Viana — Restaurant in Funchal

Product and Food 5/5

First of all, this restaurant has made me fall in love with the traditional Portuguese dish: "Francesinha". In comparison to Porto's (the place of it's origin) "Little French Ladys" I find it lighter and more digestible, the ones in Porto were sometimes too salty and something I found that I could likely eat once a year, only for special occasions.

The one delivered in Viana (chicken being my favourite) I could eat one weekly which at busy times sometimes I do. It also has the best "queijada" on the island and even though baked in batches, it gives the air of quality and refinery which you won't find anywhere else. From the wide variety of cakes, to the coffee, snacks on offer and the beers served in frosted mugs, expect a high quality and a fair "worth it" price.

Concept 4/5

It is quite an upscale bakery with an accessible price that you will find is a common place that most importantly, locals frequent. Located in Ajuda, a prestigious area in Funchal, you'll find Praia Famosa a stone's throw away. It is busy most days a week but it would be the perfect accompaniment to a Sunday stroll on the beach. There has been a lot of thought in the concept of this excellent bakery and there are nice touches to detail, such as a free chocolate after the meal, or when late, you may find yourself being offered some free baked goods from the days produce.

Why you should come here and General Atmosphere 5/5

Come here with local friends or when visiting Praia Famosa. Most locals order their baked festive goods from here as it is a place of quality.

If ever you befriend a local in whatever manner 😉

Service 3/5

Here is the area where after almost ten years in Portugal, most restaurants fail. Unfortunately, I have to remind the waiters at least four times if I want extra sauce for my mouth-watering Francesinha. This is by no means their fault, but the unfair pressure given to them. I have had local friends work here, and according to accounts it's quite cutthroat. Where they constantly have people looking over their shoulder, and they are scared to politely converse with customers as it is seen as "bad work".

Unfortunately, the worst thing is for a customer to feel ignored, however busy, however this occurs quite frequently in not only Madeira but the continent due to a negative work culture. So, if you are to complain, try in kindness.

A focus on service and the staff feeling that they can do their work in peace, whilst being recognised would go a long way to this...

A café/bakery/confectionery shope with a large selection of desserts. I was told the owner is from northern Portugal so they make products typical also from that part of the country. I was recommended by one Madeiran person to have their Francesinha toast with fries which is originally from Porto and is very popular there. I have seen many Portuguese eating this toast in Madeira too. The toasted bread was filled with a piece of roast meat, bacon, something more, then cheese, then the bread was topped with fried egg and the whole thing was covered in some kind of tomato sauce. For me it was just too overcombined, I wouldn´t have this again. But I do understand they make it like this and they enjoy this toast the way it is. It is said that it was inspired by the French croque monsieur but of course croque monsieur is a totally different level, so delicious. So I didnt enjoy the Francesinha toast but it is not the fault of this café, it just didnt meet my...

Went here 3 times while in Funchal, two of the experiences were great, one of them not so much. Prices are really good for quality of the food, so that's a plus. The service does leave some to be desired. There's a young waiter there who is really good, he served us our first and third time. However on our second visit our waiter was inattentive and a bit rude. The service on that day was slow and my friend's order was wrong. Overall though I would recommend it if you are...