Following on from our top tips on Where to eat in Ponta Delgada, if you’re exploring outside of the capital we have a handy series of guides on where to eat on Sao Miguel.
Here’s our guide on where to eat on the north coast…
#01 – If you’re staying at one of our houses at Casa do Monte in Capelas (Casa Lareira, Casa do Pompal or Casa Granel) – you’re close to one of our favourite north-coast restaurants. The 4 Platanos restaurant is in the nearby village of Santo Antonio – when reserving, request a table on the top floor terrace; the view along the Sao Miguel’s north coast is outstanding:
#02 – Heading onto the north coast…hidden in the small town of Rabo de Peixe is the Alves Devine chocolateire. Pastry chef and chocolatier Tiago Alves is combining Sao Tomean chocolate with a wide variety of local ingredients to create fifty-seven (and counting) unique Azorean flavours: Gorreana green tea, fortified Lajido wine from Pico, and Sao Miguel pineapples to give a few examples. If you have a sweet tooth, it’s well worth making a detour for coffee and cake:
#03 – One of the island’s best restaurants is a five-minute drive inland from Rabo de Peixe. Quinta dos Sabores is a fabulous ‘farm-to-table’ restaurant, growing their own organic produce in the quinta’s fields and polytunnels. The parents of owner Paulo own a vineyard on the mainland, and their excellent wines are paired with a fixed six-course menu of imaginative and simply-prepared dishes which allow the excellent produce to shine. Take cash (currently no card payments) and I’d recommend booking well in advance – they only have nine tables and they’re becoming increasingly popular:
#04 – This next recommendation will often initiate a heated argument amongst Azorean friends. The Restaurante da Associação Agricola (also in Rabo do Peixe) is renowned for it’s steaks – some say the best steaks on the island. That crown was once undisputedly held by the Restaurant Alcides in Ponta Delgada – that’s where the argument begins. For me: the steaks are better at the Associação but there’s a more-mellow atmosphere to the old stone-architecture of Alcides:
#05 – Taking a short detour down to the surfers beach at Santa Barbara – the Tuká Tulá Bar is another great sea-and-sunset location, and perfect for lunch if you’re planning a day at the beach:
#06 – Heading west along the coast, you’ll come to another of our old favourites: the Restaurante Cantinho Do Cais in Sao Bras. Owner Jorge is famous for fish soup (sopa da peixe) and his stews (caldeirada de peixe):
#07 – We’ll often recommend a visit to the Fábrica de Chá Gorreana – the tea planation at Gorreana, the oldest tea planation in Europe (founded in 1883). Less well-known is their excellent café where you can eat lunch overlooking the planation – there’s also a gift shop where you can pick-up some of their excellent Pekoe teas:
#08 – Hidden away in the far north-east corner of Sao Miguel is the Parque Natural dos . On the lower slopes of the Serra da Tronqueira, this protected park with it’s waterfalls, botanical gardens and preserved 16th Century water mills is a lovely spot for picnic lunch – or there’s an excellent café overlooking the Ribeira do Guilherme valley:
Our Where to eat guides are based on our first-hand experience of visiting the Azores and our love of great Portuguese cuisine:
Where to eat on Sao Miguel – Sete Cidades and the west
Where to eat on Sao Miguel – the north coast
Where to eat on Sao Miguel – Furnas and the east
Where to eat on Sao Miguel – the south coast
Where to eat on Flores, Corvo and Santa Maria
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