Akua

We visited this restaurant to celebrate my husband’s birthday, and it was an absolutely perfect choice. From the bread at the beginning to the dessert at the end, every single dish was fresh and full of flavor. 🍽️ Sitting at the bar was a real treat — watching the open kitchen and the chefs at work made the evening even more special. A truly memorable dining experience!

We loved our experience so much at Akua, we came for dinner two nights in a row! The food is exquisite, the music choice is fire and the staff was incredibly nice and super talented. A truly delightful experience. We sat at the bar/chef’s table both times and thought it was the best way to enjoy our meal. Definitely recommend and hopefully we come back to Madeira one day and get to eat at Akua again. Muito obrigada to the whole team and a special thank you to the hostess at the door 🙏🏻

We are very excited for this recommended micheline restaurant but we were all disappointed. We tried their tasting menu 5 services with dessert for 98€ for 2. Bread was good but I would love the bread to be a bit warmer instead of kinda cool. Tina tartare was good. Sardine was not that good, cod taco was a disaster from presentation to the taste it’s not good at all. And main course was mix seafood risotto with a small piece of white fish over cook was just ok. Dessert was very good. Very disappoint with quality of product and presentation. Service was very quick and not very professional. We tried also KAMPO of chef Julio not very good and so we tried Theo restaurant which is the best out his 3 restaurants . We love Theo about the service, food, ambiance and presentation. I have no idea how Akua got micheline recommendation:(

Fantastic tasting menu! Staff is super friendly and helpful with other suggestions for local food and stuff to do. Not too pricey for the quality of food, would absolutely go again. Must get the chocolate mousse!!!

We were excited before coming to the restaurant. The restaurant is supposed to serve contemporary cuisine based on the products from Madeira. However we were disappointed. The way of cooking is old fashioned. Food is heavy. One of the main courses we had was the grilled fish with pasta. The pasta was a bomb as it’s filled with cream. The fish wasn’t grilled to It’s perfection. No juicy meat with crispy skin. Another main course was tuna rice. The rice was tasty but the tuna was chewy. Truly not worth the hype!

Everything about the food here screams that it deserves a Michelin Star. In fact, I think two. Really innovative food beautifully presented. Tuna cornettos with a touch of japanese flavour and the freshest fish. Perhaps inspired by the island’s famous scabbard fish and banana combination, the restaurant plays with a combination of slightly sweet flavours and deep rich fish flavours that are absolutely perfect. Before eating here, you’d never convince me that fish ice cream or rice pudding is possible (and no, they serve neither) but what i did eat, made me think that these people could make it work, if anyone can. There is a razor clam rice side dish with cured tuna shavings which looks alive and tastes like a bowl of grandma’s comforting bear hug. Nothing is over powering but everything is complex, fresh and highly creative. Meanwhile, the front of house service combines efficiency and friendliness with a gentle sense of humour that makes you feel welcome and at home. This was supplemented on the second time we were there with a young woman front of house with a wicked sense of humour whom we loved. Meanwhile, something that applies to all Pereira’s restaurants was that the seats were really comfortable. What set Akua apart, for me, and led me to believe it was the best of the four was the Chef. Apart from his attention to detail, he was totally in charge of the pass, and at the same time always warm and engaging with customers. We went away completely entranced by him.

We visited Akua on our first day in Madeira and were really impressed. The fish was fresh, perfectly cooked, and full of interesting, creative flavors. Easily one of the best fish restaurants we’ve been to. Highly recommended for seafood lovers!

