Restaurants, cafés and bakeries in Costa Calma

Dragoeiro is in Caloura, at the Quinta do Mirante above the coast of Água de Pau, and it cooks two things side by side: sushi and the food of the Azores. Next to sushi and hot sushi there are fusion plates, starters and salads, meat, seafood, pasta and risotto, açaí and desserts, with a wine list to match. The kitchen works to one rule - "waste has no reserved seat" - and tries to use every ingredient and every protein in full. It is open every day for lunch and dinner, and tables can be booked by phone or through TheFork.

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Queijadas do Morgado

Vila Franca do Campo · Bakery · Cakes and pastries · Breakfast

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Mikhail Nilov / Pexels

Rua do Penedo 20, 9680-146 Vila Franca do Campo

+351296581183

Mon 09:00–19:00; Tue 09:00–19:00; Wed 09:00–19:00; Thu 09:00–19:00; Fri 09:00–19:00; Sat 09:00–19:00; Sun 09:00–19:00

Queijadas do Morgado on the Rua do Penedo in Vila Franca do Campo makes one thing, and it is the thing this town is known for across the whole archipelago: the queijada da Vila. The house calls them the fantastic queijadas of Vila Franca do Campo, the only ones — and it is not really an exaggeration, because the recipe belongs to this town. A queijada da Vila is a small baked tart of egg, sugar and milk in a thin pastry case, wrapped in paper and sold by the dozen. Despite the name — queijo is cheese — there is no cheese in it. They are eaten as a mid-morning thing with coffee and they are what Azoreans carry back to family on the mainland, which is why the shop is set up for taking away rather than sitting down. It opens every day from nine in the morning to seven in the evening, with no closing day, which for an island bakery is unusual and useful — Sunday included. Vila Franca do Campo was the first capital of São Miguel until an earthquake and landslide destroyed it in 1522. It lies on the south coast, about twenty minutes east of Ribeira Chã along the coast road. You will find Queijadas do Morgado at Rua do Penedo 20, 9680-146 Vila Franca do Campo.

BookNoFees: Example photo: Grilled tuna steak with salad and lemon

Adega Caloura

Água de Pau

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Adriano Bragi / Pexels

Rua da Caloura 15, 9560-206 Água de Pau

+351935614425

Adega Caloura is a restaurant in an old wine cellar in Caloura, the fishing hamlet below Água de Pau where the vineyards run down to the sea in stone-walled terraces. The vaulted room, the barrels and the candlelight make it the most atmospheric dinner on this stretch of the south coast, and it is small enough that a table is worth reserving. The kitchen is fish and seafood first: grilled tuna and tuna tartare when the boats bring it in, garlic prawns, octopus, with a couple of vegetarian plates and a long list of Azorean and mainland wines to go with the cellar. It opens only in the evening and only on some days of the week, which vary through the year - a phone call before driving down saves a wasted trip.

BookNoFees: Example photo: Whole grilled fish on a white plate

Bar Caloura

Água de Pau

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Masuma Rahaman / Pexels

Rua da Caloura 20, 9560-226 Água de Pau

+351296913283

Mon–Sun 11:00–22:00

Bar Caloura sits right on the water at Caloura, the small harbor below Água de Pau on the south coast of São Miguel. It began in the 1980s as the place where the local fishermen met, and it has kept that spirit: informal, with a terrace over the sea where the sound of the waves comes with the meal. The kitchen is about fresh fish and seafood - limpets, prawns and the catch of the day from the grill - alongside Portuguese dishes. The restaurant is accessible by wheelchair, takes reservations and also does takeaway.

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BookNoFees: Example photo: Octopus in tomato sauce with greens

Pérola do Oceano

Água de Pau

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Deane Bayas / Pexels

Rua do Paúl 26, 9560-246 Água de Pau

+351296913161

Pérola do Oceano is a family restaurant in the village of Água de Pau, a few minutes up the hill from Ribeira Chã, where the owner cooks and the dining room is papered with postcards, photographs and notes left by guests from all over the world - the decoration has grown for years and is half the reason people come back. The food is Azorean home cooking, unfussy and generous: fried chicharros, the small mackerel of the islands, baked octopus, crab and fried prawns to start, a grilled beef tenderloin for those who want meat, and for dessert bean pudding or the house ice cream. Prices are village prices. It suits a family evening more than a formal one.

