Alforno Madeira — Restaurant in Machico

“Late Lunch, Endless Delight—All Thanks to Tiffany!”

Wow—talk about a place that turns hunger into happiness at lightning speed! My wife and I dropped by for a late lunch, and from the moment Tiffany greeted us, we knew we were in for a treat. She was the perfect blend of professional and friendly, making it feel like we were chatting with an old friend rather than just placing an order.

We started off with the Pizza Marinara, and let me tell you: that sauce was so perfectly tomato-basil, I wanted to bottle it up and take it home! The crust had that dreamy balance of crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside—exactly how pizza dough should be. Then came my Pasta Puttanesca, which delivered just the right kick of spice. The capers, olives, tomatoes, and anchovies were in spot-on proportions, creating a savory party in every bite. My wife’s Lasagna was another showstopper, packed with a meaty, umami punch that had us scraping the plate for every last morsel.

By the time we thought we’d burst from all the deliciousness, Tiffany stopped by and struck up a conversation as if we’d known each other for a hundred years. Her warmth and genuine interest made the meal feel even more special. It’s rare to find a server who can handle every detail with such grace and still make you laugh along the way.

If you’re looking for a place where the food is fantastic and the service is out of this world, do yourself a favor and ask for Tiffany. We left stuffed, smiling from ear to ear, and already planning our next visit. She’s truly the star of the show—and we can’t wait to return...

We visited the place on 02.03.2025 Not recommended!

Food: 1.) "Meaty" - the overdried chicken was blend and chewy, I've seen the same pulled chicken other restaurants - so bad quality "Pepe Nduja" - pepperoni was overcooked and dry, it was very hard to eat it.

2.) "Grilled salmon" - Salmon was overcooked and very dry, ( you can see on the images ) and the mashed potatoes was terrible - the texture was starchy and acidic - it means it wasn't freshly made and it's from ready-made dry mashed potatoes from the store.

3.) "Risotto" - My mother never complains about the food, but this time she said that's awful - it wasn't risotto rice that they used and it was just ordinary rice in some liquid, blend and not even close to risotto's texture.

Service: We had to wait over an hour the get the food. There was only few tables to serve and I had pretty good view to the kitchen...

marinara ( pizza sauce ) tasted weird, cheap can tomatoes, far from San Marzano's tomatoes. #Dough was soft in the middle, but very chewy from the edges - taste was good. It didn't rise very well on the edges.

Overall - As Neapolitan pizzas are my favourite style of pizzas, I had pretty high expectations. Also asked extra if they serve pizza with fresh basil, and they did. Thank you!

I thought that Pizza Cafe is bad... You have all the potential and the Google reviews 4.9? I hope...

This place is amazing!! The service is impressive. We started with garlic cheese toast, yummy. I had a sirloin, it was like butter, So tender and cooked perfectly! My son had a feta and spinach pizza, one granddaughter had pepperoni pizza, the pepperoni was amazing but quite spicy. The other granddaughter had plain pasta with some garlic bread. My daughter in law had a pasta dish and started with fried rice cheese balls, the entire table loved those, not me I’m a bit too picky. My husband had a shrimp pasta dish and I didn’t much care for that either but it’s ok I loved my meal. My husband and I went into the bar adjacent to the restaurant and had a passion fruit tequila shot, compliments of the staff....