
Grão de Farinha is a bakery counter on Rua dos Netos in downtown Funchal, selling bread, cakes and a cheap plated lunch through the midday rush.
Signature: Bread, Cakes, Plated lunch
Order: A cake straight off the morning tray with a galão.
Tip: The operator publishes no schedule online, so check before an early visit. There is a second Funchal branch out at Santa Luzia.
Brunch Club Madeira works a rustic room on Rua do Bom Jesus in Funchal through eggs, loaded toast, salads and bowls until the mid-afternoon.
Signature: Eggs, Toast, Bowls
Order: Eggs done your way on toast, with a bowl to share.
Tip: Kitchen stops mid-afternoon every day, and weekend service ends earlier than the weekday one.
Funchal Taproom keeps a rotating European craft list on Rua Direita, the closest thing Funchal has to a dedicated beer bar, with Mexican food.
Signature: Craft beer, Tacos
Order: Whatever is freshest on the tap list, with tacos alongside.
Tip: Closed Mondays and it shuts by 22:00 most nights, so it is an early-evening stop.
Loja do Chá pours tea off Praça do Colombo in Funchal from a list of more than 300, with an own-label Tea 1419 line blended from organic Madeira ingredients.
Signature drink: Tea 1419 blends, brewed by the pot
Tip: The upstairs tea room is quieter than the shop floor. The operator publishes no schedule online, so check before a late-afternoon visit.
Brunch Club Madeira works a rustic room on Rua do Bom Jesus in Funchal through eggs, loaded toast, salads and bowls until the mid-afternoon.
Signature drink: Flat white alongside the eggs
Tip: Kitchen stops mid-afternoon every day, and weekend service ends earlier than the weekday one.
Prima Caju runs the all-day brunch counter at CAJU Le Petit Hotel on Rua da Carreira in Funchal, on bowls, pancakes, eggs and pressed juice.
Signature drink: Cold-pressed juice and smoothies
Tip: Walk-ins only, no reservations, and the small courtyard fills through the late morning.
Café do Teatro occupies the courtyard beside the Baltazar Dias theatre on Avenida Arriaga in Funchal, open from breakfast through to the DJ sets.
Signature drink: Galão on the Avenida Arriaga terrace
Tip: The interior patio is where the DJs play. The Avenida Arriaga terrace stays quieter. The operator publishes no schedule, so call ahead for late drinks.
Grão de Farinha is a bakery counter on Rua dos Netos in downtown Funchal, selling bread, cakes and a cheap plated lunch through the midday rush.
Signature drink: Galão with the morning bake
Tip: The operator publishes no schedule online, so check before an early visit. There is a second Funchal branch out at Santa Luzia.
Fábrica Santo António has made Madeiran sweets since 1893, selling bolo de mel de cana, broas and biscuits over the counter on Travessa do Forno in Funchal.
Tip: Saturday closes at 13:00 and Sunday not at all. The shop sits in the same building as the factory, so batches come out warm.
Worth the queue: Bolo de mel de cana
Grão de Farinha is a bakery counter on Rua dos Netos in downtown Funchal, selling bread, cakes and a cheap plated lunch through the midday rush.
Tip: The operator publishes no schedule online, so check before an early visit. There is a second Funchal branch out at Santa Luzia.
Worth the queue: Morning bake from the tray
Blandy's Wine Lodge ages Madeira by the canteiro method on Avenida Arriaga, where over 650 barrels and vats rest above the street in the family lodge.
Signature pour: A tasting flight through the lodge cellars
Wine focus: Canteiro-aged Madeira across Sercial, Verdelho, Boal and Malvasia
Food: The lodge's own 1811 Bistro & Wine Bar on Avenida Arriaga
Tip: Guided tours run seven days a week in five languages. English has the most departures, so check the timetable before fixing a time for the others.
H.M. Borges has bottled Madeira since 1877 and worked from its Rua 31 de Janeiro building since 1924, running guided cellar tours and tastings from the adega.
Signature pour: Colheitas and Frasqueiras in the guided cellar tasting
Wine focus: Madeira wine bottled by the same house since 1877
Food: No kitchen; the adega runs guided tastings and a cellar shop
Tip: The house publishes no fixed tasting-room schedule. Visits are customised, so email or call ahead rather than turning up.