BookNoFees: Example photo: Grilled steak served with vegetables

Restaurante O Silva

Ribeira Grande · German home cooking · Fish and seafood · Lunch

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Vladimir Gladkov / Pexels

Rua Direita de Cima 41, 9600-221 Ribeira Grande

+351917725881

Mon Closed; Tue 12:00–15:00, 18:45–22:00; Wed 12:00–15:00, 18:45–22:00; Thu 12:00–15:00, 18:45–22:00; Fri 12:00–15:00, 18:45–22:00; Sat 12:00–15:00, 18:45–22:00; Sun 12:00–15:00

O Silva has been cooking on the Rua Direita de Cima in Ribeira Grande since 1979 — more than forty years of the same kitchen, run on family recipes handed down through the generations. Regional character, tradition and freshness are the three things the house names for itself, in that order. It is unusually specific about what it is known for, which saves a visitor guessing. The famous dish is the Bife à Silva. Then there is arroz de cherne com miolo de camarão — wreckfish rice with shrimp — the espetada de cherne com camarão, cavaco, and filetes de abrótea, fillets of forkbeard. Cherne and abrótea are deep-water fish of these islands and are not things you will have eaten at home. Food is also prepared to take away, which the house calls flavours at home. It is closed on Monday. Tuesday to Saturday it serves lunch from midday to three and dinner from a quarter to seven until ten; on Sunday there is lunch only. The Rua Direita de Cima runs through the old centre of Ribeira Grande, the island's second town, on the north coast about forty minutes from Ribeira Chã. The drive crosses the middle of São Miguel over the ridge, past the Lagoa do Fogo, which makes the journey there worth as much as the meal at the end of it. You will find O Silva at Rua Direita de Cima 41, 9600-221 Ribeira Grande.

Alabote

Ribeira Grande · Fish and seafood · Vegetarian · Vegan

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Adriano Bragi / Pexels

Rua East Providence 68, 9600-524 Ribeira Grande

+351296473516

Mon 12:00–15:30, 19:00–22:00; Tue 12:00–15:30, 19:00–22:00; Wed Closed; Thu 12:00–15:30, 19:00–22:00; Fri 12:00–15:30, 19:00–22:00; Sat 12:00–15:30, 19:00–22:00; Sun 12:00–15:30, 19:00–22:00

Alabote stands on the Rua East Providence in Ribeira Grande, on the north coast of São Miguel. The building is the first thing the house talks about: an architecture built to hold contemporary, functional construction and the landscape together rather than to shut one out of the other, with the sunset as part of what you are there for. Fresh fish is what it stakes its name on — the best of the Azorean sea, as the house puts it, cooked carefully. An alabote is a halibut, so the name says the same thing. What sets it apart from most restaurants on the island is the breadth of the menu. Alongside meat and fish there are vegetarian and vegan dishes as a proper part of the card, and the traditional Azorean repertoire is kept as well. In an archipelago whose cooking runs on beef, pork and fish, a kitchen that treats a vegan diner as a guest rather than a problem is worth knowing about in advance. Service is in two sittings — midday to half past three, then seven to ten — and it is closed on Wednesday. Ribeira Grande is the island's second town, about twenty minutes over the ridge from Ponta Delgada and forty from Ribeira Chã. You will find Alabote at Rua East Providence 68, 9600-524 Ribeira Grande.

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Louvre Michaelense

Ponta Delgada · Cafe · Lunch · Dinner

Rua Antonio Jose DAlmeida 8, 9500-053 Ponta Delgada

+351938346886

Mon 11:00–00:00; Tue 11:00–00:00; Wed Closed; Thu 11:00–00:00; Fri 11:00–00:00; Sat 11:00–00:00; Sun 11:00–00:00

Louvre Michaelense stands on the Rua António José d'Almeida in the middle of Ponta Delgada, the capital of São Miguel. The house keeps no website, so nothing here describes what it serves; what can be set down is the address, the hours and the name. The name is worth a sentence. Michaelense is the adjective for São Miguel — a person or a thing of this island — so the house calls itself the island's Louvre, which is a large claim made with a straight face and tells you it is a room that holds things as much as it is a place to sit. The hours describe an all-day room rather than a restaurant with services: eleven in the morning until midnight, without a break, six days a week. It is closed on Wednesday, which is the one thing to plan around. Thirteen hours in a stretch means a coffee at three in the afternoon and something at eleven at night are equally possible, and in a town where most kitchens shut between lunch and dinner that is the point. Ponta Delgada is about half an hour west of Ribeira Chã along the south coast, and this street is in the old centre, a few minutes from the harbour front and the city gates. You will find Louvre Michaelense at Rua António José d'Almeida 8, 9500-053 Ponta Delgada.

