I don't know what I can say about Beira Mar... it is an absolute seafood lover's dream come true. Everything is caught that day from the lampas to the fish, ready to be prepared as you find suitable or let the chef and staff season it traditionally. The seafood soup/chowder/bisque bread bowl is a MUST, as it is foolishly cheap for what can be a whole meal for a person. Bread is baked fresh that day, in house. The fish can be done a few different ways, but best split and grilled (per our server's suggestion). There will be butter, there will be herbs, there will BE GARLIC!!! It's basically heaven from the wood or charcoal fired grills delivered straight to your table... after you have finished your soup/chowder and lampas of course (think mussels meet escargot). Reservations are almost a must here, as the locals love it as much as tourists do and even in the off-season we almost go turned away because we hadn't made a reservation. Buuuuuuuut, the staff and owner were sympathetic (we had just arrived and probably looked in rare form) so they sat us and we loved every bite of everything we got. Let the server guide you, once they know what you like they will put together an unforgettable meal for you. I wish we had been there when not raining and during the day so we could see the ocean and the open doors/windows of the patio and beyond. I dream of Beira still to this day... months later... as there are very few places like this in the states, which is just a damn shame tbh. If you are on the island this is 1 of 2 MUST visit places in my opinion. However, it is the ONE must when you figure in price-value proposition into ranking. Keep doing what you are doing, Beira Mar - you've set a ridiculously high bar for the Azores! read more

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Had an excellent seafood dinner here. Our server brought us over to the fish case and explained what all the fresh catches of the day were. We opted for the grouper and another local fish which is escaping me at the moment...but both were phenomenal, cooked to perfection, and well seasoned. Well worth the short drive from downtown Angra. read more

We enjoyed our dinner here. We started with the fish soup and it was very tasty. Then we had a half order of the grilled limpets. We weren't a fan, but happy we tried them. Might be an squired taste. We split two entrees- a fish of the day (sorry forgot the name) and the mixed kebab. Both were great. Our server recommended we try all three cakes for dessert and they were all great. The Doña Amelia was the favorite. The ambience is noisy and there was a large loud group which really made it hard to talk. read more

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This was our first meal in Terceira. We dared to show up without a reservation. We had not yet learn of their necessity in the Azores, but be warned... they are indeed necessary, and this place is as popular as it gets. Luckily we were able to be squeezed into a corner of one of their dining rooms (yes they had at least 3 spaces by my count, and all of them packed). Our waiter was clearly busy and brusque, however when it became clear to him that we didn't know all the different kinds of fish, he motioned us over to the display case, and went through everything with us. And when I went "oh swordfish, maybe I'll get that", he shot me look and shook his head vigorously no. "Frozen", he said with maximum distaste. I appreciated this tip. We ended up getting a grilled Alfonsino, which was great. The fish soup in the bread bowl was just meh, but the soup by itself was much better. Skip the bread bowl. This was also the first place we tried the Dona Amelia cake. All in all, a good introduction to Terceira cuisine. read more

After asking around the hotel and the tour guide representative the most recommended seafood restaurant is this one. All the locals eat here and it was very evident when we dined here on Thursday evening. The seafood is all on display on ice. And you can see the staff cutting fish and prepping as well as cooking in progress behind the counter is the open kitchen. Nothing fancy about this place and it's actually quite cramped in my opinion. The location is at a small marina, boat launch with barely any parking available. The lapas was delicious, the seafood soup in the bread bowl also was good. The grilled Octopus is really good as well as the grilled squid. My red snapper which was grill as well was good but really salty on the skin side. The seafood here is really fresh for sure. The Restaurant is a really popular spot so be prepared to wait on a table. read more

Beira Mar Sao Mateus - The biggest fish available tonight! And the only 1 and I snagged it! I ate 1/4 of it already before the picture. - Seafood Near Me - São Mateus da Calheta, 20

This restaurant had good fresh seafood. I can see why it is considered one of the best seafood restaurants on the island. We had the limpets which were great (they are sort of like clams in taste and the buttered garlic is delicious). Our waiter recommended the Parrot Fish grilled which was light and tender but the star of the evening was the grilled squid. It came on shrimp and squid skewers but I was tempted to just order more squid! Overall, a good meal. Bread was plenty. If you like seafood, go here! Reservations are highly recommended as there was a line outside later... read more