UVA is the rooftop restaurant and wine bar at The Vine in Funchal, where chef Thomas Faudry runs a farm-to-table Madeiran line above the harbour.
Signature pour: A glass of Madeira with the daily plate
Wine focus: Madeira and mainland Portuguese lists, poured on the rooftop
Food: Full kitchen
Tip: Dinner Tuesday to Saturday, and the rooftop is worth arriving early for at sunset.
Armazém do Sal works a Mediterranean and contemporary Portuguese carte on Rua da Alfândega, billing itself as a warehouse of flavours in central Funchal.
Signature pour: A Portuguese red with the grilled squid
Wine focus: Portuguese bottles alongside a Mediterranean and contemporary carte
Food: Full kitchen
Tip: The house publishes no schedule online, so call ahead for lunch. Reservations go through the site or by phone.
Dash Cocktail Bar mixes house infusions on Rua da Alfândega, the narrow Funchal street that has turned into the city's late-night drinking strip.
Signature drink: House infusion cocktails
Food: Snacks
Tip: Opens at 20:00 and runs to 03:00 on Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Mini Eco Bar is a microbar on Rua da Alfândega built around low-impact materials, where most of the Funchal crowd drinks standing in the street.
Signature drink: Cocktails drunk standing on Rua da Alfândega
Food: Snacks
Tip: The room holds very few people. The crowd spills onto Rua da Alfândega most evenings.
Café do Teatro occupies the courtyard beside the Baltazar Dias theatre on Avenida Arriaga in Funchal, open from breakfast through to the DJ sets.
Signature drink: Cocktails on the theatre patio
Food: Full kitchen
Tip: The interior patio is where the DJs play. The Avenida Arriaga terrace stays quieter. The operator publishes no schedule, so call ahead for late drinks.
Funchal Taproom keeps a rotating European craft list on Rua Direita, the closest thing Funchal has to a dedicated beer bar, with Mexican food.
Signature drink: Rotating European craft taps
Food: Full kitchen
Tip: Closed Mondays and it shuts by 22:00 most nights, so it is an early-evening stop.
Beerhouse brews on the São Lázaro pier in Funchal, pouring its own beer beside a marina terrace and a kitchen of fish and regional Madeiran plates.
Signature drink: House-brewed lager and pale ale
Food: Full kitchen
Tip: The terrace faces the marina and the cruise berth, so it fills fast on cruise days.
Terreiro Concept is a zero-waste Funchal gastrobar and dining room cooking and mixing from its own kitchen-garden plantings and island growers.
Signature drink: Garden-grown cocktails
Food: Full kitchen
Tip: The gastrobar runs straight through from 11:00 while the restaurant works lunch and dinner services. Friday and Saturday it stays open to midnight.
Beerhouse brews on the São Lázaro pier in Funchal, pouring its own beer beside a marina terrace and a kitchen of fish and regional Madeiran plates.
Tip: The terrace faces the marina and the cruise berth, so it fills fast on cruise days.
Funchal Taproom keeps a rotating European craft list on Rua Direita, the closest thing Funchal has to a dedicated beer bar, with Mexican food.
Tip: Closed Mondays and it shuts by 22:00 most nights, so it is an early-evening stop.
Grão de Farinha is a bakery counter on Rua dos Netos in downtown Funchal, selling bread, cakes and a cheap plated lunch through the midday rush.
Try: Bread, cakes and a plated lunch
Tip: The operator publishes no schedule online, so check before an early visit. There is a second Funchal branch out at Santa Luzia.
Loja do Chá pours tea off Praça do Colombo in Funchal from a list of more than 300, with an own-label Tea 1419 line blended from organic Madeira ingredients.
Try: Tea, scones and vegetarian plates
Tip: The upstairs tea room is quieter than the shop floor. The operator publishes no schedule online, so check before a late-afternoon visit.
Prima Caju runs the all-day brunch counter at CAJU Le Petit Hotel on Rua da Carreira in Funchal, on bowls, pancakes, eggs and pressed juice.
