Taberna Ruel is a portuguese restaurant in Zona Velha, Funchal.
Editorially verified August 3, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Madeiran daily plates, Portuguese wine list
Must order: A Madeiran plate from the daily list, with a bottle from the Portuguese cellar.
Tip: It runs straight through from 11:00 to 23:00 every day, so it catches both the late lunch and the early dinner.
Address: Rua de Santa Maria 119, 9060-291 Funchal
Lá ao Fundo sits at the fortress end of the Funchal old town, where chef-owner Jaime Cruz pulls Portuguese, African and Indian threads into one short menu.
Signature: Author dishes, Vegetarian plates
Order: The daily author dish, rewritten each morning around the market delivery.
Tip: Lunch and dinner run as two separate services with the kitchen shut between them. Book the terrace.
Casa Portuguesa lines its Funchal old town rooms with hand-painted cobalt tiles and cooks a traditional Portuguese carte, with fado by prior reservation.
Signature: Traditional Portuguese carte, Bacalhau
Order: A traditional Portuguese main, booked with the fado sitting if you want music.
Tip: Fado nights need reserving in advance rather than asking for on the door.
Lá ao Fundo sits at the fortress end of the Funchal old town, where chef-owner Jaime Cruz pulls Portuguese, African and Indian threads into one short menu.
Signature: Author dishes, Vegetarian plates
Order: The daily author dish, rewritten each morning around the market delivery.
Tip: Lunch and dinner run as two separate services with the kitchen shut between them. Book the terrace.
Casa Portuguesa lines its Funchal old town rooms with hand-painted cobalt tiles and cooks a traditional Portuguese carte, with fado by prior reservation.
Signature: Traditional Portuguese carte, Bacalhau
Order: A traditional Portuguese main, booked with the fado sitting if you want music.
Tip: Fado nights need reserving in advance rather than asking for on the door.
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.
Doca do Cavacas is built on the rock above the Ponta da Cruz sea pools in Funchal, serving grilled fish, shellfish and espetada by the water.
Signature: Grilled fish, Shellfish, Espetada
Order: Grilled fish of the day, with the natural pools below the terrace.
Tip: Closed Mondays. Lunch on the terrace catches the sun over Praia Formosa.
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.
