Centred on the Rua da Imprezza Dona Amelia, (off the main road Avenue Do Infante which heads out of Funchal going west). This quarter is bounded by the Casino Park Hotel at the city end, passing between the Savoy Place and The Royal Savoy and up to the Pestana Madeira Carlton hotel, this little area including adjacent roads and side roads is full of restaurants and bars aimed firmly at visitors to the island.
Casa Velha and Dona Amelia
Where to begin, If you join Rua Imperatriz Da. Amelia by turning left off the Avenue do Infante coming from Funchal (passing the Casino) on the long hill up the Rua Imperatriz Da. Amelia drops and curves to the right you will arrive at Casa Velha, a very good restaurant with courtyard dining. It is the sister restaurant to Dona Amelia which is another hundred yards on, which is equally excellent and probably slightly more popular. Booking advised for both. They offer a very traditional Madeiran dining experience based on exquisite service and excellent cooking of some of Madeira’s most famous and traditional dishes including Espada and Estepada – The first is the famous scabbard fish and the later a traditional meat skewer dish.
If you are looking for a very good pizza and a family friendly environment try Bernini. Family run, very good food and friendly service and a marvellous wine list of some very interesting Madeira wines of some provenance. After Bernini there are three popular restaurants Casa Vizinho, Sem Rumo and Porta do Lado. If you turn uphill just before the Prince Albert and walk up the hill you will find the restaurant called Joy. This is an amazing restaurant with super view down over the buildings of Rua Imperatriz Da. Amelia. There is a lovely cocktail bar for an aperitif – order a Sercial of course. The menu is modern and concise and the cooking top notch excellent.
A British pub or an Irish bar, both very good
Facing the junction of Breca Imperatriz Da. Amelia (where Joy is), is of course Dona Amelia as we have mentioned, but it must be mentioned again, The Estepada is excellent as is the calves liver and the gratins are the greatest dessert in Madeira. On that same junction is The Prince Albert Pub. This is a friendly pub that you don’t “belly up to the bar”. It has very efficient table service and offers an excellent burger. It has live music and can be very busy at times. The Prince is only open in the evenings unlike Moynihans Irish bar a little further along the road, which is open all day. This bar has a nice outdoors terrace and is popular for watching football matches on the TV. The cooking is good and the service usually swift.
On the side road off to your left, down hill is a Mezze restaurant and another of Funchal’s very fine restaurants Casal da Penha. The restaurant has a beautiful terrace outside and serves elegant traditional Portuguese food, with an emphasis on fish. Continuing past Moynihans up the gentle hill on the left is Terreiro Restaurant. This has both balcony dining overlooking the gardens of the Royal Savoy and courtyard dining. This is a classy restaurant and is part of the Savoy Signature group of hotels and restaurants so expect excellence.
A collective kitchen
There is a row of restaurants on the left, before arriving at a collective kitchen Restaurante Arraial da Imperatriz with a number of food outlets including Tex-Mex, Pizza and Burgers offerings along with a bar and ample seating.
A curry?
At the junction of Rua da Imprezza Dona Amelia and R. Carvalho Araujo is another cluster of restaurants including the legendary Hemingway’s with its amazingly long menu with dishes named after authors from around the world. Its concept menu (one price for 3 courses off the menu) is very popular and it has a nice courtyard. This restaurant can get very busy. Opposite is the Taj Mahal (no prizes for guessing the cuisine) which is very good indeed. Directly underneath is the Garden Grill which specialises in Steaks.
Savoy Palace places to eat
If you walk up passing the pedestrian passageway passing the very nice pastelaria – La Dolci and the Gelato – Ice cream shop you will find the entrance at the top of the stairs to Pau de Lume, another classy restaurant.. Keep walking on in front of the Savoy Palace (admiring the fountains) and you will eventually come to the entrance to the Galaxia Restaurant, well the reception anyway. It is just tucked a little back. This is a very up scale restaurant and booking is probably compulsory. A drink is possible on the roof top bar if you ask nicely! The tasting menu is divine and wine accompaniments are well chosen and served.
Two more pubs and excellent fish
Back to R. Carvalho Araujo There a are another couple of bars to visit, one called The Pub, adjacent to the Pestana Carlton and one on Rue do. Favilla imaginatively called Pub Number 2. Both serve good cold beer and are very popular. Next to Pub Number 2 is Isca, a seafood restaurant that is proving very successful. (it was the Red Lion) Fish is priced by weight at the stall and the kitchens are open to view behind the fish stall. There is usually a good choice of fish, but when its gone its gone. It is very fresh and very good. I love the fish cakes – Portuguese cod style, Bacalhau (salted cod) If you order scallops count what you get served in comparison to what you ordered.
Almost opposite Isca is the long established Chalet. This is a good value and busy restaurant open only in the evenings. Service is speedy so not one for over relaxing and contemplating your meal. The food is generally good. After The Chalet are a number of long established restaurants including the elegant restaurant Favilla.
This guide is based on personal experience and as such cannot guarantee the quality of any restaurant mentioned. I have to say I have never had a bad meal at any of the restaurants linked to in this piece.