Restaurante Bom Jesus - Santa Cruz — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

It is quite surprising that the terrace was empty or nearly empty each time that we went to have dinner or tea since the boss is very nice, as well as the Ukrainian waitress. Food is local and good: great codfish cakes, house style cod, black scabbard, octopus with onion, fried maize, etc. Each time we tried other specialties and they were good at a cheap price. Tea was taken with a very good maracudja cake. While the menu is less attracting at the neighbour restaurant Bilheitera, there is always a big crowd which after a short research is understandable: Hotel Solar di Bom Jesus seems to have a strong connection with restaurant Bilheitera and sends clients to this address. I think they should try Bom Jesus (restaurant, not hotel!) and they could have good surprises. "Bolo do caco" (typical Madeiran hot bread with butter and garlic) at this restaurant is definitely the best we had of all our stay on the...

Decent food but safety and freshness need attention.

Restaurante Bom Jesus in Santa Cruz is in a lovely location near the church square, offering a good selection of traditional Madeiran and Portuguese dishes at fair prices. The atmosphere is pleasant, and service is generally polite.

However, during our visit, two issues stood out. The corn and oil served did not taste fresh, which detracted from the otherwise enjoyable meal. More importantly, a large parasol on the terrace became loose in the wind and flew up in the sky, and fell down almost hitting my 4-year-old daughter. We were able to stop it just in time, but the staff’s reaction was minimal, no serious apology, no discount offered, and it created an uncomfortable atmosphere.

For the safety of guests, parasols should be properly secured to the floor or closed when there are strong winds. With improved attention to both food freshness and...

I was really craving for a grilled Sea Bream (Dorade), haven’t had it in ages and always enjoyed it. This is one of the rare restaurants in Santa Cruz that serves it and they did not let me down. The fish was very good, not overkooked at all and the server suggested the sweet potatoes as side dish (I would have gone for the French Fries but decided to give his choice a try) which was a great accompliment. Server was there on the background and not disturbing at all, unfortunatly there was not really an athmosphere but to be honest it wasn’t easy to create one. There is another restaurant next door (not to bad either) but I guess you do not want to overpower eachother with music or so. And in the end the best athmosphere is the quality of the food. Pricewise cheap as hell, true value for money. Only spend € 16,- on...