{"id":139255,"date":"2025-03-17T09:09:48","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T09:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/amsterdam\/a-foodies-guide-to-the-azores-biggest-island\/"},"modified":"2025-03-17T09:09:48","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T09:09:48","slug":"a-foodies-guide-to-the-azores-biggest-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=139255","title":{"rendered":"a foodie\u2019s guide to the Azores\u2019 biggest island"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Last week, I published my foodie\u2019s guide to restaurants in Ponta Delgada<\/a> \u2013 the biggest city in the Azores, on the south coast of S\u00e3o Miguel island. But of course, there\u2019s much,\u00a0much<\/em>\u00a0more to the island than its capital city. In fact, our weekends spent exploring the rest of S\u00e3o Miguel were some of the best times we had. Breathtaking scenery, rugged hikes, black-sand beaches, and bathing in sulphurous caldeiras<\/em> (hot springs)<\/pullout>. Fortunately, there are plenty of good restaurants on the rest of S\u00e3o Miguel island, too!\n<\/p>\n

Travel to and around the Azores<\/strong><\/h2>\n


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Even if you plan to travel further off the beaten path and head to one of the smaller islands, the chances are you\u2019ll need to fly in via Ponta Delgada as the main airport hub \u2013 with direct flights via United<\/a>, British Airways<\/a>, Ryanair<\/a>, Lufthansa<\/a> and TAP Air Portugal<\/a>. After spending a few days on S\u00e3o Miguel, you can take Azores Airlines<\/a> to one of the smaller islands. I must admit, we did not even attempt to take public transport around S\u00e3o Miguel (although there are buses). We rented a car<\/a> for the entire period, which helped immensely with getting out of the city and into nature (which is almost certainly why you\u2019re here).<\/p>\n

Sao Miguel restaurants: a taste of the Azores<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In my previous article, I wrote about the various Azorean food specialities<\/a> you can expect on S\u00e3o Miguel \u2013 so I won\u2019t repeat all that here. Suffice to say that steak and seafood feature heavily, as does local produce like pineapples and yams. You\u2019ll find all this and more at these S\u00e3o Miguel restaurants\u2026 Aproveite!<\/em><\/p>\n

Restaurante Tony\u2019s, Furnas<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

A meal in Furnas is one for the bucket list. Before you head into this well-maintained little town, go for a walk around Furnas Lake \u2013 at one end of which you\u2019ll find the caldeiras<\/em>. These are a series of bubbling, hot springs (caused by geothermal activity) in which the local restaurants cook their famous stew: Cozido das Furnas<\/em>. If you time it right, you\u2019ll see the cooks (or perhaps just the drivers) lowering or retrieving their giant silver pots into the steaming holes, where the stew cooks for around 7-8 hours. As I said, this is bucket list stuff!<\/p>\n

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Caldeiras in Furnas, cooking the cozido of the local restaurants!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Several restaurants offer Cozido das Furnas<\/em>, and in many cases you need to reserve it 24 hours in advance. We hadn\u2019t, but we got lucky that Restaurante Tony\u2019s<\/a> still had some left by the time we arrived. And it was just as wonderful as I\u2019d anticipated: a steaming platter of meat and veggies emerged, brimming with slow-cooked pork, beef, chicken, chorizo, blood sausage, cabbage, potatoes, yams and carrots. Wash it down with a glass of Portuguese red wine, and you\u2019re in cozido <\/em>heaven.<\/p>\n

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Cozido at Tony\u2019s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cantinho do Cais, Porto Formoso<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

We went to Cantinho do Cais<\/a> after a hike on S\u00e3o Miguel\u2019s north coast, and Porto Formoso was a perfect pitstop on our way back to Ponta Delgada. I can\u2019t tell you much about the ambience because we sat outside (we had the dog with us) but the terrace is covered and faces south, so if there\u2019s sunshine it\u2019s a good spot for al fresco dining. I\u2019d recommend the fish stew, which was subtly but expertly flavoured with white wine, cream and a local herb I couldn\u2019t put my finger on. The fish, veggies and potatoes were unfailingly fresh and locally caught\/cropped. Good with a glass of crisp Douro white wine.<\/p>\n

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Caldeirada de peixe at Cantinho do Cais<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Restaurante Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Agr\u00edcola de S\u00e3o Miguel, Ribeira Grande<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

