Informal Restaurante e Bar
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Discovered this place thanks to reviews on Google Maps, and glad we did. Otherwise walking past it in the street it might have looked like any other standard restaurant doing the typical dishes. We were able to walk in without a reservation, but I think we were lucky to do so, so book it in advance. We had stools at the counter overlooking the kitchen, which was great fun watching the chef's working at close proximity. By the end of the evening we could identify all the dishes as they were being prepared. For starter I had a raviolo with corn, mushrooms, mixed vegetables. I wouldn't have ordered if I'd known it had mushrooms, as I can't stand them. But actually this dish was delicious, and the mushrooms were fine; probably different than the types I'm used to. Main course unfortunately they'd ran out of pork tenderloin, so I had the ribeye, served on a creamy mash with mixed vegetables, and a sweet potato that was presented almost as the star of the plate, rather than the steak. The vegetables were fairly standard, but the steak was delicious, although slightly too rare in part. Dessert was a quenelle of chocolate, avocado and banana. You wouldn't notice the avocado if you didn't know it was in there. Not bad. My partner had the honey cake cassata, which I think I preferred. Overall the food and service was very good, and the best part was witnessing the kitchen at work. Probably our favourite restaurant we went to in Funchal.
Duncan CummingDuncan Cumming
00
Lovely little place in Funchal, recommended by a couple with whom we did a wine tour. So glad we went. They don't take reservations, and we showed up around 7 pm (they open at 6 pm), and waited just under an hour to be seated. They stopped seating guests shortly after 8 pm (so as not to rush the meal), and so the servers turned people away who were farther back in line (although did so in a timely manner, so they didn't waste too much time). So, plan to arrive early enough that if there's a line you can still make it in! We ordered one plate to share, and an entree for my husband and I had another starter as my meal. We also shared a dessert--I felt like I had no room, but then some was found! Everything was delicious and beautifully presented. Best was the duck, then the ravioli, then tempura (which was great, but a tad under salted and I wish there was more aioli). We had the honey cake for dessert, which was a big quenelle of cream with honey cake folded in, drizzled with honey and what I think was pulverized dried orange peel. Really tasty!! Wine list was incredibly reasonably priced (esp. by US standards), and we shared a great bottle of rose. Overall absolutely worth the wait. Loved watching the kitchen while sitting inside. I wish there was a restaurant this delicious and well priced where we lived!!
Macy RadloffMacy Radloff
00
Vorab: wenn du einen Urlaub auf Madeira machst und einen Abend etwas teurer essen gehen willst, dann bist du hier genau richtig. So geflasht wurde ich lange nicht mehr. Obwohl ich es liebe Reviews zu schreiben, gehe ich meistens dort essen, wo es mir Freunde und Familie empfehlen. Aber im Urlaub muss man sich auf andere Dinge verlassen. In meinem Fall habe ich das Internet zu Rate gezogen, die Reviews hier waren nämlich extrem gut. Deshalb wollte ich wissen was dahinter schmeckt äh steckt. Schlechte Wortwitze beiseite, ich kann den ganzen Rezensionen hier nur zustimmen. Meine Begleitungen und ich kamen kurz nach 18 Uhr. Wir mussten nicht warten, aber 20 Minuten später war vor dem Lokal bereits eine Schlange. Unser Essen kam glaube 20 bis 25 Minuten nach Bestellung. Ein Kellner war immer in der Nähe, so konnten wir auch danach recht schnell nach unserer Rechnung fragen. Es gab einige Vorspeisen, davon 3 Vegetarische (ich habe von den Ravioli probiert, die waren sehr, sehr lecker) und jeweils 3 Haupgerichte in der Kategorie Fisch, Fleisch und Vegetarisch. Leider sind die Fotos von der Speisekarte nicht mehr aktuell. Die Vegetarischen Gerichte waren eine Bowl, ein Burger mit Pommes und die Empfehlung des Kochs. Ich hatte die Empfehlung was an dem Tag Gnocchi mit Gemüse und Obst war. Ich versuche alle Komponenten zusammen zu bekommen: selbstgemachte Gnocchi, (Buch-) Weizen, Rotkohl, Rocula, frisch geröstete Zwiebeln, Frühlingszwiebeln, Papaya, Mango, Granatapfelkerne und ich vermute Zitronensaft. Dieses Essen war so unglaublich lecker, ich denke ich kann mit Sicherheit sagen, dass ich noch nie so etwas in einer ähnlichen Konstellation gegessen habe. Es war süß, es war salzig mit einer leicht saueren Note. Es hatte einen intensiven eigengeschmack und trotzdem hat man die einzelnen Komponenten gut heraus geschmeckt. Kurzgesagt: es war ein Spektakel. Besonders die Buchweizen waren so toll gewürzt und die Gerösteten Zwiebeln haben dem ganzen eine Eleganz verliehen, die das essen auf ein neues Level gehoben haben. Ich hatte dazu den trockenen Weißwein. Ich selber bin keine gute Weinkennerin, aber er hat geschmeckt und war angemessen zum Gericht. Zum Essen meiner Begleitung: es gab Barsch. Und auch der war ausgezeichnet. Er war zart, gut gewürzt, das Gemüse mit dem Risotto war gut durch, aber nicht matschig. Auch meine Begleitung hat über das Essen geschwärmt. Die Ravioli waren eine nette kleine Vorspeise, auch diese geschmacklich sehr Rund. Allerdings eignen sich die Ravioli nicht anstelle eines Hauptgerichts, da die Portion sehr klein ist. Generell waren die Portionen nicht sehr üppig, aber groß genug zum satt werden. Wer also großen Hunger hat, spart sich das Lokal vielleicht für einen anderen Abend auf. Insgesamt haben wir eine Rechnung von 56€ für die zwei Haupspeisen, eine Vorspeise, zwei Gläser Wein und eine Cola gezahlt. Also etwas teurer, das war es aber absolut wert. Einziger Kritikpunkt: die Karte war etwas unübersichtlich durch die Schriftart und Formatierung. Dadurch haben wir ein wenig länger gebraucht um zu entziffern was welches Gericht ist. Außerdem sollte man sich im Vorhinein die Karte hier auf Maps anschauen, wenn man kein Englischkenner ist. Und für die ganz pingeligen: die Anrichtung war top, das Lokal ästhetisch sehr ansprechend.
AlissaAlissa
10
At this restaurant you can't book a table, you have to be there at (or better before) 18:00 when it opens, to get a table. If you are too late they put you on a waiting list. From our experience yesterday, the restaurant is filled at 18:20. We had each a starter/main/dessert and stayed around 1,5 hours, so we can assume if you miss the first service and are put on the waiting list, you can have dinner for the second service around 19:30. The service feels a bit rushed, waiters are running around and a bit pressing you to pick a dish and so on. This is because the restaurant is too big for the kitchen. The kitchen is the bottleneck and some customers were regularly asking if their dish were ready. We also waited around 30 minutes between the starter and the main. But I guess this is the price of success. Indeed the dishes were good, and we really enjoyed the food we had (vegetarian). We felt it was good value for money. Plus point for the playlist that night, with my girlfriend we really felt it was our playlist, a mix of jazz, blues and soul!
Raphaël GuerreiroRaphaël Guerreiro
00
If you're looking for a modern twist on traditional Madeira cuisine, the Informal Restaurant in Funchal is the place to be. As the name suggests, the atmosphere is “informal” and welcoming, with super friendly and helpful staff who go out of their way to ensure that you have a fantastic dining experience. The menu is constantly changing, but there are always incredible options available. Whether you're looking for fresh fish, meat, or vegetarian/vegan dishes, you won't be disappointed. One thing to note is that the restaurant is incredibly popular, so it can be difficult to secure a table. They don't take reservations, but they do have a waiting list. If there's a wait, they'll send you to the bar next door, where you can enjoy a drink while you wait. My tip is to arrive at 6 p.m. when the restaurant opens – this way, you won't have to wait long. Overall, I highly recommend the Informal Restaurant in Funchal. The food is amazing, the atmosphere is cozy, and the staff is wonderful. Don't miss out on this fantastic dining experience!
Kai MüriKai Müri
00
Absolutely amazing! We came there at last minute without reservation and got the “chef’s table” :) = at the bar, in front of the open kitchen. It allowed us to have direct interaction with the chef and see all dishes prepared, which was super interesting. We chose the tuna tartar as a starter - It was DELICIOUS and fairly huge for a starter. For the mains we had the octopus and the fish stew and both was amazing!! Again - so huge portions we unfortunately couldn’t even finish (make sure you made some hikes and had only small lunch if any when you go for a dinner here) For the desert we shared their style of Pavlova and it was a cherry on the top of the evening - but too sweet, but still interesting with the sprinkle of crushed sugar peanuts More over we couldn’t have been happier with the service, everyone was attentive, polite and funny. Thank you very much for the experience and I am happy to recommend to everyone to try place out when in Madeira - better sooner than later because you will wanna go again.
JanaJana
30
Nearby Attractions Of Informal Restaurante e Bar
Farmers' Market
CR7 Museum
CR7 Cristiano Ronaldo Museum
Funchal Cathedral
Casino da Madeira
Cristiano Ronaldo Statue
Madeira Story Centre
Jardim de Santa Luzia
Forte de São Tiago
Zona Velha do Funchal

