Horta Restaurant — Restaurant in Funchal

I’m genuinely puzzled how Horta holds a Michelin anything. The service was cold, superficially friendly at best, and at times borderline rude. Staff made no effort to be welcoming or accommodating—it felt like they were doing us a favour by letting us dine there.

The food was forgettable as a veggie. One soup option, three uninspired salads, and a main course that was literally half a gem lettuce with a drizzle of gorgonzola (a side salad at best) —for 15 euros. My starter salad was actually larger than the main. Everything else leaned heavily on over-complicated presentation rather than actual flavor. It’s not the price or the plating that’s frustrating—it’s the clear sense that they know they can get away with it.

The setting doesn’t help. Horta takes its green credentials to the extreme—you’re essentially eating in a polished concrete car park. The space is minimalist to the point of being sterile, with barely any decor or warmth. It’s an attempt at trendy that ends up feeling cold and uninviting.

It’s clear the restaurant relies on the fact that most guests are tourists who won’t be coming back. There’s no genuine hospitality, no desire to create a memorable or satisfying experience—just a lot of empty aesthetic, and very little heart.

Also, is it too much to ask for a recommended place to offer wines from outside Portugal? The wine list felt as limited as the menu.

A quiet thanks to the bar staff, who shared an eye-rolling moment with us as we left. Says it...

We selected Horta for the final meal of our Funchal trip because it could accommodate two vegans and three non-vegans alike. Unfortunately the experience was bad for everyone involved.

For appetizers, we had the Aubergine with Lebanese Couscous, the Beetroot Carpaccio, and the snack of the day that was a dimsum-type bun. The first two were underwhelming, while the last one was incredibly good, though too salty. The combination of this one incredibly salty starter with the other two bland ones made for an even more stark difference.

For mains, we had the Gorgonzola Salad, the Josper-Grilled Fish, vegetable curry, and risotto. All of the dishes were bland and/or a weird mix of flavors.

For dessert, we had the “Honey” Cake and Apricot. Again the flavors were strange together and didn’t work for us, with the cake being kind of stodgy.

An overall bad experience of style with no substance. I can’t believe this place has such high ratings and a Michelin star. The food prices are significantly higher than elsewhere and for no reason. The space is beautiful designed and decorated but I’ll stay away...

We had a reservation for 21H. Got there a couple minutes early and no one acknowledged us for about 6 minutes. Mind you the place wasn't packed and there were plenty of open tables. We got seated and someone came over immediately with menus and asked what we wanted to drink. We said that we'd like to take a quick look. 10+ minutes later no one had come back and multiple staff had walked by without acknowledging our presence. We decided to leave at this point and go elsewhere.

We had previously went to the Italian side of the restaurant two nights prior and had an amazing time. Not sure what happened at Horta but we really wish we didn't waste our time here.

PS we ended up going to the Tandoori restaurant around the corner up the hill and the staff were amazing, food was good and the sangria...