We had such a great time at Akua! It was a really unique experience, and the food was something special. We decided to go with the set menu for two so we could try more dishes — and honestly, everything was delicious. • The homemade bread with olive and white butter was a perfect start. So simple but really tasty — we loved it. • The tuna tartar was super fresh and a little different, in a good way. • The sardine with eggplant and passion fruit surprised us — such a great combo. We’d definitely order that again. • The fried codfish tacos were unique and full of flavor. • The grouper with seafood rice was amazing — kind of like paella, but with its own twist and so many layers of flavor. • And to finish, the white chocolate, black olive and passion fruit dessert was just the right sweet ending — unusual but it totally worked. The service really stood out too. Everyone was friendly and explained each dish to us, which made the whole experience even better. Shoutout to Wiktor, who was super kind and could speak several languages — that really impressed us. Would totally recommend Akua if you’re up for trying something creative and delicious in a welcoming place.

food: best meal I've had in Portugal as a whole, love how the chef seems to have found a good balance between authentic & fine dining. Standout dishes: tuna tartare, seafood pasta I recommend getting the set menu for first time trying Service: all the staff was super nice, which is a breath of fresh air in Portugal, not everyone here is welcoming to foreigners Ambiance: pretty small interior so be ready for a packed room, it's nice seeing everyone's reactions to the dishes, I also enjoyed watching the staff work in the kitchen

If you're looking for a fine dining experience in Madeira or even just a tasty dinner, this is not it. I recommend going elsewhere. We ordered the set menu and were sorely disappointed in basically all of the dishes. Started off with the bread, which may have been the best thing we had. There was really nothing too special about it though, just a large loaf of sourdough bread with some butter and extremely lemony olives. The tuna tartare wasn't also just okay. A mix of small tuna chunks with soy sauce and some seaweed in a fried cone. Basically just tasted like a lot of soy sauce. The sardines came with eggplant, pepper, passion fruit sauce, and tomato sauce and it was a very odd and not very tasty combo. Basically just tasted each thing separately without the flavors blending together at all. Also just a very mushy dish without any crunch or difference in texture. The tacos were my least favorite thing though. Maybe I'm not a huge fan of bacalhau but also, the sauce was just too cloyingly sweet for my taste and I honestly couldn't even finish it. The seafood rice was extremely salty and very fishy, but at least they gave you a decent number of shrimp and clams. The grouper was just okay, minus the couple of bones still in the filet. Dessert was decent, although again kind of a weird mix-up of flavors and textures. Overall, this just felt like a dining experience that was trying too hard to be something it's not. The redeeming quality was at least all the wait staff and chefs were very nice and pleasant!

I had been excited to try Akua by Chef Júlio Perreira. The restaurant was small and had a pleasant ambience, I loved sitting at the pass to watch all the food prep and plating/styling. I am lactose intolerant and felt disappointed that there was no alternative for the crunchy cone for the tuna tartare nor the tacos, but the servers were helpful when I asked them for advice on what I should avoid on the menu. I felt that the staff could have been a little more attentive, but overall a great experience even for solo dining. A lot of Chef Perreira's restaurants are meant for 2 person dining, so the "half" pricing and portions can be a little uneven. I'd highly recommend to go in a group so that you can try the larger plates. The sardine starter is iconic, and it's fun to watch the chefs torch and plate this dish. I enjoyed the tuna tartare, and the ceviche was unique and textural. I'd come back to try the rice and beef plates, and enjoyed watching the couples next to me try the tasting menu. Lovely experience!

Amazing tapas . Fun atmosphere bar seating where you can watch chef prepare meal. Nice wine list

This will go down as one of the best meals I've had period. All of the dishes were so delicately crafted and clearly a lot of thought and passion went into creating them. The muscles with a Thai style curry sauce were delightful. You could drink the sauce! Recommend having it with some bread! The bread and butter with seaweed flakes was delicious. I could eat it all night. The staff really cares about you having a great experience and they take their time to explain the menu items to you and help you make good decisions on what to order. Hospitality is some of the best I've seen.

Exceptional experience! Everything we tried was incredible and one of the best servers I've ever had. Absolutely must go! Would give 6 stars.

Michelin quality in every respect. Menu primarily of fish is absolutely outstanding. We had the tasting menu which was superb in quality and quantity. Restaurant property was simply elegant. Service provided by Victor was flawless.

Absolutely delicious food, pleasant staff and wonderful overall experience. Highly recommend trying while visiting the island.