Akua

This was one of my favourite meals while I was in Madeira! It was recommended to me by a tour guide and I am so happy I went! I had a cod fish taco, braised tuna with risotto and caramel bananas with ice cream. Everything was cooked perfectly and absolutely delicious. Their house wine was awesome and my server told me that it is made at a vineyard on the island and it is made specifically for them, you can't get it anywhere else! How cool! I was solo travelling so they were able to squeeze me in but I would recommend making a reservation!

Good food and service. Only thing we didn’t like was the ceviche as the fish felt a bit lost in everything else, but besides that it was all tasty and the seafood rice with grouper was delicious. Nice bottle of wine for a reasonable price too.

We came here for our last dinner on Madeira and we didn't regret it. The food was perfect and the service excellent. Especially Angi did a really good job and made us feel super comfortable and welcome. We recommend the Classic Menu and then the Codfish tacos again (which we did order additionally, because they were so great). We are from Berlin and we think this 150€ menu (including wine and water) was better than most of the 300€ menus we get at home. We would not be surprised if Akua's efforts for higher awards will succeed 😉

We didn't have a reservation but our tour guide recommended this place which was right behind our hotel. They were super busy but the hostess, Raquel, still accommodated us. We tried their 5 course menu for two. It was amazing!! The hostess made the experience so fantastic! One of the dishes had shellfish which I can't have and when she heard this she went to the chef and made a special one just for me. These people are really hardworking and will go above and beyond to make sure their customers have a great time and enjoy their food. I travel all around the world and I would say this place was one of the best restaurants I've been to! Def check them out if you're in the area!

Akua is a restaurant where fresh, authentic food meets a wonderful atmosphere. We were seated indoors downstairs, where the buzzing energy was a joy to watch as the chefs worked. We chose the full tasting menu, which was local and seafood-focused 🐟exactly what we were hoping for, with a delightful twist. The spaces, service, and food were all truly top class.

Last minute reservation and sat at the Chef’s table and had a fun dinner. Amazing watching the chef work and orchestrate his masterpieces. Loved it all! Had shrimp curry in a decadent curry sauce, fresh bread to eat the sauce! Shared a 2 pp grouper over seafood rice. The grouper was plentiful and so yummy. Such a great vibe! A must try!

The food and wine are excellent — we really liked the food a lot. The only thing I didn’t like is that the restaurant is run like a machine; it feels more about efficiency than about the food or the experience. Everything moves very quickly and it’s pretty hectic. For example, I hadn’t even sat down fully before they asked if I wanted some water. They also emphasized that we had only two hours to eat, even though we didn’t end up taking a full hour. That said, the staff became noticeably friendlier toward the end, which made the experience a bit more pleasant.

Amazing experience!!! Loved all the dishes ❤️ It was really great that for starters I can take half of a dish, so I was able to try more of this great cuisine. Sitting on the chef’s table and seeing kitchen’s work - 🥰 To start I had tuna tartare, ceviche, prawns, for the main - tuna belly steak, everything cooked to perfection!

Amazing value for refined spin on classic Madeiran flavors. We sat at the chef's table, which was amazing! We were totally enthralled watching the entire kitchen in action. Hard to pick a best dish as they were all so well executed. The homemade bread had a seaweed butter that added a nice umami flavor. The trout salmonada was briney with a base of pickled cabbage and passion fruit sauce that cut through the flavor perfectly. The tuna was fresh and cooked just right and came with a rich seafood rice. Highly recommend and we are hoping to be back later in the week!

This restaurant is in the central area, and actually steps from the sister restaurants, Kampo and Theo. First, the sparkling wine was wonderful with the oysters. Descriptions on the menu don't really depict how delicious the food is. For instance, my prawn with seafood rice was amazing. See the photo. The Madeira steak is a must try, and the dessert was a lovely chocolate mousse. We would come back again during our next trip! It's also Michelin guide recommended. They usually sift through the clutter.

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!

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.

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

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.