Which neighbourhoods have the strongest tasting-menu options in Funchal?

Funchal, Sao Pedro, São Martinho, Estrada Monumental and the old town all have tasting-menu restaurants in our guide. Il Gallo d'Oro, Desarma, Gazebo, Avista Ásia, Avista and Ákua each sit in one of those areas, so the format is spread across the city rather than confined to a single district.

Which tasting-menu places also have notable wine programmes?

Il Gallo d'Oro and Desarma stand out most clearly for wine. Il Gallo d'Oro has a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and a 510-selection list, while Desarma is known for one of the most concentrated Madeira wine selections in the world.

Are there tasting-menu restaurants outside the starred tier in Funchal?

Gazebo, Avista Ásia, Avista, Audax and Ákua offer tasting menus in our guide outside the starred restaurants. Gazebo in Funchal is a chef-owned restaurant on a private Madeiran estate with six-course and nine-course formats. Avista in Estrada Monumental and Avista Ásia in Sao Martinho are in the Cliff Bay hotel. Audax in Funchal runs tasting menus under chef César Vieira, and Ákua in the old town serves a tasting menu and small plates.

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Best Tasting Menus in Funchal

Funchal’s tasting-menu restaurants are spread across Funchal, Sao Pedro, Sao Martinho, Estrada Monumental and the old town. Il Gallo d'Oro in Funchal holds two Michelin stars and an exceptional wine programme. Desarma in Sao Pedro holds one Michelin star. Gazebo and Audax in Funchal, Avista Ásia in Sao Martinho, Avista in Estrada Monumental and Ákua in the old town each hold a Michelin Plate and a wine list.

Il Gallo d'Oro has a 510-selection list with particular depth in Portuguese and Madeira wines. Desarma’s wine cellar carries one of the most concentrated Madeira wine selections in the world. Gazebo is a chef-owned restaurant on a private Madeiran estate with tasting menus and a set menu. Chef César Vieira offers tasting menus and à la carte at Audax.

How this list is chosen: Restaurants serving a tasting menu or omakase, listed alphabetically. Updated October 8, 2026.

Ákua
Ákua holds a Michelin Plate (2025), placing it among Funchal's most consistently praised mid-range dining addresses. Positioned in the historic quarter metres from the Atlantic, the kitchen works almost entirely from the sea, with dishes like braised tuna with razor clam rice and cod tacos anchoring a menu built around daily catch. At the €€ price point, it represents the accessible end of Funchal's serious fish cooking.
Audax
A Michelin Plate recipient for 2024 and 2025, Audax operates in São Martinho, one of Funchal's more competitive dining corridors, with a contemporary menu built on Madeiran culinary tradition. Chef César Vieira runs a fully open kitchen offering 3–4 course lunches and 5–7 course evening menus at a mid-range price point, placing it firmly in the accessible end of Funchal's serious dining tier.
Avista
Avista sits within the Cliff Bay hotel on Funchal's Estrada Monumental, serving seasonal Mediterranean cuisine under the creative direction of chef Benoît Sinthon and daily execution by chef João Luz. Holders of the Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, the kitchen draws primarily from PortoBay's own kitchen garden, with tasting menus, à la carte options, petiscos, and a vegetarian programme running alongside the main menu.
Avista Ásia
Avista Ásia occupies the upper floor of the Cliff Bay hotel in São Martinho, positioning Asian fusion, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean techniques cut with Mediterranean and Madeiran produce, against panoramic views of Funchal and the Atlantic. Four distinct menu formats run from a three-course Descoberta to a seven-course Premium, alongside an Omakase option.
Desarma
1 Michelin star · Deep wine list
Desarma holds a Michelin star inside The Views Baía hotel on Funchal's waterfront, where tasting menus built around Madeiran petiscos and in-house cured and fermented products move through a sequence the kitchen calls Encounter, Offensive, Attack and Surrender. The wine cellar carries among the more concentrated Madeira wine selections in the world. Service runs Tuesday through Saturday, evenings only.
Gazebo
Set on a Madeiran estate in São Martinho, Gazebo carries consecutive Michelin Plates (2024–2025) for a contemporary tasting menu built entirely around island produce. Two formats, six courses tracing North to South, nine courses spanning East to West, frame Madeira's geography as the menu's architecture. For Funchal's growing list of serious tasting-menu addresses, it represents the estate-dining end of the spectrum.
Il Gallo d'Oro
2 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence · Deep wine list
Il Gallo d'Oro holds two Michelin stars and a 95-point La Liste ranking for 2026, placing it among the more critically recognised restaurants in Portugal. Chef Benoît Sinthon's tasting menus draw on Madeiran ingredients, Atlantic seafood, and produce from the PortoBay garden, served within The Cliff Bay hotel above Funchal's coastline. Wine Director Leonel Nunes oversees a 510-selection list with particular depth in Portuguese and Madeira wines.

Planning tasting menus in Funchal

Which neighbourhoods have the strongest tasting-menu options in Funchal?: Funchal, Sao Pedro, São Martinho, Estrada Monumental and the old town all have tasting-menu restaurants in our guide. Il Gallo d'Oro, Desarma, Gazebo, Avista Ásia, Avista and Ákua each sit in one of those areas, so the format is spread across the city rather than confined to a single district.
Which tasting-menu places also have notable wine programmes?: Il Gallo d'Oro and Desarma stand out most clearly for wine. Il Gallo d'Oro has a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and a 510-selection list, while Desarma is known for one of the most concentrated Madeira wine selections in the world.
Are there tasting-menu restaurants outside the starred tier in Funchal?: Gazebo, Avista Ásia, Avista, Audax and Ákua offer tasting menus in our guide outside the starred restaurants. Gazebo in Funchal is a chef-owned restaurant on a private Madeiran estate with six-course and nine-course formats. Avista in Estrada Monumental and Avista Ásia in Sao Martinho are in the Cliff Bay hotel. Audax in Funchal runs tasting menus under chef César Vieira, and Ákua in the old town serves a tasting menu and small plates.