Restaurants on Sao Miguel, Azores
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Ponta Delgada Restaurants
There are two restaurants in Ponta Delgada that I would recommend planning around.
Õtaka is a Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant which requires reservations in advance. When I booked, I was able to submit a reservation request on the website. However, it looks as though this process has changed at the end of this summer and whatsapp is the way to go for reservations. You can find the updated information at Õtaka’s reservation page. There are two sittings (6:30 pm and 9:30 pm, closed on Sunday and Monday) and you can order either à la carte or one of their tasting menus. I personally really enjoyed the classic tasting menu and found the price very reasonable for the quality. In particular, I really enjoyed trying the stingray which was featured on the classic tasting menu but was not available à la carte. If you do go for the à la carte option I would recommend the Crispy Nigiri and the Cheesecake for dessert.
The other restaurant worth planning around is A Tasca. While Õtaka is all about small bits that pack a punch, A Tasca is about generous portions of local cuisine. The restaurant does not take reservations and. If you arrive after 6:15 pm you can expect a 40 minute wait. If you arrive later than 6:15, the wait only increases. By 9 pm the wait may be so long that it is possible you may be turned away. This food tour takes you to A Tasca to sample the food which is another way to be able to enjoy this popular restaurant without worrying about getting at table. If you can, I would plan on an early dinner to avoid waiting around too long. If you can’t eat on the earlier side, you can always grab a drink at the bar they have just outside or get some appetizers just a one small block away at Ta Gente. I recommend the stewed octopus, the grilled tuna steak with sesame seed crust or the catch of the day which will be very fresh! We also loved both bean pudding and bean pastry for dessert which we didn’t think were exactly correctly described because there was no pudding in sight! Both looked like cakes and were individually delicious and really nice as a pair
Other than these two, you can also get a good meal at these places in Ponta Delgada:
Ta Gente (I recommend the chicken sausage and fish tempura)
Tasquinha Vieira (I would stick with the more local dishes here)
Rotas Ilha Verde (a vegetarian option)
At all of these, note that you will need to wait if you plan to eat later than 6:30/7 since most of the tourists on the island head out to dinner around 8:30. Importantly, Ta Gente was open on Sunday for dinner when most of the other restaurants were closed!
For food during the day, we opted to get some local bread, cheese, and meat for sandwiches to eat on the go. We did get a recommendation to go to the farmers market to get these ingredients and maybe even sandwiches but we found that when we went it was mostly fruit and went elsewhere. We also really enjoyed the local pastries at the snack bars. Of course the sweet pastries are amazing but so are the savory ones! Inquire about the fillings and you should be able to easily find ham and cheese, spinach, and (our favorite) chicken pastries. A great way to sample the local food is to take a local food tour. This tour even takes you to A Tasca which is a lovely way to sample this popular restaurant!
Restaurants outside of Ponta Delgada
Bar Caloura is an ocean-side restaurant serving simple but delicious seafood about a 20 minute drive from Ponta Delgada. As you drive down to the restaurant, you will pass a convent and several parking spots which may be where you ultimately find parking. Below the restaurant there is a beach with a natural pool as well! I really enjoyed the view and if possible I would try to go to Bar Caloura on an “off” hour to ensure you snag a spot right by the water. Though I would still recommend the restaurant even if you don’t have a seat right by the water, I recommend trying to get an oceanside perch!
Caldeiras e Vulcões is a restaurant in Furnas which serves amazing local food and also the local specialty - cozido. This dish is cooked in the heat of the local thermal vents for hours! Because of this, it needs to be ordered 24 hours in advance and so a reservation is required if you want to try this local specialty. A single portion is really large! f you don’t want to worry about coordinating this 24 hours in advance, you can also book a tour like this one which includes a cozido lunch. We also ordered the octopus and it was amazing. Between two people we were not able to finish the two dishes but I highly recommend both! Also note there is a bar of the same name on the left of the restaurant so if you end up there just go one door over!
