After 2 trips to the Azores we found the 2 best restaurants on of all places ... Pico Island.
I came here mainly to climb Mt Pico ( which I highly recommend), not expecting to find gourmet dining.
We previously had spent 2 weeks on Sao Miguel visiting every part of the biggest island and the most highly rated restaurants.
Right off the bat, this relatively new eclectic & hip restaurant had us with the grilled bread appetizer. Finally, an Azorean restaurant that understands and offers quality bread. Serving it hot and grilled was an extra bonus. Homemade butter and Olive Oil made us feel right at home. In my humble opinion, you only get one chance at a first impression so when the bread is a day old or room temp and flavorless ( which happens often ) you are digging a hole. But that's just me.
Back to the second course. The green salad was refreshing and contained avocados, which we hadn't seen on local menus.
The entrees were the highlight:
Perfectly prepared Chicken over a bed of cous cous.
Desserts were rich and flavorful. Wine list had lots of local options.
The staff are young , energetic and eager to please.
The space is interesting albeit a bit too stark for my taste:
Open kitchen - awesome
Huge and really impressive windows facing the ocean
Empty white walls - a bit odd and feels unfinished.
Bottom line ...
After almost 3 weeks in the Azores and visiting scores of top rated restaurants, this gem shot up to the top of our list along with another Mt Pico restaurant.
Hope to make it back sooner than later.
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