Restaurante Maré Cheia — Restaurant in Ribeira Grande

This restaurant easily is the best one we have been to during our Açores vacation - by far! The fish is as fresh as it gets. They buy it in the morning at the local fishing port, which is only 400 meters down the street, or at the fish market in the next town for a bigger variety. The fish is grilled and comes with an amazing home-made sauce and different kinds of local potatoes. Another must-order is the fish soup - simply delicious. For beef-lovers the beef steak is great and also comes with a delicious sauce. Really cannot stress enough how great the food was!! The staff and especially the chef/cook are extremely nice. The chef comes to each table to introduce the fishes of the day on a plate and also introduces each dish when it is served. Highly recommended to eat here at least once, if you live in the area as...

While staying in town for a night, we tried this place and decided to go back again because of the excellent food and hospitality. You get asked if you prefer fish or meat, and a platter of fresh choices are brought out for your choosing. We started with lapas grelhadas (grilled limpets, a must) and had grilled grouper for two. Everything was excellent. We experienced excellent service, and even became friends with Andres (who we hope will come visit us in Chicago!) We stopped in again to try cracas and drink a few beers before we left. They take awhile, take some effort, and are not always available, but are very, very worth it. A must try with cold beer. Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone. The owner and server (Andres) are some of the favorite people we have met on our...

A few words about this place - the atmosphere of a superb home-family restaurant, where you want to return again and again. We were given a choice of freshly caught fish, which was immediately prepared for us. We also ate excellent tuna steaks with gravy and potatoes; the potatoes were incredibly sweet and tasty. Fish soup is the main criterion of good cuisine, and here it was beyond praise))) As for drinks, this is a standard set of delicious local wine or beer, depending on your mood and time of day. For children who may not like seafood, you will easily find French potatoes, steaks and burgers, juices, and compotes. In the end, we were in for a very pleasant surprise at the price we paid compared to the Ponta. I definitely recommend it and will happily come...