5 Best Restaurants in Madeira, Portugal

It's best to make reservations or arrive early to bag an outdoor table at this cozy, traditional restaurant in the heart of the old town, where they start you off with a complimentary shot of Madeira. The family-run restaurant offers simple yet delicious local food such as expertly grilled limpets, top-quality steaks, and some of the best grilled fish in town.

You can't visit Porto Santo without stopping by this fantastic seafood restaurant on the far end of Calheta Beach. The fresh fish of the day is always your best bet, or try the giant spicy prawns, amêijoas (cockles), or caldeirada (fish stew). There's also a snack bar open all day for drinks and lighter fare.

Set inside a former salt warehouse, this fashionable restaurant with bare brick walls and a few outdoor tables serves immaculately presented contemporary renderings of Madeiran and Portuguese dishes like black scabbard fish with lime risotto and vegetables from the garden. À la carte lunch and dinner menus are a good deal.

In the tiled dining room of this well-established restaurant, exuberant floral arrangements, white-lace curtains, and green tablecloths rustle gently in the breeze of ceiling fans, while outdoor tables are set beneath a leafy trellis. The food is prepared with great care, and menus change every few months; starters feature seafood dishes like swordfish carpaccio and mains include pastas, grilled fish, and Chateaubriand.

Traditional Portuguese cooking seems right at home amid the farmhouse decor at this casual spot on a narrow lane near The Vine Hotel. The dining room fills up with business executives enjoying a relaxing lunch and a mix of celebrating visitors and locals at dinner.