Best seafood in Terciera! Be sure to get a reservation Food is fresh and delicious Wait staff was excellent but busy! This was our second time there, once in 2017! We were very happy to go back read more

Excellent seafood restaurant, in the fishing village of Sao Mateus, which was highly recommended both by the tourist information center and staff from our tour company. We arrived few minutes, before the restaurant opened for lunch on a weekend, to enjoy the view of the harbor in front of the restaurant. When we were ushered inside the restaurant, we noticed most of the table were reserved. The waiter said if we could finish within an hour's time then we could sit by the reserved table by the window and we did just that. The limpets and seafood skews were both amazingly fresh and delicious! Service was great too! Prices were very reasonable! Highly recommend this place! read more

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Busy place. Reservation needed. We were so lucky to get the very last table without reservation. We ordered grilled squid, steak and the 2kg lobster. You can't go wrong with lobster, but I didn't like the sauce at all. It's cold, it smells weird. I the asked for garlic butter sauce. I waited and asked 2 more times for it. About 20 mins later, my sauce came. But lobster already went cold. I didn't have great experience there anyways. read more

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The Service was excellent! Great hospitality! The fish was very very good! We enjoyed the meal!

Best squid and octopus ever!! Charming restaurant at harbor- outstanding service and beautiful fresh fish.

Beira Mar Sao Mateus is one of the restaurants that locals will recommended most often. The restaurant specializes in local catch primarily from deep water fisheries surrounding the Azores islands. Inside and outside seating, fresh fish available for take away and reservations highly recommended. We thought we'd missed our chance to try this neighborhood gem, but on our last night, we scored a same-day reservation at 9pm. After a brief wait (during which we enjoyed a tiny bottle of beer at the adjacent convenience store), we were seated on the deck overlooking Sao Mateus' storied fishing harbor. Views are only exceeded by the simply prepared, just-caught seafood items that are typical of Azores, such as: Cherne (also known as wreck fish - a deep dwelling, large seabass-like fish with dense flesh), Boca negra (red snapper), Garoupa (a small fish usually served grilled and whole, head-on, and not to be confused with grouper), Lula (squid), Polvo (octopus), and shellfish such as large prawns, lappas (limpets) and cracas (barnacles). We'd already tried the local lappas elsewhere and found them not to our taste, so we passed on the cracas, though we noticed many people ordering and enjoying them. Our mixed seafood platter, with garoupa, polvo, XL prawns, lula and cherne, was impeccably grilled and presented. Prices are quite reasonable, considering the quality of the local seafood and its preparation. Our experience was 5-star due to our service, the food, view, and the overall thrill of discovering this delightful seaside restaurant. Check it out if you get a chance! read more

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I decided to give this restaurant 3 stars even though we never made it inside to eat due to either not being a local or our lack of Portuguese. We arrived for lunch to find a good number of people already waiting to get in. We inquired inside about the wait time and were told that we would need a reservation or we need to just wait on the balcony. The views of the harbor are really relaxing so for the first 30 minutes it was too bad but after close to an hour waiting and watching countless locals walk in and get seated we asked again and were told again we just needed to wait. When it got to an hour we decided to press on and find a restaurant who wanted our business. The dishes we saw being brought to various tables looked amazing and the fish in the display case looked incredibly fresh which is why I am giving at 3 stars as well as the crowds are a clear testament of the quality of the food. read more

I noticed there are a couple of restaurants on the island called Beira Mar but in my opinion this is the best location for food or seafood in general. It can't get fresher than getting your food off the dock/harbor. The restaurant is literally a few steps where fisherman's unload their fresh catch. I ordered the skewered combination of shrimp, squid and fish served with steamed potatoes and salad. The meal was great and delicious. Also had lapas which is part of the sea shell family but the meat is quite different from a mussel or oyster. This was recommended by a local so I figured to taste it; in my opinion it was good and wanted the experience. They have a lobster tank in dining area to pick and choose from; you can taste the freshness after they cook it and serve it to you. To top my meal off, I had the flan which was sweet and rich in caramel sauce. Overall, when people tell you to go to Beira Mar make sure to come to this place. I feel it is the best and I highly recommend to eat fresh seafood from here. read more

