Olivia — Restaurant in Funchal

Category: Fine Food. Although all of this part of Funchal is a tourist area, I put this restaurant in my Fine Food category instead of my Tourist Area category. The reason is that it is very different from most of the restaurants we have seen or experienced in Funchal. First, it has a fundamentally different clean, modern, industrial, concrete and steel ambiance. The ceiling is completely open and exposed, revealing everything that most restaurants want to keep hidden. The kitchen is also open. We could sometimes hear the chef talking to the kitchen staff from our table. Although there were tables outside for al fresco dining, we chose to dine inside because we love this kind of restaurant, and this one in particular. We discovered it while walking by a few days earlier, on our way to another restaurant, and decided to eat at Olivia on our last night in Madeira. Turned out it was a great choice. We especially liked the fact that it was very busy AFTER 8pm, which is our normal dinner time. Most restaurants here are clearing out by that time. The menu also seemed different and more creative than most. We shared and enjoyed the duck breast with chorizo risotto (I REALLY liked the risotto, and it was in keeping with my philosophy that risotto is best as a base for other food (in this case duck) or as an accompaniment, and that it is too rich to be a main course). We also loved the tiger prawn fried in ginger and pepper olive oil, with mashed potatoes and spinach. The mashed potatoes were delicious mixed with the olive 🫒 oil, which was flavored by the ginger, pepper, and prawn. I even dipped some of the duck breast in it. The restaurant seemed to have a group server approach; every server seemed to serve every table. They all did a great job. Reservations recommended. YouTube’s...

My first visit to Olívia was nothing short of delightful. The food was delicious, the service was attentive, and the atmosphere made for a pleasant lunch experience. Naturally, I was excited to bring a friend there for my second visit, having raved about it for weeks.

Unfortunately, that second visit turned out to be my last. While the food remained flavorful and the staff was courteous, albeit a bit slow in serving, the experience was completely overshadowed by what happened at the end of our meal. After waiting patiently for our food and enjoying it despite the slight delay, my friend and I were just finishing up when the owner abruptly approached us with the check in hand. Without a hint of tact, he said, "We need the table because we have a group of six people waiting."

We were stunned. We felt rushed out of the restaurant as if we hadn't just paid for our meal like any other customer. Two working-class women, paying our way just like everyone else, suddenly made to feel as if we were less deserving of our spot at the table. It felt like we were being judged for not wearing designer brands like Louis Vuitton or Lacoste, as if our value as customers was measured by our appearance.

Sadly, this encounter left us feeling discriminated against and disrespected. Despite the food being excellent, the way we were treated was inexcusable. We left Olívia feeling unwelcome and humiliated, and we won’t be returning. I share this experience in the hope that others are treated with the respect and courtesy that every paying...

This is a MUST! I’m not afraid to say that this is one of the best restaurant in Madeira, and the best we’ve tried in Portugal. I’m confident that this restaurant will make it in the “best places to eat” in Madeira in a matter of months.

Given the quality of the food and the unbelievable service, I can’t believe that the restaurant was just half-filled. This won’t be the case for a long time so make sure to reserve!

We were greeted by a professional gentleman that was friendly and checked up on us multiple times through the dinner to make sure everything was perfect.

They offer a great range of wines and their staff made a very good recommendation based on the plates we were planning to order.

For starters, we got the beef croquette, the fish ceviche and the shrimps. I don’t know where to start. All of our starters were unbelievably delicious; my mouth is watering just by the memory of our dinner.

For our main course, we got the duck and the octopus. The octopus was juicy, tender and cooked to perfection. The duck is in my top 3 duck plates I’ve had in the last year after visiting 20+ different locations!

The service from start to finish was world class. You can tell that they have passionate staff that want to offer you an experience.

Prices are similar to other similar restaurants in the area but the quality and service are far better than other places.

If it wasn’t clear yet, I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant. It’s in my list of favourite restaurants and I will, without a...