Maria Pic-nic — Restaurant in Ponta Delgada

If you are interested in an authentic Azorean experience, we highly suggest a cooking class with Maria Pic-nic. Upon entering her home we were greeted with smiles and welcomed, not as clients, but as her friends. Our day began with enjoyable conversation and we quickly learned that 3 (of the 7) of us that attended, shared the same ancestral name as Maria. Before we began cooking, Maria walked us through her beautiful gardens and was a wealth of knowledge. When it was time to prep the 4 course meal she included each of us in a very hands-on experience. She provided local Azorean wine, water, and some local treats as appetizers. So yummy! Her patio was transformed into an outside, picture perfect European dining area for us to enjoy our meal. The meal was simply fantastic as was the conversation and company. You do not want to miss this truly genuine Azorean experience!

In addition to our cooking class Maria also prepared the traditional Azorean meal, Cozido das Furnas (stew that is slow-cooked by underground volcanic heat), as a picnic for our group of 18 at the beginning of our vacation. The communication was great and we met at our designated times. It was such a unique experience to watch them lower the pots underground and then raise the pots 6 hours later and then eat and enjoy the abundant, traditional stew. The basket came with local sodas, wines, banana & chocolate cakes, all utensils and picnic supplies, and a rainbow that appeared over Furnas Lake as we were just about to eat. Such a special meal for a...

Our group of 7 thoroughly enjoyed our cooking class with Maria. Maria is absolutely fantastic and we loved getting to know her. Maria is incredibly passionate about what she does and makes you feel like you are part of her own family.

The food we cooked together was delicious - some of our favorite dishes from our stay in Portugal. She made sure everyone was included in the cooking process and taught us about all kinds of traditional Azorean foods and dishes. She shared her family recipes with us and many of the ingredients we used were fresh from her own garden - a very authentic local food experience.

We would highly recommend this cooking class if you are in the Azores! She also offers lovely picnic options if you are still interested in trying some Azorean foods but don't want to partake in...

If you want to eat the boiled dinner at the Furnas, Maria’s Pic-Nic is the absolute BEST way to experience it. While others were waiting in line at restaurants, we were able to enjoy the scenery and even watch our food being cooked and removed from the furnas. We had a lovely picnic on a table under a tree near the lake- it was quiet and relaxing, while José (one of Maria’s staff), served us our boiled dinner, wine, juice, and water. And afterwards we relaxed on a blanket with pillows, enjoying our wine and dessert. Best chocolate cake I’ve ever had! Maria is absolutely amazing to work with. She was very responsive via email and What’s App on the day. Excellent service from start to finish! This was our favorite part of our vacation in Sao Miguel....