BookNoFees: Example photo: Fried calamari rings with salad and dipping sauce

Soun Cafe and Restaurant

Serrekunda · German home cooking · Breakfast · Lunch

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Farhad Ibrahimzade / Pexels

Bertil Harding Highway 7, Serrekunda

+2202335847

Mon 07:30–23:00; Tue 07:30–23:00; Wed 07:30–23:00; Thu 07:30–23:00; Fri 07:30–23:00; Sat 08:30–23:00; Sun 08:30–23:00

Soun is a café and restaurant on the Bertil Harding Highway, the coast road that runs along the Gambian Atlantic shore. It describes what it does as breakfast, brunch and beyond — Afro-fusion cooking with a nostalgic Gambian flair. The name carries the whole idea and the house explains it. Soun comes from the Wolof word souna, a variety of local millet, and it honours Joyce's grandmother, Kumba Soun Sanneh, who was born in the souna harvest season. A restaurant named after a grain and a grandmother is telling you where its cooking is rooted before you read a single dish. My Gambia Magazine described the room as a fusion of flavours with a welcoming atmosphere, warm lights, soft music and staff dressed to match the decor — every part of it, they wrote, reflecting Joyce's commitment. The kitchen keeps separate cards for breakfast, for lunch and dinner, and for drinks. It opens at half past seven in the morning on weekdays and half past eight at the weekend, running to eleven at night every day with no closing day. The coast road connects Bijilo, Kololi and Serrekunda, so this is a few minutes from the beach hotels and from the Bijilo Forest Park, where the red colobus monkeys come down to the path. Serrekunda is the largest town in the Gambia, considerably bigger than the capital, and the coastal strip below it is where almost everything a visitor uses sits. You will find Soun at Bertil Harding Highway 7, Serrekunda, Gambia.

BookNoFees: Example photo: Assorted cheeses with fruit and nuts on a serving board

Alliance Café

Serekunda

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Farhad Ibrahimzade / Pexels

67 Kairaba Avenue, Serekunda

+2203717777

Mon–Sun 11:00–22:00

Alliance Café opened in February 2021 in the garden of the Alliance Française de Banjul, in the institute's building on Kairaba Avenue. It was set up as a café and restaurant for everyone, bringing art, culture and food together in one place. The kitchen leans French and Italian, and the garden hosts regular evenings: French cheese and wine tastings, and traditional kora music played in the calm of the courtyard. It opens in the morning and stays open into the evening, later towards the weekend.

BookNoFees: Example photo: Cheese pizza topped with cherry tomatoes

The Fajara Garden Restaurant

Serrekunda · Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Marcelo Oliveira Santana / Pexels

1st Street East, Serrekunda

+2203717777

Mon 08:30–00:00; Tue 08:30–00:00; Wed 08:30–00:00; Thu 08:30–00:00; Fri 08:30–00:00; Sat 08:30–00:00; Sun 11:00–00:00

The Fajara Garden Restaurant stands on 1st Street East in Fajara, on the Gambian coast. It keeps no website, so nothing here describes what comes out of the kitchen; the telephone number is the way to ask. The name says it is a garden restaurant, and in this climate that is a practical distinction rather than a decorative one. The Gambian coast runs hot and, for half the year, humid; eating under trees rather than under a roof is the difference between a comfortable evening and an endured one, which is why the better-known places here are gardens. The hours are long and start early: half past eight in the morning until midnight, six days a week, with Sunday beginning at eleven instead. There is no closing day and no break between services, so breakfast, a long lunch and a late dinner all happen at the same address. Fajara lies between Bakau and Kololi, a little inland of the beach, and is one of the older residential quarters of the coastal strip — quieter than the Senegambia road and within a short taxi ride of it. Bijilo, with the forest park and the beach hotels, is a few kilometres south. Getting between them is done by shared taxi or by the green tourist taxis, and both are cheap; walking the coast road after dark is not the local habit. You will find The Fajara Garden Restaurant on 1st Street East, Fajara, Gambia.

