Our rental home was situated in Almoxarife, so we ate out at one of Praia do Almoxarife’s restaurants Mini Mar the first night and we went back a couple more times as well.
The food was good and plenty, reasonably priced, and the menu was available only in Portuguese.
- Mini Mar Restaurant in Praia do Almoxarife
We also noticed that most dishes at Mini Mar came with the same trimmings: French fries, a bit of rice, and undressed salad. We ate there three times in two weeks and had our fill.
Next we tried O’Esconderijo in Cedros (Northern coast), run by a couple of Germans. One tour guide described as hard to find, but once we got to the center of the village, we just had to follow the only two signs leading out of it. Do not be surprised to find this restaurant at the very edge of it! Just follow the tractors heading out towards the fields, and if you have hit the dirt road, then you have missed it as it is the last house on the left.
The food was excellent!!! They have a limited menu, but it has something for everyone (lamb, fish, vegetarian, etc.) The trimmings vary with each dish and the food arrangement is very pleasant to the eyes as well. Hans, one of the owners, waited on us in a very congenial way and was most helpful. Fränkie runs the kitchen. The restaurant has a very nice ambiance and seems to be booked out often. The inside was all taken up by Portuguese patrons, who had called to reserve (recommended!) We were out on the terrace with Germans at a neighboring table. Next to the restaurant is a gorge and a bit of a jungle with a sign inviting you to take a Walk in the Wild, which we did. Alltogether, this is a great place if you are not on a tight budget!
Contact: Hans and Fränkie
Rua Joan Alves 3 in Cedros, Faial
einjo@web.de tel: 351 – 292 – 946 505 (closed on Tuesdays)
The restaurant at the very edge of the village.
O'Esconderijo's "Take a Walk in the Wild" area.
Hans is in charge of service at O' Esconderijo.
One thing we noticed on Faial is that there are not enough restaurants. I guess it must be a bit more difficult to get your merchandise when it comes by ship. Hans mentioned he had been waiting for more than two weeks for a shipment of vanilla ice-cream and waiting for overdue orders might be a challenge for some restaurant and grocery shop owners.
One peculiar thing we noticed as well as we ate our way through different snack bars and restaurants – only ONE menu for four people would be brought to the table. After a couple of minutes – quick service! – the waitress would be back ready to take our order, when we weren’t.
The cheapest places to eat are definitely the snack bars which are abundant on the island. Fries are usually 70 cents, a cheeseburger costs 1 Euro, espresso café can be had for 50 cents. These snack bars all show the red SICAL sign.
A typical lunch at a SICAL snack bar.
Beware though of these big burgers! The low price might fool you into believing you are getting a bite to eat! Some of these burgers were so big they looked dangerous…
