Following on from our Where to eat in Ponta Delgada guide, if you’re exploring outside of the capital we have a handy series on Where to eat on Sao Miguel. Here’s our guide on where to eat in Sete Cidades and the west…
Heading west out of the city, you’d be forgiven for missing the Saca-Rolhas Taberna in the small village of Relva to the west of Joao Paulo II airport. My first visit to the taberna was also my first visit to Sao Miguel – an Azorean friend knew I’d enjoy ‘the best steak on the south coast’. The dishes are traditional in flavour but the presentation is refined – their range of Azorean and mainland wines is extensive.
Heading down into the Sete Cidades caldera, there are three great lunchtime options. As you cross the bridge between the twin lakes of Lagos Verde and Lagoa Azul, lookout for the O Peojo teahouse on your left. It’s a striking new-build of local stone and cedar, with a similarly local feel to the menu – soups, salads, sandwiches, homemade cakes and teas from the plantation at Gorreana.
An old favourite for the whole team here at Archipelago is the Restaurant Sau Nicolau – just opposite the church in the centre of Sete Cidades village. There was a time when the Sau Nicolau was the only restaurant option – I once made the mistake of ending a hike there on a Sunday afternoon, only to find that every table was occupied by a local family. Quite right too: they serve no-frills dishes from the island in those famously generous Azorean portions, and there’s usually a specials board outside…
…and if Sao Nicolau is full, the Restaurante Lagoa Azul is a good alternative, just around the corner.
The Green Love Restaurant is down on the shore of Lagoa Azul. It’s a modern, open-plan café bar with big outdoor terrace – ideal if you’re biking, hiking or kayaking in the caldera and want a quick break for lunch. It’s essentially a fast food place, but is arguably the most family-friendly of the restaurants in Sete Cidades, as the field leading down to the lake is a nice safe space for kids to run around.
Leaving the caldera behind, the west-coast village of Mosteiros often sees the island’s most stunning ocean sunsets. The Poca da Pedra Bar (known locally as Steve’s Bar) is the best place to enjoy a cocktail as the sun goes down.
They only really serve snacks and burgers at Poca da Pedra – if you’re just in Mosteiros for lunch, you could try for a table at O Americo de Barbosa on Rua das Pensoes. Their seafood is simply prepared and they mix a nice Sangria, but it can be tricky getting a table without booking in advance.
If you’re staying in Mosteiros, there are two good options for dinner. The Restaurante o Chico is on your left, just after the Igreja Paroquial dos Mosteiros, and the Restaurante Gazcidla is further along the Rua da Ponte on the right – you can’t miss the Gazcidla, thanks to the octopus mural which wraps around its front facade. Like the Sao Nicolau in Sete Cidades, they both serve hearty portions of traditional Azorean cuisine.
Our Where to eat guides are based on our first-hand experiences and our love of great Portuguese cuisine:
Where to eat in Ponta Delgada
Our Ponta Delgada Food Tour
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 in Angra
Where to eat on Terceira
Where to eat on Faial
Where to eat on Sao Jorge
Where to eat on Pico
Where to eat on Flores, Corvo, Santa Maria and Graciosa
Where to eat in Lisbon
Where to eat in Funchal
Our Funchal Food Tour
Where to eat on Madeira
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