BookNoFees: Example photo: Garlic prawns garnished with chopped herbs in a black bowl on a white plate

Darboes Restaurant

Serrekunda · Dinner · Late night · Seating outdoors

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Павел Хлыстунов / Pexels

Senegambia Road, Serrekunda

+2207816814

Mon 17:00–02:00; Tue 17:00–02:00; Wed 17:00–02:00; Thu 17:00–02:00; Fri 17:00–02:00; Sat 17:00–02:00; Sun 17:00–02:00

Darboe's Restaurant is on the Senegambia Road in Kololi. It keeps no website, so nothing is written here about its cooking — only what can be checked, and the hours are the most telling part of that. It opens at five in the afternoon and closes at two the following morning, every day of the week. There is no lunch and no breakfast at all. A kitchen that does not open until the evening and runs until two is an evening and night house rather than a restaurant with a late licence, and anyone walking past at midday will find it closed. That fits the street. The Senegambia Road — known simply as the Strip — is the centre of the Gambian coastal tourist area, a run of restaurants, bars and hotels between Kololi and the beach, and it is busiest after dark. Darboe is one of the most common Gambian surnames, and a restaurant carrying it plainly is signalling a local house rather than a hotel dining room. Bijilo lies immediately south of Kololi, so this is a short taxi ride or a long walk from the beach hotels there. The Gambia is the smallest country on the African mainland — a strip of land either side of its river, nowhere much more than fifty kilometres across — and its entire tourist coast is this one stretch of shore, which is why so much of it is concentrated on a single road. You will find Darboe's Restaurant on Senegambia Road, Kololi, Gambia.

BookNoFees: Example photo: Grilled fish with lemon

Darboe's Restaurant

Kololi

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Elsa silva / Pexels

Senegambia Strip, Kololi

+2207816814

Mon–Sun 11:00–22:00

Darboe's is a Gambian-owned bar and restaurant in the middle of the Senegambia Strip in Kololi. It opens for breakfast and stays busy late into the night, with a band playing on most evenings, sport on a big screen and free Wi-Fi. The kitchen serves Gambian and international food, and it is the Gambian dishes that bring people back: fish benachin, rice cooked in one pot with fish and vegetables in a spiced tomato stock; yassa, chicken or fish in a sharp onion and lemon sauce; and domoda, the peanut stew served with rice. There are tables outdoors.

BookNoFees: Example photo: Croissant served with jam

La Parisienne Brusubi

Bijilo

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Augustinus Martinus Noppé / Pexels

Brusubi Turntable, Bertil Harding Highway, Bijilo

+2202030133

Mon–Sun 9:00–24:00

La Parisienne is the Gambian bakery-café that has been baking in the French way since 1993, and this is its Bijilo branch at the Brusubi turntable, a few minutes from the Senegambia strip and the Bijilo beach hotels. The counter holds croissants, pains au chocolat, tarts and celebration cakes; the kitchen behind it serves breakfast, sandwiches, shawarma, pizzas and a menu of everyday meals through the day, with proper coffee and fresh juices. The room is fully air-conditioned, which on a hot afternoon is half the point, and there are tables outside for the cooler hours. It opens in the morning and stays open late, so it works as much for a first coffee as for a late dessert after a beach day.

Restaurante Náutico Deportivo de Ribeira

Ribeira · Spanish · Steak and grill · Fish and seafood

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue José Antonio Otegui Auzmendi / Pexels

Puerto Deportivo, s/n, planta 1ª, 15960 Ribeira

+34981835389

Restaurante Náutico Deportivo de Ribeira combines a seafood meal with a direct view of the marina and the Ría de Arousa. The restaurant occupies the first floor at the sporting harbour, with a dining room oriented towards the water. Its team has been serving here since 1995, and the nearby fish market remains central to the way it describes its cooking. Daily market visits shape a menu based on fresh fish and shellfish prepared in a traditional style. Grilled cod, local fish and a mixed seafood grill give several starting points, while the restaurant also highlights goose barnacles, prawns and other seasonal shellfish. Ask what is available on the day: the appeal of this kind of kitchen lies partly in choosing from the current catch. Rice dishes receive particular attention. Lobster rice is a house speciality, with live lobsters from the Ría de Arousa kept in the restaurant's tank. Another preparation brings together local brown crab and prawns. For diners who prefer meat, the specialities include beef rib steak, entrecôte and tenderloin. Homemade desserts provide a gentler finish, with cheesecake, lemon mousse and red-fruit panna cotta among the published choices. There is also a cafeteria for breakfast or an aperitif, so a visit need not always become a full seafood lunch. Takeaway meals and group celebrations can be arranged directly. Phone ahead for current service times and discuss any particular shellfish or rice dish when reserving. The first-floor harbour address is useful to note when finding the entrance.

