Nice restaurant in Funchal. We took the formula for €55. The places are plentiful and tasty. However, the service is very long.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Fruits de Mer
Alexandre Hitier
Intimate setting with sea view and live saxophone player (Not every day, check availability) who plays a wide repertoire in a Lounge style (ABBA among others)
For the menu you will find more sophisticated dishes than in most restaurants in Madeira!
I recommend the executive menu at €55 per person which includes 4/5 glasses of wine and a starter/main course/dessert!
For the starter I highly recommend the foie gras in two textures, and for the main course the beef Rossini.
The only weak points of this establishment are the waiting time between the starter and the main course, and the toilets which denote the standard of the establishment…
Small bonus, for 20€ it is possible to be taken to the restaurant in an old car which makes the experience all the more romantic!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cereth Joy
The entire package experience was definitely worth splurging on. We were picked up and dropped off to our hotel in a Classic Austin 12 which my boyfriend thoroughly enjoyed. A bouquet of flowers greeted us as we were seated. The wine were generously served throughout the night. The food was presented quite well too. What a memorable way to end our Madeira trip.
Rebecca Knight
I visited Restaurante Do Forte to celebrate my partner’s 30th birthday. The restaurant is in a fantastic location in Funchal and we felt like we’d made the right restaurant choice for a special birthday celebration.
After placing our order, we waited an hour for the starter to arrive. During this time, we asked a member of staff if our food would be on its way soon, to which they appeared inconvenienced and replied with a stern “yes”. We then waited a further hour for the main course to arrive. We asked again about the whereabouts of our food, and received a further stern response.
After two hours, the main courses arrived. My partner had the beef wellington, which was made using very salty pastry and overpowered the dish. I had the rack of lamb which was very average for the price point.
After finishing our mains, we made the decision to leave (before the dessert) to try and salvage the birthday evening. At this point we’d been in the restaurant for nearly 3 hours. We spoke to a member of staff about this and again, they appeared annoyed at our dissatisfied experience and blamed skill shortages in Madeira for the issues. They advised that the wait times are part of the concept and with food being cooked from scratch, it can take 2 hours to cook. Unfortunately this is not the norm in most restaurants so making diners aware of wait times in advance would be advisable.
Looking at other reviews, this doesn’t seem to be a one off experience. We left the restaurant feeling disappointed and therefore would not recommend to celebrate a special occasion.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Elsa Nassah
Very average The setting is not necessarily worth the detour, sea view only for three tables through the window, the others are behind the walls of this “fortress” Service overwhelmed by events, an hour of waiting between each dish, poor understanding of our order, despite our numerous reminders we had to leave before coffee because it was already close to midnight when dessert was served... (table reserved for 20: 30) Regarding the cuisine, far from the “gastronomic” that they brag about, dishes too salty to bring out the flavors, rubbery octopus carpaccio, overcooked duck breast, not to mention the wine! We asked for a dry white and we ended up with a sweet piquette… In short, count on around 100 euros for two, at that price a beachside restaurant will do much better! Go your way
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
Dorine Bt
We left without eating after an hour and 15 minutes of waiting.
M P3i
Pork belly is awesome
J Berni
Best restaurant in terms of quality and price (menu at 55.-). We had two very good times there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Laura Grouazel
It’s undoubtedly very good though…. The wait is way too long! No aperitif or other drinks offered before the start of the meal. We had to ask for the wine list several times and waited for it until the starters arrived. In addition, the waiter had difficulty understanding that a woman could choose and taste the wine. And if there are birthdays in the restaurants (4 in total for us) you can wait for your dessert or your coffee.. In short, be patient
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
ileana pluteanu
Relaxing atmosphere, great food and service. Highly recommend ? Only downside, a bit smelly inside from the kitchen ?
A wonderful experience! We booked a combined package that meant dinner at their sister restaurant, a drive home in their vintage car and lunch here. They are very generous with the wine pours, the food was so delicious with very generous portions (almost too generous, we were stuffed by the dessert and shared one instead of having our own). The only thing that was a little unfortunate was that we sat next to the wall and the yellow paint pigment chipped off and stained our clothes ? but nothing against the restaurant itself, we had a great time!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Valentin T
We took the “gastronomic tour” menu, for the price it is really fair: 80€ with drinks included (glass with each dish). We have already done other gourmet ones, this one is slightly below but given the quality/price ratio it is great! Nice place and very professional waiters.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marc van ACKER
Having reserved a table outside, I had to dine inside…. Brief welcome… Received the card, after ordering the cutlery arrived not as advertised on the card….just a roll and a tiny portion of butter. Having ordered the wine, I was told that there was no more….I changed the wine and received a lukewarm white wine….which had to be cooled in a bucket. The appetizer was ridiculous: a tiny piece of chicken breast with industrial mayonnaise.
Waiting 45 minutes before receiving the entry……duo of foie gras on toast as hard as wood….we have to stop taking customers for idiots and tourists for ignorant people. Regarding the fish dish, this one was not very fresh….
Not to mention a cooking smell in this room because the hood is not working properly. Not to mention a staff who barely knows how to address you in Portuguese believing that Madeira is an English colony…..and an unfriendly boss. In addition there was a candle on the table which remained extinguished despite 3 requests from me.
If the English do not know how to eat, we must take into account others who appreciate gastronomy. In short, a magnificent place to attract tourists, one more in Madeira.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Chris Grant
Difficult to recommend. The food was generally good, but the service was slow and cold, with little atmosphere, and the place needed a makeover, nothing like the website. I would not come here again.
