Leme Marisqueira — Restaurant in Calheta

We had high hopes given the lovely setting and genuinely friendly service — the view of the marina is a definite highlight.

The food, however, was a mixed experience. We started with the lobster cocktail, which was unfortunately overwhelmed by mayonnaise. The flavor of the lobster was still there, but it was hard to enjoy through the heavy dressing.

For the main course, we ordered two octopus dishes — Octopus at Olive Oil and Octopus at Leme. Both were nicely presented, but the texture was off. The octopus was overly soft, lacking the firm, slightly charred bite that’s typically expected.

Dessert was the most disappointing part. I ordered a Passion Fruit Cheesecake, but was served a mousse instead. When I pointed it out and returned the dish, the waiter kindly took it back without charging and apologized. However, he mentioned that they no longer serve the “old-style” cheesecake and this mousse is their new version. That explanation didn’t sit well — it’s like ordering a steak and being served ham, then being told it’s the new trend. If it’s a modern twist, label it accordingly (e.g., Leme-style Cheesecake) so customers know they should expect something different. As it stands, it felt misleading. (I’ve attached a video so you can judge for yourself.)

That said, the staff remained polite and accommodating throughout, which we appreciated.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad experience — but certainly not one that...

Pretty good ambiance because of the spectacular central location and view of the marina. The patio outside really feels polished and luxurious. That's where the positive note ends however. My clams were tiny and tough, some sand in one of them, little pan was filled halfway with oil. Fish soup was a tasteless concoction made with fish pieces and warm water, unbelievably bland. Then the scabbard fish with banana, covered in batter and dumped in oil, very nice baked banana on top, but the batter was an attack on the gut. The side salad was no such thing, some green leaves with some tomato and cucumber slices and curly red stuff like bondo rosso or something. We didn't stay for dessert, we did leave a tip because we're civilized and ended up with a 75 EUR bill. What I cannot, for the life of me, understand, is the rave reviews left all over the place in the last months. Really, 5-5-5, boom boom thirty times after another. Sorry, but the service was changing, charming reception, non-communicative serving lady brought the menus, young bloke in a bad humor brought us the food, owner/manager took the payment (no paper bill but a tablet based screen and then a separate terminal, ahem ok). All in all I do not recognize the rave ratings above, food is nothing special, service is mediocre (except for the kitchen staff, genial lot), ambiance is good. 3 out of 5 would be pushing it. Will be back,...

Wow.

This place is so good, I almost don't want to share it.

This was by far, the best meal and my most favorite restaurant in my time in Madeira so far.

It is by the marina in Calheta along a lovely walk. Parking is close by on the main road.

By far, my most favorite dish was the incredible fish and seafood Cataplana. If ever there was a chef's kiss, this would be the dish for me. This is the dish that I dream of when I think of Madeiran Seafood, this is the dish I was dreaming of on the plane before I knew it existed.

The incredibly rich seafood stock with a perfect amount of saffron and seasoning. I've found a lot of the meals I've tried here to be underflavoured but I did not need to add anything to the flavor. The seafood flavors were incredible and you really could taste and see the bounty of the sea in this dish.

Outstanding!!

We also tried the Espada with passion fruit and banana - delicious Espada Gratin - rich, the sauce took away from the seafood taste - I don't recommend if you want to taste the seafood and the gratin was much thicker than what I expected. Espada Madeirnese - Delicious, I love the combination of tomato and peppers so this was a winner for me.

For me, everytime, I will always have Cataplana here, time allowing = be prepared for a 45 min cook for the...