Eating in Calheta divides three ways, and the divisions are geographic rather than about price.
The marina
The quay between the boats and the sand is where the town eats in the evening. It has the choice, the view and the sunset, the wall faces almost due west, and it is the only part of the municipality where you might want to book on a summer night.
The odd one out is worth trying. Buddha & Sakura (€€) runs sushi and curry off one menu, a stranger proposition than it sounds, and it works better than it should, with tables looking back over the water at the sand and the best-placed sunset table in the village. Manifattura di Gelato (€) on the same stretch does gelato and pizza, and is the busiest thing in Calheta on a hot afternoon; reviewers on Madeira routinely rate its gelato the best on the island, which is a large claim in a place with a lot of gelato.
The rest of the quay is the marina promenade bars. A drink facing west, boats on one side, beach on the other. Nothing out here is a late-night venue; the coast goes quiet early.
The villages up the hill
For grilled meat, leave the seafront. The village restaurants in the parishes above, and out at Prazeres, do espetada properly: beef rubbed with garlic and salt, threaded on a bay-laurel skewer and grilled over wood, the skewer hung at the table. With milho frito and bolo do caco on the side, that is the meal this island is actually known for.
The one locals name on this stretch of coast is Restaurante Chico (€€), a grill house up on the Prazeres shelf doing espetada, grilled fish and bolo do caco with garlic butter. It is a village restaurant rather than a view restaurant, and that is the point.
These are village rooms with village hours. Check they are open before you drive.
The west coast
Paul do Mar is the fish. The boats land at the village and the seafront rooms cook what comes in; the setting, a thin strip of houses under an enormous cliff, does the rest. Three names there, in the order people give them:
- Bar O Ideal (€), a small seafront bar-restaurant on the strip where the boats land. Plain rooms, plain plates, fish that did not travel far, and one of the highest visitor ratings on this coast.
- Sabor Amar, Fish Factory (€€), the other name you get told. Fish-led and informal, on the same exposed seafront under the cliff.
- Restaurante Sol e Mar (€€), straightforward Portuguese cooking with the cliff wall behind and the Atlantic in front. The setting does most of the work.
On the shore itself, Calhaus Beach Bar sits on the boulders facing the biggest swell on this coast, best in the afternoon, when the surf is working and the cliff throws shade across the seafront.
Jardim do Mar has Joe's Bar (€€) in the lanes, a garden and a plain pub room that has fed the surf crowd for years. It is the practical answer to lunch when you have driven out and found nothing else open.
Out at Ponta do Pargo, near the lighthouse, O Farolim (€€) does Madeiran cooking including black pork, with a sea horizon that goes on for a very long way. Plan lunch around opening hours rather than the other way round.
What to order
- Espetada, beef on a bay skewer, grilled over wood.
- Bolo do caco, flat bread off a hot stone, with garlic butter.
- Peixe-espada preto com banana, black scabbardfish fried, with banana. Order it once.
- Lapas, limpets grilled in the shell with garlic butter.
- Poncha, sugar-cane rum, honey and citrus, stirred to order.
To drink with it, poncha and the sugar-cane rum made at the Engenho is the local answer, and it is produced a few hundred metres from the marina, pour it at the mill's own tasting bar, where entry is free and you pay only for what you drink. For a cocktail list rather than a cane spirit, the Saccharum hotel bars are open to non-residents. Which of these places you can walk to depends on your base, where to stay in Calheta covers that, and the marina restaurants sit directly behind Praia da Calheta.
FAQ
Where is the best area to eat in Calheta? The marina for choice and the view, the villages above town for grilled meat, and Paul do Mar for fish.
Do I need to book? Rarely, but the marina fills on summer evenings. The bigger risk is driving out west and finding a village kitchen closed. Call ahead.
Is Calheta expensive for eating out? Moderate, and noticeably cheaper away from the marina and the hotels.
Is there much for vegetarians? Bolo do caco, milho frito, tomato-and-onion soup, salads and grilled vegetables are widely available. The headline dishes are all meat or fish.