Try: Bowls, eggs and pancakes
Tip: Walk-ins only, no reservations, and the small courtyard fills through the late morning.
Restaurante dos Combatentes is a plain central Funchal dining room with a garden, cooking regional Madeiran plates at everyday weekday prices.
Try: Regional Madeiran plates
Tip: Lunch is the busy service with local office trade. Both services run Saturday too, and it is closed Sunday.
Fábrica Santo António has made Madeiran sweets since 1893, selling bolo de mel de cana, broas and biscuits over the counter on Travessa do Forno in Funchal.
Try: Bolo de mel and island biscuits
Tip: Saturday closes at 13:00 and Sunday not at all. The shop sits in the same building as the factory, so batches come out warm.
Brunch Club Madeira works a rustic room on Rua do Bom Jesus in Funchal through eggs, loaded toast, salads and bowls until the mid-afternoon.
Order: Eggs on loaded toast with a bowl to share
Tip: Kitchen stops mid-afternoon every day, and weekend service ends earlier than the weekday one.
Prima Caju runs the all-day brunch counter at CAJU Le Petit Hotel on Rua da Carreira in Funchal, on bowls, pancakes, eggs and pressed juice.
Order: A savoury bowl with eggs on top
Tip: Walk-ins only, no reservations, and the small courtyard fills through the late morning.
Loja do Chá pours tea off Praça do Colombo in Funchal from a list of more than 300, with an own-label Tea 1419 line blended from organic Madeira ingredients.
Order: Scones and a pot from the Tea 1419 line
Tip: The upstairs tea room is quieter than the shop floor. The operator publishes no schedule online, so check before a late-afternoon visit.
Café do Teatro occupies the courtyard beside the Baltazar Dias theatre on Avenida Arriaga in Funchal, open from breakfast through to the DJ sets.
Order: A galão and toast on the Arriaga terrace
Tip: The interior patio is where the DJs play. The Avenida Arriaga terrace stays quieter. The operator publishes no schedule, so call ahead for late drinks.
A Gruta reopened in 2019 above the Funchal port, cooking clay-pot Portuguese food and staying open past midnight when most kitchens have shut.
Try: Clay-pot Portuguese cooking
Order: A clay-pot dish finished at the table, which is the house method.
Tip: One of the few Funchal kitchens still serving after midnight, and later again at weekends.
Dash Cocktail Bar mixes house infusions on Rua da Alfândega, the narrow Funchal street that has turned into the city's late-night drinking strip.
Try: House infusion cocktails
Order: A house infusion cocktail, the format the whole drinks list is built around.
Tip: Opens at 20:00 and runs to 03:00 on Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Café do Teatro occupies the courtyard beside the Baltazar Dias theatre on Avenida Arriaga in Funchal, open from breakfast through to the DJ sets.
Try: Cocktails on the theatre patio
Order: A galão on the terrace before the theatre, a cocktail after it.
Tip: The interior patio is where the DJs play. The Avenida Arriaga terrace stays quieter. The operator publishes no schedule, so call ahead for late drinks.
Terreiro Concept is a zero-waste Funchal gastrobar and dining room cooking and mixing from its own kitchen-garden plantings and island growers.
Try: Garden cocktails and small plates
Order: A cocktail built from the kitchen garden, then the daily fish.
Tip: The gastrobar runs straight through from 11:00 while the restaurant works lunch and dinner services. Friday and Saturday it stays open to midnight.
Café do Teatro occupies the courtyard beside the Baltazar Dias theatre on Avenida Arriaga in Funchal, open from breakfast through to the DJ sets.
Tip: The interior patio is where the DJs play. The Avenida Arriaga terrace stays quieter. The operator publishes no schedule, so call ahead for late drinks.
Dash Cocktail Bar mixes house infusions on Rua da Alfândega, the narrow Funchal street that has turned into the city's late-night drinking strip.
Tip: Opens at 20:00 and runs to 03:00 on Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Mini Eco Bar is a microbar on Rua da Alfândega built around low-impact materials, where most of the Funchal crowd drinks standing in the street.
Tip: The room holds very few people. The crowd spills onto Rua da Alfândega most evenings.