Restaurante Polo Norte — Restaurant in Porto Moniz

Restaurante Pólo Norte, in Porto Moniz (Madeira) Situated right next to the natural pools of Porto Moniz, it offers unobstructed views of the Atlantic Ocean, especially from the outdoor terrace . “Home-style” and Mediterranean cuisine: soups, salads, cod dishes, pastas, meats (chicken, pork, lamb) and kebabs — all prepared on the grill . The highlights are the grilled octopus, fresh fish with passion fruit sauce, and the traditional prawn soup served in bread . Lunch menu with main course, dessert and glass of local wine for around €20.

Relaxed atmosphere, ideal for groups and families, described as “a family and country restaurant” . Staff are generally efficient and courteous: service is quick and friendly – ​​although sometimes they can switch between several people . Considered affordable for the quality offered, with substantial and tasty dishes . Aware of the good relationship between quality, quantity and price: “high levels of quality and wine at realistic prices” . Homemade desserts made in the restaurant, such as puddings, fresh fruit, chocolate cake with coconut and banana tart are very popular . Good selection of regional wines, particularly white wines from Madeira, Notes •   Open every day from 12:00 to 22:00 — good for lunch and dinner . •   Accepts reservations, credit cards, has Wi-Fi and parking nearby . •   Make a reservation or ask for a table on the terrace (best view). •   Try the grilled octopus, fish with passion fruit or the prawn soup in bread. •   Try the full lunch menu (dish, drink, dessert) for around €20. •   Finish off with a home-made dessert and...

We decided to visit this restaurant because we were staying nearby and got a 10% discount from our accommodation, so we thought we’d give it a try. The place looked nice and was completely empty at the time. The service was a bit odd — one local man who probably didn’t speak English tried to help, and a young waiter who did speak English seemed rather uninterested. We ordered the traditional meat on a skewer, asked for it medium, but it arrived almost raw and completely unseasoned. The second dish, beef with garlic, was also very undercooked and practically inedible. We sent the skewer dish back and asked them to cook it again, they didn’t make a new one, just overcooked the same piece. At least the fries were crispy the second time, because before they were soggy and underdone. It’s been a long time since I had to return food at a restaurant or couldn’t finish it, but this was one of those times. We still paid the bill, which was quite high even with the discount. Without it, the prices would have been outrageous for such poor quality. The food was genuinely bad. We only managed to eat the fries, and even then my sister ended up getting sick afterward.

I honestly wouldn’t recommend eating here. Maybe just stop by for a glass of Coke, but definitely...

This place was recommended on some websites, so we gave it a shot.

The food was nice. We had some bread and prawns as a starter. The fish with passion fruit sauce and fried beef cubes as a main. The baileys chocolate cake and the banana tarte as dessert. All the food tasted good. Especially the fish dishes. The beef cubes where not to great, it was a little bit sour but not in a good way. We definitely recommend the fish with passion fruit. The wine list is great and the local madeira white wine is the one we recommend. All the food and wine is added in the pictures!

Service is friendly and fast. Little bit to fast, which makes me doubt if all is fresh, but nevertheless, fast. Which is a good thing. We got helped by 4 different people, which was kinda weird. The little talkes we had with one of them to get a bit of understanding between one another was useless because of it.

As far as atmosphere goes, I didn't like it. It didn't help we were the only people there. If it is crowded, I think it would have been 10...