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Amazing food! My wife had grilled octopus which was amazingly tender. I am Portuguese (she is not) so I know my octopus. I had fried hake fish which was perfect as well. All the dishes came well served and averaged 10EUR in price which is great for fresh fish/seafood. Waiters were very friendly and made sure our visit was great! If you still fancy something sweet in the end try the pineapple which is grown here in Azores (it tastes nothing like pineapple you get in mainland Europe), it is so sweet and not acid. Just amazing! Totally worth the visit, one tip I might as is book! Even though walk-ins work you will wait. So just call earlier in the day and you will have no problem! read more

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Great fish! Limpets must be eaten like you eat raw oysters as you don't want lose the garlic butter sauce. Service was good. They were friendly and answered all questions with patience! read more

Definitely worth the trip. Our group of six went for dinner and the food was all very good. Calamari (breaded) was crispy and not at all chewy. Most of us got the kabobs with fish and shrimp. One kabob was plenty for me, but others got two. Service was friendly and answered all of our questions. It's a small place and was crowded by the time we left. I'd suggest making reservations. I wish we had also gone for lunch for the view. read more

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Whoever gave this place less than 4 stars, YOU DONT HAVE TASTEBUDS! This was by far the best seafood I have ever tasted. It's definitely top notch on my list of the freshest seafood in my book. I've had seafood from Maine, NY, SF, Florida, and the Caribbean. This place supersedes the rest in flavor, freshness, and presentation. My plate looked so beautiful, it was as if Picasso painted my plated before I ate it. I had the Shrimp for appetizers, that was very succulent fresh from the Atlantic Ocean 15mins before it hit the skillet! It had the best garlic, butter, salt, and wine flavor off the grill. Oh man!! I wanted to cry as I was eating it. For an entree I had Wreck Fish & fresh Prawns with Steamed Cabbage Carrots, and rice. SOOOOO GOOD! And the desserts are also fresh, I had the bean flan cake! YES BEAN FLAN!! Get it! It's delicious! I will fly back to the Azores, Portugal, just to go to this restaurant. read more

This place is very popular with both tourists and local people so it seems to always be packed. We came in for a late dinner and lucky for us did not have to wait long for a table. The place is located right on the dock, the view is great! The atmosphere inside is very loud and jovial, packed with people enjoying great food. Our friend from the island took us so he handled all of the talking in Portuguese, and ordered all of the food for the table. We had the blackfish which was very good. If you are not used to seeing a whole fish, head and eyeballs intact it may shock you a bit. I tried the fish eyeballs just for fun, it's very hard to bite into and in my opinion doesn't taste all that great. My favorite part of the meal was trying the barnacles for the first time. My only reference for barnacles was Sponge Bob related lol. After a brief tutorial of how to pick them out using the little metal pick, I finally got to try barnacles. The taste reminded me a bit of snails with a stronger taste of sea water. I accidentally spilled all of the water from the barnacles on me so be careful when eating. read more

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Be prepared for a very long wait for dinner: the night we went, seemingly everyone else on the island had come to eat seafood at Beira Mar Sao Mateus! We must have waited 1.5 hours out on the patio (because inside is very crowded), but once we got a seat it was totally worth the wait. The fish is exceptionally fresh of course since the restaurant is located overlooking the marina. I recommend the limpets (lapas) in butter and garlic. They are divine! read more

Beira Mar Sao Mateus - Limpets (Lapas) at Beira Mar Restaurant, Sao Mateus - Seafood Near Me - São Mateus da Calheta, 20

This restaurant was amazing!! The seafood soup in a bread bowl I cannot describe in words how delicious it was!! I tried Wreck fish for the first time and now I cannot wait to go back!! This is a place you should not miss!! You may want to make reservations,we went on a Sunday and it was very crowded but well worth the wait!! read more

Beira Mar Sao Mateus - Seafood soup in a bread bowl and grilled Wreck fish and shrimp skewer!! - Seafood Near Me - São Mateus da Calheta, 20

By far the best restaurant in Terceira. We were there four times in a week, although we tried a few other places. The problem is what not to order. Everything is delicious. Thumbs up to grilled octopus and the shrimp and fish skewers. Our last night on the island we ordered a 3.5 pound lobsters (sold by the kilo) and it was perfectly cooked. Very friendly staff. Make reservation or be ready to wait, especially at night. read more

