Restaurante O Cordeirinho is a little out of the way, inasmuch as anywhere on Sao Miguel can be out of the way, but well worth the effort. When you are driving through the village, just before you chink to the left and start going uphill towards the church (lit up at night), look for the red coloured building on the left hand side, before the bridge.

Predominantly the village bar, with a room at the side, a lovely space, which serves as the restaurant. The room has a high beamed ceiling and plenty of windows which, in the daytime would, I am sure, give good views of the village and the church on the hill. Wood panelling gives it a warm feel and it is quite private from the bar, no thoroughfare.

The waiter was young and friendly and spoke good English, although there were English translations on the menu, so we probably could have managed.

The menu is very local in nature, simple, freshly cooked fare. There were a number of locals eating on the evening we were there (mid week), always a good sign and the simplicity of the menu is reflected in the price.

In typical fashion we had only discovered Restaurante O Corderinho on our last night of a week's stay when, limited by the choice of places to eat in Povoaçao and reluctant to eat in the more touristy Furnas, we had travelled a little further afield. We would definitely have visited again had we been staying longer.

We started with a bowl of Cream of Pea Soup, my other half picked a tasty steak for his main, whilst I had a mixed grill of pork, beef and chicken, both served with fries, rice and a hearty salad.

Then I prevaricated between Chocolate Mousse or Pineapple Cake, but came down in favour of the Mousse, whilst my other half had a extremely generous portion of ice cream. We finished with two large coffees and washed everything down with a delicious bottle of Azorean Rosé.

Our total bill for three courses, coffee and wine came to a tad over 37Euros, extremely good value.

We were in no way rushed and really enjoyed a very relaxed meal in a warm and friendly environment.

We would highly recommend.

Visiting Lomba da Maia, my father's birthplace. Didn't expect to find such a great little restaurant there. The Saturday lunch crowd was mostly local folks with a scattering of tourists like us. I had a salad featuring chickpeas, veggies and fruit. It was really good and very artfully plated. My husband gave his burger a thumbs up. The fish dishes at the next table smelled wonderful. The service was a little slow by North American standards, but we are an impatient lot, aren't we. Relax, go with the flow, and enjoy your meal

Restaurante O Cordeirinho: you would easily drive past it without really noticing it and when you enter inside(you can only eat inside, terrace is only for drinks and fastfood) you’d almost think that you arrived at some kind of ski hut; but when you taste the food you’ll be truly happy that you decided to eat here. Amazing, we were blown away by the flavours. We had both the gambas as well as the squid and were seriously impressed with its taste. If it were possible to share flavours on instagram, and you got a taste, you would already be on your way day by now! Seriously, this one should definitely be on your “must-visit” list when visiting Sao Miguel!

We went there four people for lunch and the servers were attentive and fast.
We ordered four different dishes for sharing and the fish-tile with squid was SUPER good and we all absolutely loved it. The other dishes were also good, ranging in the 4-star category where perhaps their side dishes (fries, rice etc) could be a little better.

There are fery few dinner restaurants on the north-east coast of São Miguel and I'm sure, this is the best one. The space is small - reservation is useful - the menu is small as well, but nevertheless always a great taste. Local specialities like bacalhau (codfish) or lapas (limpets) are served as well as steaks and - my favourite - costoleta do novilho (young steer chop). Nice little room, air condition, very clean, bright and cosy. A MUST for everyone in São Miguel's #1 hiking region.