Slideshow above can be seen as an album here.
We had many excellent meals during our visit. The morning we landed, we walked into Ponta Delgada from our hotels, as our rooms were not yet ready. We first stopped at a cute little bakery, Pão do Rei (king’s bread), where we had the obligatory chocolate croissants. From there we walked around a bit, passing by the farmer’s market in a parking garage in the center of town, and ended up at the Louvre Michaelense restaurant for brunch, sitting outside. The meal was great and the service wonderful.
That evening we ate at Tasquinha Vieira, where we had made reservations in advance. This restaurant is in a wine cellar and features wonderful small dishes, some of which are pictured above. Highly recommended!
The following day we went on our whale watch and tour of Lagoa do Fogo, which included lunch at a restaurant near the marina in Vila Franca do Campo. Quite good, but not spectacular. That evening we went over to Agua de Pau and had dinner at Restaurante Casa do Abel, which featured beef and more beef, as well as great wines. Forgot to take photos there, but the meal was top notch. We ordered three different cuts of beef, which were served family style on a large cutting board, along with several sides that we ordered. And the requisite Portugese wines, again excellent.
The following day we went kayaking in Sete Cidades, and afterward had lunch at Lagoa Azul restaurant. This was a buffet style with local dishes. It was quite crowded and we were on the late side, so the dishes were not as fresh, probably, as they would have been earlier in lunchtime, so not the finest experience. From there we went to the new tea place nearby that is trying to restart tea growing in Sete Cidades. There a beautiful new restaurant there, Tea House “ O Poejo”. The tea was good, but the desserts much better.
That night we tried to hit up another recommended place, A Tasca, but we couldn’t get a seat, so we went back to Louvre Michaelense, where they made room for us, again at an outdoor table (with a heat lamp). The menu can be seen in the photos. We had the beet & lentil salad, beef tartare, the cabbage steak, the duck, and the linguine with triggerfish. Again all excellent, and the waiter who had gotten us in was super helpful about where we might eat in the next few days. The list he gave us included most of the places we’d already visited, as well as overlapping with others that Mike’s friend Francisco had provided. So everyone pretty well agrees on the best places to eat.
The following day we had lunch at another recommended place, this time Borda d’Água in Lagoa. Driving there was extra fun, as the streets near the restaurant were really narrow, with buildings right up to the street, so pulling out of some side streets was high risk. Borda d’Água is right on the water, so no surprise it’s a fish restaurant. The fish was fresh and well-prepared. Pam had the shrimp wrapped in potato, photo above, which was something quite different indeed.
In the evening we went to Otaka, a Japanese restaurant. Kathy and Ben each had the tasting menu, seen in detail the photos, and Ben took the wine pairings, as well. This was an amazing dining experience, really top notch. Ben is not usually a mackerel fan, for example, but this was so fresh and beautifully prepared that it was exceptional. The wine pairings were well done, well presented and explained, and different from expectations. Otaka is almost a sufficient reason to go back to the Azores.
The next day – raining much of the day – we visited the Gorreana tea plantation and factory. On the way we stopped in at the local shopping mall to check out the large grocery store there. Mike and Pam bought a bottle of wine and then we had lunch in a bit of a rush at (get this) the food court. Many of the same US places, but a few local things to try. Maybe not necessary to repeat the experience, though. It was Ben and Kathy’s 43rd anniversary, so we celebrated by buying some cheeses at O Rei dos Queijos (“The King of Cheese”), bread and pastries at Pão do Rei, and enjoyed them with wine and friends as a “picnic” at our hotel.
The next day was our last full day in the Azores. We drove up to Nordeste and had lunch at O Forno, which was good, but nothing special. That evening we decided to do the tourist thing and ate at the Balcony restaurant in the Grand Hotel Açores Atlântico with a nice view overlooking the marina. The food was again excellent, many photos provided.
On our last day we had lunch up in Mosteiros at another little restaurant, Restaurante Gazcidla, mostly seafood. The fish was excellent, as usual.
I think we’d rate Otaka number one, followed by Tasquinha Vieira and Balcony in a close tie, any of them worth revisiting.