Restaurante Tío Pepe

Ribeira · Pizza · Spanish · Steak and grill

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Anthony Rahayel / Pexels

Paseo das Carolinas, 34 Bajo, 15960 Ribeira

+34981874692

Restaurante Tío Pepe combines a Galician grill and seafood restaurant with a substantial handmade-pizza menu in Ribeira. The business began in Aguiño in the 1980s, building its name around roast suckling pig and grilled meats before developing the hot-stone beef that remains a house speciality. Today its address is Paseo das Carolinas, with dining spaces for both everyday meals and small celebrations. Pizza is a prominent part of the choice. A margherita combines tomato, mozzarella and oregano, while other versions use Serrano ham, tuna, four cheeses or vegetables. Some bring local ingredients into the format, including octopus with paprika and olive oil. Several sizes are offered, making pizza a practical option for a group or a meal taken back to the accommodation. For a more traditional table, the menu lists grilled prawns, garlic prawns, razor clams, scallops and clams in marinera sauce. Seasonal mussels and cockles sit beside fish such as turbot and sea bass. Meat choices include Galician beef cuts, churrasco and hot-stone beef for at least two people. The restaurant asks diners to order mixed meat grills in advance. Takeaway and delivery are available, with the team able to clarify the delivery area when ordering. The premises include an enclosed terrace, a more private dining space and adapted toilets with baby-changing facilities. Vegan, allergy-related and gluten-free requests require advance notice. Booking arrangements change in summer, so contact the restaurant directly for the current table policy, opening times and any dish that needs to be ordered ahead.

BookNoFees: Example photo: Sliced steak served with vegetables

Casa Fontao

Ribeira · Spanish · Steak and grill · Fish and seafood

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Rasul Yarichev / Pexels

Avenida da Coruña, 149, 15960 Ribeira

+34618610171

Casa Fontao is a long-established family restaurant on Avenida da Coruña in Ribeira, close to Coroso beach. Founded in 1963, it now continues under a newer generation of the family after a renovation. The cooking keeps a traditional Galician direction, with seasonal fish, meat dishes and homemade desserts, making it a useful stop when a coastal outing calls for a complete meal. The menu has plenty of local character. Starters include octopus á feira, clams, razor clams and croquettes combining turnip greens with goat's cheese. Fish choices include Galician-style cod, roasted cod loin, sea bass and skate. Meat dishes range from beef entrecôte to pork cheeks cooked with Ribera del Duero wine and pork tenderloin with San Simón cheese. Rice is another reason to come with time to spare. The restaurant specifies a minimum of two diners and a preparation time of around 45 minutes, with seafood, vegetables and meat among the alternatives. There is a separate vegetarian menu built around vegetables, chickpeas and turnip greens, plus a children's menu. Casa Fontao also advertises gluten-free dishes and invites diners to discuss their requirements directly. A homemade dessert might mean rice pudding, cheesecake or a chocolate-and-walnut brownie. Groups can arrange a meal with the restaurant, and some menu formats are available to take away. The location has nearby parking, and the restaurant says animals are welcome. When booking, mention dietary needs, pets or a rice order so the team can explain the current choices and practical arrangements.

Asador O Matadero

Ribeira · Spanish · Steak and grill · Burgers

Example photo of the cuisine — not photographed at this venue Nano Erdozain / Pexels

Outeiro, 7, Artes, 15968 Ribeira

+34981872775

Asador O Matadero is a grill restaurant in Artes, within the municipality of Ribeira. Its cooking puts meat and fish over the coals, supported by vegetables and other ingredients bought from nearby markets. The restaurant has operated for more than three decades and has renewed its dining spaces while keeping traditional cooking at the centre of the offer. Beef is a particular focus. The menu distinguishes between cuts and breeds rather than treating every steak as the same choice: entrecôte, tenderloin and picanha sit alongside larger bone-in cuts and a hot-stone tasting of several meats. Availability changes, so this is a place to ask the team which cuts are being served and how a larger piece should be shared. There are other ways to explore the grill. Cod is served with confit onion and sliced potatoes, while small local cuttlefish come from the hot plate with garlic oil. Ibérico pork, a beef burger in artisan bread and a brioche filled with slowly cooked beef rib broaden the menu. Seafood starters include options such as squid, razor clams and scallops, keeping the connection with Ribeira's coast alongside the meat specialities. Desserts include baked cheesecake, a warm white-chocolate preparation and a mango sorbet with Albariño. The restaurant also offers a weekday set menu and can arrange tailored menus for groups. Contact it directly to discuss the day's cuts, larger meat orders or a celebration. That conversation is particularly useful here, because the choice of cut, weight and preparation shapes the meal as much as the choice of dish.

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Restaurants, cafés and bakeries in Costa Calma

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