JOY Restaurant — Restaurant in Funchal

So close to being 5 star all round if it wasn’t for a few easy to solve issues. We arrived about 10 mins early and given a seat in the bar with drinks menus whilst we waited. I think we were shown to our table about 20 mins after our booking time, in the 30 mins we were seated in the bar no one actually came to take a drinks order, kind of pointless to sit you down with a menu and then not actually get you a drink. I sent a message before hand to let them know one of our party was gluten free, I asked the waitress which items on the menu was gluten free and she was very helpful. However, despite it being on my booking notes and then speaking to the waitress we were all served an amuse-bouche. I checked if it was gluten free because it was bartered, it was hot and they took mine away. However, very quickly the waiter returned with a gluten free one. This was great, the speed and zero fuss over replacing it, however they did know and shouldn’t have served one with gluten in the first place. Only other small flaw was we ran out of drinks and no one came to check on us between courses to check drinks. The staff were busy and it was difficult to catch someone’s attention to order more. This isn’t a cheap restaurant and presents itself as higher end dining, I would expect more attention to these details form this kind of establishment. The food was incredible, portions were perfect and presentation and taste were both immaculate. The young gentleman who served the dishes was very polite and explained the dishes perfectly whilst serving. Overall I would absolutely recommend, but for my fellow gluten free diners, make sure double check, don’t assume they’ve checked the booking notes and for the restaurant itself, being more attentive to tables drinks levels would actually be appreciated as well as increase you profits as we would have probably added another six drinks to our bill if we’d served in a...

Our evening at JOY Restaurant Madeira began with a touch more drama than planned. After a late arrival into the harbour, courtesy of a stubborn engine fault on the yacht, we found ourselves with barely enough time to change before heading out. With the crew given the night off to recover from a long day sailing around the islands close by, we took the harbour staff’s recommendation to try JOY – and it turned out to be the perfect port of call.

We started with the scallops, perfectly seared with a buttery, caramelised crust. Each bite was a reminder of the waters we had just explored, with their sweet, briny flavor and delicate texture.

For mains, the fillet steak was cooked to absolute precision, with a sear that locked in every ounce of flavor, paired with a sauce that whispered, rather than shouted, its accompaniment – rich, hearty, and deeply satisfying. On the other side of the table, the cauliflower steak was a bold, inspired choice – charred just right, with a texture that flirted between tender and crisp.

To conclude this exceptional meal, we indulged in a trio of Joy’s desserts – a fitting encore to a flawless performance. Each element of the trio was a standout in its own right, like the final leg of a perfect voyage.

Service throughout the evening was impeccable, with each course seamlessly presented by a small team that clearly takes pride in their craft. Every plate felt like a personal story, every recommendation precise and thoughtful – a level of care and attentiveness that felt like the warmest of welcomes after a day of wind, waves, and engine woes.

If you find yourself in Madeira with a taste for adventure and a craving for the extraordinary, make JOY your next port of call. Five stars, without hesitation.

We finished the night at the cocktail bar on top of the nearby Savoy polishing off a small bottle of Baul.

— The...

Came for dinner on a Saturday night and were able to get a table without a reservation around 8:45pm. Staff were lovely and welcoming, very attentive and made the experience nice. The food and wine list were a disappointment for the price point however. They had a good menu on paper, but we think they tried too hard to make it creative and didn’t get the basics right. We had scallops (perfectly cooked but fruit element was too much like a dessert), tuna tartare (similar to the scallops, the pairing with apple was unique but not as great as a citrus pairing), pork belly (no crackling on the pork just lightly rendered fat, too much peppercorn in the sauce made it overpower the rest of the flavours), filet mignon (was ok but had to send it back because the side potatoes were cold), dessert of apple tarte tatin (was ok - not enough ice cream to tarte ratio and had a lot of cinnamon flavouring in the apple). The wine list was really lacking by the glass and when looked up they were charging 6-9 euro for a glass of average wine (3.7-4.0 ratings on vivino) that were between 10-20 euro per bottle (compared to paying 6 euro for a 4.2 rated bottle of wine at pingo doce grocery store the night before). They seemed to only have one fortified wine, on the menu to pair with dessert which was a bit odd again for the price point of this restaurant and quality they’re going for we’d expect a longer list of 10, 20 yr old wines...