Farmers' Market
4.1
(9.4K)Click for details

CR7 Museum
4.3
(4.8K)Click for details

CR7 Cristiano Ronaldo Museum
4.2
(3.2K)Click for details

Funchal Cathedral
4.6
(2.8K)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Informal Restaurante e Bar
Beerhouse
Rei da Poncha
The Ritz Madeira
Restaurante Taberna Ruel
Cafetaria Sete Mares
Taberna Madeira
Hamburgueria do Mercado
Akua
Bela 5 Snack Bar
Café Restaurante GRUTA

Beerhouse
4.3
(2K)$$
Click for details

Rei da Poncha
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The Ritz Madeira
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Restaurante Taberna Ruel
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Basic Info
Address
R. Dos Murcas 39, São Martinho, 9000-058 Funchal, Portugal
Map
Phone
+351 924 253 293
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Website
informalfoodexperience.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.7
(1K reviews)$$
Ratings & Description
attractions: Farmers' Market, CR7 Museum, CR7 Cristiano Ronaldo Museum, Funchal Cathedral, Casino da Madeira, Cristiano Ronaldo Statue, Madeira Story Centre, Jardim de Santa Luzia, Forte de São Tiago, Zona Velha do Funchal, restaurants: Beerhouse, Rei da Poncha, The Ritz Madeira, Restaurante Taberna Ruel, Cafetaria Sete Mares, Taberna Madeira, Hamburgueria do Mercado, Akua, Bela 5 Snack Bar, Café Restaurante GRUTA

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