Nice restaurant in Funchal. We took the formula for €55. The places are plentiful and tasty. However, the service is very long.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Fruits de Mer
Intimate setting with sea view and live saxophone player (Not every day, check availability) who plays a wide repertoire in a Lounge style (ABBA among others)
For the menu you will find more sophisticated dishes than in most restaurants in Madeira!
I recommend the executive menu at €55 per person which includes 4/5 glasses of wine and a starter/main course/dessert!
For the starter I highly recommend the foie gras in two textures, and for the main course the beef Rossini.
The only weak points of this establishment are the waiting time between the starter and the main course, and the toilets which denote the standard of the establishment…
Small bonus, for 20€ it is possible to be taken to the restaurant in an old car which makes the experience all the more romantic!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The entire package experience was definitely worth splurging on. We were picked up and dropped off to our hotel in a Classic Austin 12 which my boyfriend thoroughly enjoyed. A bouquet of flowers greeted us as we were seated. The wine were generously served throughout the night. The food was presented quite well too. What a memorable way to end our Madeira trip.
I visited Restaurante Do Forte to celebrate my partner’s 30th birthday. The restaurant is in a fantastic location in Funchal and we felt like we’d made the right restaurant choice for a special birthday celebration.
After placing our order, we waited an hour for the starter to arrive. During this time, we asked a member of staff if our food would be on its way soon, to which they appeared inconvenienced and replied with a stern “yes”. We then waited a further hour for the main course to arrive. We asked again about the whereabouts of our food, and received a further stern response.
After two hours, the main courses arrived. My partner had the beef wellington, which was made using very salty pastry and overpowered the dish. I had the rack of lamb which was very average for the price point.
After finishing our mains, we made the decision to leave (before the dessert) to try and salvage the birthday evening. At this point we’d been in the restaurant for nearly 3 hours. We spoke to a member of staff about this and again, they appeared annoyed at our dissatisfied experience and blamed skill shortages in Madeira for the issues. They advised that the wait times are part of the concept and with food being cooked from scratch, it can take 2 hours to cook. Unfortunately this is not the norm in most restaurants so making diners aware of wait times in advance would be advisable.
Looking at other reviews, this doesn’t seem to be a one off experience. We left the restaurant feeling disappointed and therefore would not recommend to celebrate a special occasion.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Very average
The setting is not necessarily worth the detour, sea view only for three tables through the window, the others are behind the walls of this “fortress”
Service overwhelmed by events, an hour of waiting between each dish, poor understanding of our order, despite our numerous reminders we had to leave before coffee because it was already close to midnight when dessert was served... (table reserved for 20: 30)
Regarding the cuisine, far from the “gastronomic” that they brag about, dishes too salty to bring out the flavors, rubbery octopus carpaccio, overcooked duck breast, not to mention the wine! We asked for a dry white and we ended up with a sweet piquette…
In short, count on around 100 euros for two, at that price a beachside restaurant will do much better! Go your way
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 1
We left without eating after an hour and 15 minutes of waiting.
Pork belly is awesome
Best restaurant in terms of quality and price (menu at 55.-). We had two very good times there.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
It’s undoubtedly very good though…. The wait is way too long!
No aperitif or other drinks offered before the start of the meal. We had to ask for the wine list several times and waited for it until the starters arrived.
In addition, the waiter had difficulty understanding that a woman could choose and taste the wine.
And if there are birthdays in the restaurants (4 in total for us) you can wait for your dessert or your coffee..
In short, be patient
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
Relaxing atmosphere, great food and service. Highly recommend ?
Only downside, a bit smelly inside from the kitchen ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Surf and Turf
Restaurantji Recommends
A wonderful experience! We booked a combined package that meant dinner at their sister restaurant, a drive home in their vintage car and lunch here. They are very generous with the wine pours, the food was so delicious with very generous portions (almost too generous, we were stuffed by the dessert and shared one instead of having our own). The only thing that was a little unfortunate was that we sat next to the wall and the yellow paint pigment chipped off and stained our clothes ? but nothing against the restaurant itself, we had a great time!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
We took the “gastronomic tour” menu, for the price it is really fair: 80€ with drinks included (glass with each dish). We have already done other gourmet ones, this one is slightly below but given the quality/price ratio it is great! Nice place and very professional waiters.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Having reserved a table outside, I had to dine inside….
Brief welcome…
Received the card, after ordering the cutlery arrived not as advertised on the card….just a roll and a tiny portion of butter.
Having ordered the wine, I was told that there was no more….I changed the wine and received a lukewarm white wine….which had to be cooled in a bucket.
The appetizer was ridiculous: a tiny piece of chicken breast with industrial mayonnaise.
Waiting 45 minutes before receiving the entry……duo of foie gras on toast as hard as wood….we have to stop taking customers for idiots and tourists for ignorant people.
Regarding the fish dish, this one was not very fresh….
Not to mention a cooking smell in this room because the hood is not working properly.
Not to mention a staff who barely knows how to address you in Portuguese believing that Madeira is an English colony…..and an unfriendly boss.
In addition there was a candle on the table which remained extinguished despite 3 requests from me.
If the English do not know how to eat, we must take into account others who appreciate gastronomy.
In short, a magnificent place to attract tourists, one more in Madeira.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Difficult to recommend. The food was generally good, but the service was slow and cold, with little atmosphere, and the place needed a makeover, nothing like the website. I would not come here again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Great food. Would love to come back
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
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