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Went for lunch with friends. We wanted fish and the server after talking about options brought us a plate of fresh fish of different types. A plate of vegetables and cold beer. The fish was the best. The server,Roberto, made the lunch that much better. read more

Biera Mar is simply the best! Friendly and efficient staff and the freshest seafood you could have unless you caught it yourself! Daniel and Catia are wonderful and speak impeccable english. We had a very large party and they were able to accommodate and serve us quickly. Daniel suggested platters of assorted seafood so that everyone could try several seafood choices and also keep our cost down. read more

We have visited this place twice. The seafood is fresh and delicious. The grilled squid was incredible and the seafood soup in a bread bowl is excellent. I also loved their house white wine. This place is a must if you are visiting Terceira. read more

After hearing that this was the best restaurant on the island, we had high expectations. It was certainly popular with the locals on a Sunday afternoon. I had the grouper grilled. It was a whole fish and wasn't boned. I have to admit, I prefer no bones. It was tasty. My wife had the fried hake which I thought was tastier. But, of course, fried is tastier-- to my taste buds. The vegetables were bland. Overall, it did not live up to the hype. Because we had made a reservation, we had a great view of the harbor from our window seats. read more

My goodness, the freshest fish I've ever had. Had the fried hake fillet a few days ago here, and I'm still having dreams about it. My new standard for fresh fish. Limpets were delicious. Tried a barnacle... nothing to write home about lol. Love the local hole-in-the-wall feel of this place too. read more

Great service and delicious food accompanied with Portuguese red wine, a delicious house special. The view of the harbor and cove is also quite nice at sunset. To start the meal, olives and queso fresco with local butter, bread and chili sauce. We ordered the fish soup to share as a starter. Then had grilled octopus and blood pudding with pineapple. Both really great! read more

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We were told by locals it was the best seafood restaurant in Terceira. Indeed, fresh seafood, very tasty. Simple, no fancy dishes, but focuses on the quality of the product! Nice view little harbour and sea. We recommand. read more

Beira Mar Sao Mateus - Slipper lobster... After we ate it ! :) - Seafood Near Me - São Mateus da Calheta, 20

So amazing!! Ordered grilled octopus. Never had octopus before but OMG so good. I never knew I loved octopus but this placed taught me something new. Texture is so fluffy and soft. The sear was perfection. Perfect amount of char for flavor. Best meal in Terceira read more

We had to try the place that serves the best seafood on the island. This place definitely had fresh seafood! It was a tad on the salty side for me but other than that--great. read more

Always a good place to eat seafood. It's all fresh, apart from the cod and the swordfish. Octopus is delicious. Staff are very nice and will tell you what it the most fresh. read more

This is where everyone recommended for us to go. Literally everyone we asked recommended this place and the reviews hype it up so much! We got lucky and got seated without a reservation or wait but we got there right when it opened and sat right by the door. The waitress was very nice and friendly. The best part of the meal was the seafood soup in a bread bowl. The soup only had a couple pieces of shrimp in it and the rest was broth. It was tasty though. We also ordered the seafood skewers and the red snapper on the recommendation of the waitress. These were good. The wreck fish on the skewers were the most tasty. It was all served with vegetables that seemed like they were frozen and heated up and potatoes. The potatoes were good. I think our expectations were too high going in. I do think this was probably the best seafood on Terceira and the staff was nice. read more

Very good, recommended by everyone and needs reservations. Atmosphere is informal and has very local feeling. Many types of fish served in many ways. I needed some help from waiter to decide on which from several fish I had never even heard of. Having explained my choices I picked the Rock fish, but through misunderstanding of language he brought two different entras. Both were served with various over boiled vegetables. The grilled Rock fish was great, but the rest I could leave on the plate. read more

We were told by all the locals that this was the best place to go for fresh seafood. boy were they correct. Everything we had was amazing and the local feel was def a plus. We got fried squid to begin; shrimp and rockfish skewers and fried grouper as entrees. Can't forget the awesome inexpensive local Super Bock beer to top it off. Staff was super friendly and helped us navaigate the menu. Our bill was about 40euro. We will def be back before returning back home! Thanks for the hospitality Beira Mar!! read more