3 Best Restaurants in Madeira, Portugal

The best seats in this intimate restaurant are at the counter in front of the open kitchen, where you can watch the talented young chefs work their magic with local seafood. Though there are a couple of meat items on the menu, fish is the star, with complex yet delicious flavors and beautiful presentations. Both the small plates as well as the more substantial fish and rice dishes are perfect for sharing.

From the sandy shores of Praia da Fontinha, climb the stairs to reach this somewhat hidden spot. Sit outside on the rustic deck shaded by palm trees or dine in the surprisingly modern indoor space and watch the staff grill your food in the open kitchen—and come hungry: Pé na Água specializes in huge pots of seafood big enough to feed a whole family.

This restaurant—wedged into a restored house in the hotel zone around the corner from the Cliff Bay Resort—has lavish tile work, hand-painted murals, and a bar that resembles one of Santana's thatch-roof dwellings. The menu is heavy on fresh seafood (trussed lobsters float in a tank by the door) and regional dishes (including espada served many ways, such as with tropical fruit or shrimp), as well as tornedo (meat on a skewer), the house specialty—and, if you're tired of Madeiran food, pizzas.