Was very excited to try out this restaurant for the first time and it lived up to the hype! Had an…read moreamazing meal here - Bife a Associacao was extremely flavorful and cooked perfectly! Also loved the ambiance of this restaurant!

I was admittedly hesitant to try this place given the mixed reviews about service and steak…read morequality, but happy we gave it a shot! Located in Ribeira Grande, the restaurant is run by a local agricultural society supporting farmers and showcasing regionally sourced Azorean beef, widely recognized as some of the most tender on the island. While it wasn't the very best steak I've ever had, it was still a pretty enjoyable meal, and I left satisfied and full. Veal Medallions: my favorite dish of the night -- flamed in an addictive pineapple-cognac sauce and served with mixed veggies and fries. this sauce was so good i was dipping literally everything in it -- the medallions, the veggies, fries and even the tenderloin below! Bife à Associação - Steak Lombo (Tenderloin): served in a white wine, garlic, and salted pepper sauce, topped with a fried egg. we initially debated the sizes, but 200g was plenty for us to share along with a 2nd dish. the sauce was a bit bold and peppery for my taste (I prefer sweeter sauces like the pineapple cognac), but my bf enjoyed it. for those who arent into the peppery flavor, the steaks also come with multiple other sauces -- passion fruit, island cheese, three pepper, and more. For dessert, there were numerous tempting Portuguese classics but we were stuffed and decided to keep it light with sliced Azorean pineapple -- a refreshing way to wrap up a hearty meal and a perfect choice if, like me, trying the acclaimed local pineapple was high on your to-do list. A surprise standout was the white sangria -- my first time trying the white version, and I loved the bright, fruity flavors. It's nice that they offer it by the glass, so you can mix and match if your party has different preferences. The venue is open and spacious, with lots of natural light thanks to large glass-pane doors that offer a view of the quaint outdoor patio. Despite some of the service complaints I'd read, we had a smooth experience. Food came out promptly, and while the restaurant was clearly busy and staff were spread thin, we were proactive about getting waitstaff's attention so fortunately didnt encounter any issues or delays. Overall a solid, well-priced spot with a convivial dining atmosphere and quality meat dishes. If you're someone who loves classic, no-frills salt-and-pepper steaks, the saucy Azorean spin might not be for you -- but if you're up for something bold and flavorful, it's definitely worth a visit!

Fabulous spot in the town of Furnas East by the bus stop. Seating outside for the bar and…read morerestaurant inside. Service and food are excellent. Prices are reasonable and it was a great spot to hang and have a beer and a bite.

This is the best restaurant in Furnas. The food was delicious, I had some amazing cheese, and the…read moretuna was perfectly cooked. The nicest tuna I had on the whole island. I really loved the setting, especially the outside area which had these really cool bar seats carved from tree trunks. But the best part was the service, everyone was so friendly and welcoming, especially Diogo. I will come back next time I return.

Great price for some sirloin steak in a great garlic sauce. Be warned, the cook on the steak varies…read moregreatly, so you might need to send it back to cook some more. Overall it was a bit salty for me, but a solid and filling meal.

We consider ourselves quite lucky to snag a table as they opened for dinner last night!…read more Popular by reviews & they did not disappoint! It seemed frequented by locals and I understand why We started with their house vegetable soup, a thick & hearty broth that was very good & satisfying and a house salad. For entrées, my husband & I ordered steaks ( it is a steakhouse ) , both arrived at perfect temperature as ordered. The meat was flavorful & tender and both dishes had a fried egg on top & a generous amount of sauteed garlic - yummm! Also served with hot & crispy French fries . A great meal all washed down with a wonderful local red wine. For dessert, we chose a light cheesecake with passion fruit topping. It was just ok. Service was quick & attentive. The place had a local vibe, clean & roomy. We would definitely highly recommend !

