Nova Onda — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

We were many times at madeira. Because of the good reviews now we want to try the nova onda. Unfortunately we had wrong expectations: its not a restaurant, its a snack bar for a cheap and fast meal. So we were really dissappointed. The male server was not motivated, bored and don't smile only one time. The female server was nice. We got our food very fast. Beer is good, poncha not. The poncha tasted old; was not cold, really warm, too much alcohol and too little honey. Very sour. Someone here wrote "paint thinner" ... jeah, we have drunk the same. Worst poncha we have ever tried. We order the seefood plate, frites and salad. Octopus was ok, calamary hardly to bite and shrimps tasted old. We think they don't uses fresh products. Bummer! Far too much oil on the plate. The frites were not crispy; maybe false temperature of oil in the chip pan? And were not spicy.

You are right here if you search for cheap and fast food. Maybe the Burger are also much better? But we will not come again. We want to pay a little bit more to get fresh, good fish and poncha.

Well meant two...

This bar presents a bit of a culinary conundrum; it’s a place of contrasts. The prices are excellent, certainly a strong point, and the portions served are generously sized, ensuring you won’t leave hungry. When it comes to the food quality, however, it’s a mixed bag. The shrimp dish deserves a standing ovation, a perfect 10/10 without a doubt. It’s cooked to perfection, leaving a lasting impression of savory delight. The fish, on the other hand, swims at a more mediocre level, managing only a 6/10. The flavors don’t quite hit the mark, and there’s a noticeable drop in culinary execution.

Taking all these factors into account, a four-star rating seems fair. It’s definitely a spot worth visiting, especially for the shrimp aficionados. The bar strikes a balance between value and taste, ensuring that even if not every dish is a standout, the overall experience is positive and the wallet...

Absolutely wonderful mussels loads of fresh garlic and parsley butter, mopped up with wonderful bolo do caco with more garlic butter...Devine.Picados are served with fresh potato fries with skin on. We had the meat picado and asked for medium rare....again delicious fresh garlic bay leaves and a gorgeous sauce .meat was tender. Homemade Fresh cinnamon apple tart slightly warm with creamy vanilla ice cream and a delicious coffee finished our meal.Outside on a veranda overlooking the sea watching the yachts sail by. Wonderful service.Owner came out to greet and ask if we enjoyed our meal.clean bathrooms and restaurant in general. Now that we live here....we will be back...