Restaurante dos Combatentes — Restaurant in Funchal

We wanted a nice night out at the end of our honeymoon, and chose this restaurant based on food blogger recommendations and the positive reviews online. The restaurant itself whilst a little old fashioned had a warm atmosphere so we were hopeful things would go well. I had a sinking feeling when the bread came out however as it was accompanied by butter and pates in little plastic peel back containers, the kind you get at a breakfast buffet. It did not go with the 'fine dining' impression they were clearly trying to make and seems a small detail that could be easily remedied to give a better impression. We ordered the limpets to start and whilst tasty, the quantity was scarce considering the price. For the mains, I had the beef espetada and my husband had the black scabbard fish. Mine was fine, nothing extraordinary but acceptable. My husband was very disappointed with his as the garlic and wine sauce was non existent, and the dish was served with what looked like a quarter of a sweet potato, not even half! We chose to skip dessert and coffee and went somewhere else after. To contrast, the day before whilst in the east of the island we had lunch in a humble snack bar and ordered the menu of the day with black scabbard fish, rice, fries and salad for a quarter of what we paid in Dos Combatentes, and it tasted so much better with a larger portion size! Overall, we were left with the impression that 20 years ago this was the place to be, but today it's in desperate need of an overhaul especially considering the prices they charge. Price and quantity/quality do not match up. I will say the general service was fine, and the manager does visit each table to wish a bon appetit which is a nice touch. My advice is to steer clear, you can pay the same if not a lot less and have a much better...

Our friend who lives on Madeira suggested we try this restaurant. We came after the lunch crowd was done. They have a daily lunch specials menu for 9,5 euros. Both my wife and I ordered the grilled fish special, which included scabbardfish, perch and tuna. The meal also came with baked potatoes and a large salad we shared. The food tasted fine and the portions and price were good too. My problem is this: when we sat down initially, the waiter brought us a basket of 3 rolls and some butter. That's nice I thought. When the bill was brought they had charged us 5euros for the 3 unordered rolls. "A very tacky way to squeeze some more money out of customers". So while the food, service, portions and lunchtime prices were fine, there are hundreds of other restaurants on Madeira to try, maybe operating without trying to fleece us a bit. Update 5/28/23 I just learned that there usually is nothing given out for free at most restaurants. It is common practice to bring unsolicited foods to the table and then charge for them. So if you don't want what is brought 'supposedly gratis', then just ask your waitperson to...

We pinned this classy restaurant in Google maps based on the Pack the Suitcases travel blog (recommended). But we may not have actually dined there but for the fact that we stumbled upon the restaurant as we were exploring Funchal. Glad we did. We made a reservation for that same night, requesting the duece along the balcony railing. When we arrived at the appointed time, the table was waiting empty for us in a very full and busy restaurant. Thanks! This table really is the best in the house (for two people), but I must provide a warning. Other guests are dining directly below the railing. I was worried during the entire meal that we would accidentally knock our wine bottle or a full wine glass onto unsuspecting diners below. For the restaurant, I suggest providing helmets for guests at the lower-level tables, which would be in keeping with the restaurant’s name. 😀 Other than worrying about wine-bombing the table below, we had a delightful and excellent meal from a menu that is just as strong on both seafood and landfood, and the service was excellent. YouTube’s...