Contemporary Portuguese€€€Sé
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.
Contemporary PortugueseChef Gonçalo Bita Bota€€€PalheiroDaily 19:00-22:00
Oxalis is the dining room at Casa Velha do Palheiro above Funchal, cooking flavours of Madeira from the estate kitchen garden and island growers.
Signature: Seasonal set menu, Kitchen-garden produce
Order: The seasonal menu, rewritten as the estate kitchen garden dictates.
Tip: Dinner only, and it is a 20 minute drive up from the Funchal seafront, so plan the taxi back before you order wine.
Italian€€€€LidoDaily 18:30-00:00, last orders 22:30
Villa Cipriani serves Italian cooking on the clifftop terrace at Reid's Palace in Funchal, revisiting Italian classics with the Atlantic below the balustrade.
Signature: Italian carte, Terrace dining
Order: A dish from the constantly renewed Italian carte, on the terrace.
Tip: The terrace tables at the seaward rail are the ones to ask for when booking. Last orders are at 22:30.
Contemporary Portuguese€€€SéRestaurant daily 12:30-15:30 and 18:30-22:30; gastrobar Sun-Thu 11:00-23:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-00:00
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.
Contemporary FrenchChef Benoît Sinthon€€€€LidoTue-Sat 19:00-22:00
Il Gallo d'Oro holds two Michelin stars at The Cliff Bay in Funchal, where Benoit Sinthon has run the kitchen since 2004 on an Iberian line.
Signature: Tasting menu, Madeiran produce, Iberian seafood
Order: The tasting menu, built around Madeiran produce and Iberian sourcing.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Kitchen and terrace works keep the room shut until it reopens on 26 August 2026, so check the date before booking.
Contemporary PortugueseChef Octávio Freitas€€€€LidoTue-Sat 19:00-21:00
Desarma is Octávio Freitas's rooftop restaurant above Funchal, Michelin-starred since February 2024 and cooking menus of six, nine or twelve moments.
Signature: Six, nine and twelve moment tasting menus, Madeiran produce
Order: The Chef's Battle menu, nine moments built on Madeiran produce.
Tip: Seatings run 19:00 to 21:00 Tuesday to Saturday, and the rooftop is best booked at dusk.