Take my words literally for the following review: Of all the restaurants in Porta Delgarda this is…read moreassumedly the one to avoid. A large piece of tuna devoid of taste, and way too undercooked. Like a en entire head of boiled cauliflower as an accompaniment? Honest to God. It was billed tuna salad but served as a slab with zero greens. And the tough beef "sirloin". C'mon..not even swimming in its own juices. Hard inedible garlic on top. The french fries were cold and cooked long before I arrived Wow what a lousy place it eat. My stomach rumbles on..

Extremely disappointed. The mystery pieces of meat on the table were not good. . The steak was…read morefilet but not a good piece, covered with almost raw cloves of garlic and a slice of red pepper. No vegetables except for French fries which could have been cooked longer. We arrived first but 5 other couples were served before us. No ambience. Dessert was a pretty miserable piece of cheesecake with some strawberry jam on top. Chunks of bread on table not as good as usual bread in other places . No butter on table. Server needed to go to charm school. No ambience. Price very high.

This is a great little restaurant overlooking the water in Ribeira Grande…read more Service was a little slow but the food was phenomenal. We started off with the grilled limpets (picture below), which I had never had before. They were delicious--slightly similar to a mussel with a firmer texture but still pretty unique in their own right. For entrees I had the octopus (picture below) and my girlfriend had the swordfish. The swordfish was great, but the octopus was out of this world. It was a grilled octopus, but was very different from other meals I've had before in the fact that it was a very rich dish. The portion was very large, so it was great to share. I highly recommend going to this restaurant.

We chose Alabote after a few other restaurants in the Ribeira Grande area were closed due to the…read moreseason and stormy March weather. The location is beautiful, and the patio looks like it would be wonderful on a nice day. The meal had some highlights: the garlic shrimp was delicious, the local Azorean red wine was excellent, and the wreckfish was tasty, though a bit bony. The potatoes were also very good. The limpets and desserts were just okay for us. Service was friendly and polite, but a bit confusing. We had multiple servers throughout the meal, and the timing felt off at times. Overall, it was a decent experience in a stunning spot. I'd return for a drink, some shrimp, and the view on a sunny day.

This place looks super cool, but I would recommend trying another place in the general area. I'm…read morenot sure if it was because the holiday (New Years) had just passed, but the meal started with a list of what was NOT available which was more than a quarter of the menu -- which also included no white wine by the glass and no beer. The white sangria pitcher was almost too bitter to drink. The croquettes were a tasty starter -- but the cheese wrapped in filo dough was a non-starter. The beet risotto was pleasant but not necessarily memorable. The Hot Cold dessert was a big disappointment. It has beautiful presentation, but we could not finish even the small dessert. Our service was less than ideal. The restaurant was not full, yet you could see their intense stress levels. With the high quality of dinners we'd had for similar and even lower price in the area, we really expected a lot more.

This was my favorite meal on our week-long trip to Sao Miguel. The food was impeccable. My husband…read morehad the seared tuna, and it was cooked perfectly rare. A quick dip in soy sauce, and it was exploding with flavor. It's the best seared tuna we've ever had. I got the octopus legs, which was the BEST octopus I've ever had. And this is coming from someone who immediately orders octopus as soon as she sees it on the menu. I had octopus four times in a week in the Azores, and this was the best. I don't know what they do to the octopus to make it so tender, but it melts in your mouth like butter, and the ends of the tentacles are crispy perfection. Even the side dishes are good here! My octopus came with perfectly cooked and savory potatoes and Brussels sprouts, as well as a small fresh salad. My husband's tuna came with a broccoli steak and the same perfect potatoes. I know I use perfect a lot in this review, but that's all I could say about this food. It was executed that well. My only complaint would be that there is a slight smell of something like bleach throughout the restaurant. You get used to it, but it was off-putting at first. Note that you will definitely need to make a reservation in order to get a table. If I recall, I was able to make one through Facebook a week in advance pretty easily. You can't miss a dinner here while I'm Ponta Delgada.