Por Do Sol — Restaurant in Angra do Heroísmo

Another hidden Gem of Terceira discovered through a suggestion from Filipa, a very friendly attendant at the airport car rental company.

If you want to eat truely authentic Azorean cuisine make an effort of driving to Santa Barbara for grilled squid, a dish cooked by the chief and owner of Por Do Sol. The swordfish my wife had was also delicious and cooked to perfection.

We got here an hour before the restaurant opens for dinner and enjoyed a beer at the bar (which remains open while the kitchen closes for a mid day break) and saw local farmers bring in lettuce, potatoes, fresh goat cheese and other ingredients from their farms.

Once we were seated at our table - which the waitress was kind enough to reserve for us in advance - our waitress, Bea, (in perfect English) gave us a run down on her personal favorites. We got a basket of bread, goat cheese and spicy sauce, a local condiment which was the perfect appetizer. Next came the main course and a latte for the road.

Bea also suggested a local observation spot by the ocean to view the sunset which offered some of the best views we ever witnessed.

Would recommend calling in advance to reserve a table. Within thirty minutes of dinner service starting the restaurant was packed. This is apparently the norm.

Highly...

We should have known something was off when the guy who took our order saw the bread we had been given, chastised the waitress and sent the basket back to the kitchen for something fresh.

Sadly we only read the review by Leandro Antunes after eating at this restaurant. It is astonishing that an island populated with so many cows should have a restaurant serving veal steak which can only be cut with the sharpest of serrated knives - my teeth and jaws were unable to chew the meat into anything smaller. Both of us had to leave more than half our steak uneaten. The ham and cheese were straight from the packet, processed snack food. At least the rice was edible and the chips too otherwise we would have left hungry.

We have read wonderful reviews about the famous squid so we hope this compensates in some way for the dismal quality of the meat...

As with other tourist reviewers, we were not welcomed and felt tension from the moment we walked in. The waiter rolled his eyes when we spoke English and told someone else to help us. The restaurant was nearly empty but they sat us a a small table in the hall by the bathrooms. We were not offered bread like others were and the food was average. The waiter who spoke English and helped us was the only nice person in the restaurant. We came to visit Santa Barbara because my husband’s father grew up here but our first meal was not a good experience. Unfortunately this restaurant lacks the hospitality we received in Lisboa and Porto and I would steer clear if you are...