A Gruta is a traditional portuguese restaurant in Sé, Funchal.
Editorially verified August 3, 2026 by Elliot Marsh, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: Locals treat the Parque da Cidade room as the late kitchen, but almost no visitor guide lists it.
Private tour · 5h 30m
Discover the natural beauty of Madeira on a guided hike along a Levada trail. Enjoy a traditional Poncha drink and learn about its history from your guide. Afterward, ...
Guided tour · 4 hours
Discover the vibrant streets of Funchal on a 4-hour walking tour with a local guide. Explore the historical center, visit the bustling Mercado dos Lavradores, and tast...
Guided tour · 2 hours
Discover Funchal's flavors on a walking food tour. Enjoy the flexibility to choose what you want to try and learn about the city's history, culture, and traditions.
Address: Avenida Sá Carneiro, 9000-017 Funchal
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.
OrderA pot from the Tea 1419 line with a scone from the counter.
Why locals goA list of more than 300 teas and infusions behind an unmarked door off Praça do Colombo, still mostly a Funchal habit.
TipThe upstairs tea room is quieter than the shop floor. The operator publishes no schedule online, so check before a late-afternoon visit.
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.
OrderA Colheita or Frasqueira poured in the guided cellar tasting, booked in advance.
Why locals goA fourth-generation 1924 adega in the middle of Funchal that still ages in cask, and that most visitors walk past on the way to the bigger lodges.
TipThe house publishes no fixed tasting-room schedule. Visits are customised, so email or call ahead rather than turning up.
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.
OrderA pot from the Tea 1419 line with a scone from the counter.
Why locals goA list of more than 300 teas and infusions behind an unmarked door off Praça do Colombo, still mostly a Funchal habit.
TipThe upstairs tea room is quieter than the shop floor. The operator publishes no schedule online, so check before a late-afternoon visit.
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.
OrderThe daily author dish, rewritten each morning around the market delivery.
Why locals goThe fortress end of the old town empties after the cruise crowd leaves, and this kitchen keeps cooking.
TipLunch and dinner run as two separate services with the kitchen shut between them. Book the terrace.
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.
OrderGrilled fish of the day, with the natural pools below the terrace.
Why locals goBuilt on a rock above the Ponta da Cruz sea pools, well past where the promenade walkers stop.
TipClosed Mondays. Lunch on the terrace catches the sun over Praia Formosa.
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.
OrderA Colheita or Frasqueira poured in the guided cellar tasting, booked in advance.
Why locals goA fourth-generation 1924 adega in the middle of Funchal that still ages in cask, and that most visitors walk past on the way to the bigger lodges.
TipThe house publishes no fixed tasting-room schedule. Visits are customised, so email or call ahead rather than turning up.
Casa Portuguesa lines its Funchal old town rooms with hand-painted cobalt tiles and cooks a traditional Portuguese carte, with fado by prior reservation.
OrderA traditional Portuguese main, booked with the fado sitting if you want music.
Why locals goCobalt tiled rooms up a stepped lane, and the fado sittings are booked by Madeirans not tour desks.
TipFado nights need reserving in advance rather than asking for on the door.