On the outskirts of Ribeira Grande, you\u2019ll find a sprawling, industrial-looking block with assorted farm machinery strewn outside. This unprepossessing building is home to one of S\u00e3o Miguel\u2019s most famous restaurants: Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Agr\u00edcola de S\u00e3o Miguel<\/a>. As you might gather from the title, it\u2019s an association of local farmers, and it\u2019s also the<\/em> place to come for steak on Sunday.<\/p>\n

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Steak, Azorean-style, \u00e0 \u201cAssocia\u00e7\u00e3o\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Their Bife \u00e0 \u201cAssocia\u00e7\u00e3o\u201d comes in the traditional manner of the island: served with roasted garlic, brined red pepper (use this as a seasoning for the meat \u2013 do not eat it all at once!), white wine jus and a fried egg. But there are other local preparations of steak available too \u2013 think passionfruit sauce or a creamy gravy made from the island\u2019s cheese. Whichever you choose, you\u2019ll get around 300 grams of either tenderloin, sirloin or something translated as \u201cround steak\u201d that was a mystery to me. French fries come as standard, but salad or veggies are extra (with hindsight, we should have ordered some, as it was a LOT of meat on an otherwise empty stomach). It\u2019s not the most creative food, but the quality is high.<\/p>\n

Quinta dos Sabores, Ribeira Grande<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Located on a farm that grows much of its own produce, Quinta dos Sabores<\/a> is a lovely special occasion restaurant that\u2019s as visually gorgeous as it is tasty. Guests are treated to a six-course farm-to-table menu from the chef, with one of two possible wine pairings if you so desire. By Portuguese standards, the dishes are relatively heavy on vegetables, which makes a welcome change and isn\u2019t too surprising when you consider the restaurant\u2019s location.<\/p>\n

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The first of six courses at Quinta dos Sabores<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The evening we visited, we were greeted with a huge array of tiny snacks with a sparkling wine from Bairrada (it\u2019s hard to hold back, but hold back you must to reserve sufficient room for the rest!). We then moved onto delightful (and generously filled) beef tacos with sweet & sour pickled ribbons of root veg, plus a local fish with tomato and seafood broth laced with lots more veggies \u2013 both of which were paired with Azorean white wines. The meaty main comprised beef with peppers and kale (with a red wine from the family\u2019s Alentejo winery). And finally an unctuous chocolate tart with banana and peanut butter ice cream, paired with an aged white port. We took a taxi back to Ponta Delgada after dinner, but it\u2019s also possible to stay the night at Quinta dos Sabores \u2013 it would be lovely to see the farm in daylight the next morning.<\/p>\n

\u00c1gua de Fogo food truck, Lagoa <\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

After hiking around the Lagoa de Fogo\/Janela do Inferno area, stop to enjoy the view and a frankly spectacular smash burger from the food truck at \u00c1gua de Fogo<\/a>. There are pretty much two ways you can go with it: American-style with bacon, cheddar and pickles, or \u201clocal-style\u201d with Azorean pineapple and S\u00e3o Jorge cheese in bolo l\u00eavedo<\/em> bread. Whichever you choose, get a double: I went single and regretted it the instant I tasted it. It was so good, I wanted more!<\/p>\n

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The best smash burgers! \u00c1gua de Fogo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Vulcana, Ribeira Grande<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

A brewery located in an industrial zone just outside of Ribeira Grande, Vulcana<\/a> is much more impressive on the inside than you\u2019d expect from the outside. With its sleek lighting, indoor trees and scaffolding-chic seating arrangements, Vulcana would look at home in Portland, Oregon. As it is, the brew masters are making Azorean craft IPAs, pilsners, ales and stouts right there in front of you (in a set of shiny steel tanks named after The Beatles). The red ale was my favourite, but fans of artisanal beers will be happy with whatever they choose. Vulcana often hosts live music events as well.<\/p>\n

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Local beers at Vulcana brewery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Planning a trip to the Azores? Read my articles about <\/em>Azorean wine<\/em><\/a> over on <\/em>Substack: The Wine Edit<\/em><\/a>. And don\u2019t forget to check out my <\/em>foodie\u2019s guide to Ponta Delgada<\/em><\/a>, too!<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n