A Gruta is a traditional portuguese restaurant in Sé, Funchal.
Editorially verified August 3, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Clay-pot dishes, Grilled meats, Madeiran desserts
Must 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.
Address: Avenida Sá Carneiro, 9000-017 Funchal
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.
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.
Chalet Vicente reopened on 28 July 2026 in a late-19th-century Estrada Monumental chalet, cooking regional Madeiran and Portuguese food in Funchal.
Signature: Regional Madeiran cooking, Portuguese petiscos
Order: Portuguese petiscos in the adega, which the reopened house runs alongside the dining rooms.
Tip: The rebuild added a ten-seat cigar room and a Portuguese adega. Schedules published before July 2026 predate it, so call before turning up.
Gavião Novo grills fish off the Funchal coast on Rua de Santa Maria, the old town street where the day boat rather than the menu decides dinner.
Signature: Grilled fish of the day, Atlantic seafood
Order: Fish from the Funchal coast, grilled whole off the day boat.
Tip: Book ahead for dinner. The dining room is small and the pavement tables on Rua de Santa Maria go first.
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.
Restaurante do Forte has cooked inside the São Tiago fortress in Funchal since 2001, with terrace tables above the bay and a Portuguese carte.
Signature: Atlantic fish, Portuguese classics
Order: Fish from the Madeiran boats, cooked in the fortress kitchen.
Tip: Ask for a terrace table at sunset. The fortress walls block the wind that hits the promenade below.
