Restaurante do Forte is a portuguese restaurant in Zona Velha, Funchal.
Editorially verified August 3, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Signature dishes: Atlantic fish, Portuguese classics
Must 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.
Address: Rua do Portão de São Tiago, 9060-250 Funchal
Taberna Ruel works a Madeiran and Portuguese kitchen on Rua de Santa Maria, named for chef Ricardo Ruel and built on island produce and modern technique.
Signature: Madeiran daily plates, Portuguese wine list
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.
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.
Casal da Penha is a family-run Funchal restaurant just off the hotel strip, with a classic dining room, a Madeiran terrace and a grilled fish carte.
Signature: Espetada, Grilled codfish, Bolo do caco
Order: Espetada on the laurel skewer, or the grilled codfish that fills most tables here.
Tip: The terrace is the reason to come. Ask for it when you book rather than on arrival.
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.
Taberna Ruel works a Madeiran and Portuguese kitchen on Rua de Santa Maria, named for chef Ricardo Ruel and built on island produce and modern technique.
Signature: Madeiran daily plates, Portuguese wine list
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.
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.
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.
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.
