I recently visited Sao Miguel for the first time with my wife and my mother. My wife and I are pretty well travelled and we wanted to enjoy the area before it was too overrun with tourists. We flew in and were staying for a week at Pedras do Mar nearby. When we landed we were a little hungry, and by the time we checked in early and get ready, it was noon. We asked for a recommendation at the front desk and were told that this place was very good and close. She was right.

As we pulled in they were just opening for lunch service. It was a Saturday, and we were the first to walk in. It turned out the owner, Al, was the person who greeted us, seated us and tended to us. He was very nice, and did not intrude. Rather, he carefully asked a few questions, answered our questions honestly, and made some recommendations. The first thing he asked what about wine. What did we like. He listened and after some debate, where he explained how Portugal has the best wine, he said he would bring us a nice wine that we would like as to taste, but that was. It too expensive. He explained that he doesn’t like pushing expensive wine, but wanted to give us something we would like. His recommendation was spot on. Once that was sorted we proceeded to order food.

Like I said, we were hungry. Al went over the menu, and my mom and I wanted some octopus. There are two such plates in the menu, but after asking our taste, he recommended the one with garlic, oil, and potatoes. It was some of the best octopus I have had in a long time. The flesh was firm but not tough, with good texture and great flavor. It was simple, as octopus should be, but it was also a substantial dish that all three of us could share and enjoy.

For entrees my mom and I had the trigger fish, clearly freshly caught. It is a great thing that more places are using these types of fish that are sustainable due to the fact that they are not over fished. My wife had the beef fillet. Now I like seafood, or rather I love seafood, but I almost have to say that the fillet stole the show. It was perfectly seasoned, topped with a bacon crumble, and seared beautifully. Simple good ingredients done well are always the best. All three of us shared the meal and wine while we enjoyed the peak through window views between the shelves lined with wine corks.

Al checked on us a few times during the meal, as did the kitchen staff, but the service was very much the typical European “no rush,” you are not pushed to clear room for the next cover, you can stay as long as you like.

Al was a lovely host. He is not necessarily what I call a talker, but he is very charming and cares about your experience. The price was also great from our standpoint. Good value for money.

During our week on the island we hit a few other nice restaurants. We ate at Tasquina Viera, and Big
21 among them. Funny thing is, as we kept sampling octopus along the way, we all kept saying how this was the best one we had eaten.

So our last evening arrives, and as we are considering where we are going to eat, we realize that we just want that octopus and that fillet again before we leave. Mind you, by this time my mom had fallen on a hike (little did we know she had broken her tibia and would need a plate and screws after returning home, and to think she was walking in it thinking it was an ankle sprain) so going out instead of room service is a challenge. We had been all over the island, including even finding the ever illusive fanciful unicorn: the liquor store (go to Sao Miguel and you will know what I mean) and still our last meal was back here with Al.

When we walked in through the door he instantly recognized us and asked what had happened given my mom’s limp. He chatted with us and asked about the trip. Then when it came time to eat, his eyes twinkled as we described that we had measured all the local octopus dishes against his and nine was as good. After much debate, he decided that we should just pick three entrees to put in the middle of the table to share. We had the fillet, the octopus, and at Al’s recommendation the rump steak which was delicious. Again, the attention was spot on, not pushy, but friendly and agreeable. He again gave us a great wine recommendation and explained that for him, it isn’t about the “up sell,” rather he wants people to enjoy their food.

My wife and I enjoy travel because it broadens the horizon, feeds the sole with new experiences, and because quite frankly, it is fun to eat and drink in new experiences. From fine dining to little food stalls we have done it all, and at this point we can tell the nice places that just click and feel right. El Botequim Acoreano is just that place. If you stay in the area of Ribeira, or a Pedras do Mar, I would highly recommend that you stop by. Try the octopus in garlic and olive oil. Try the fillet. Order some wine and relax after a long day. Some of the best in town. And say hello to Al.

We were on holiday and had this restaurant recommended to us by our guesthouse. I feel that it is somewhat overpriced for what you get. The value is better if you eat meat or fish. The vegetarian menu is limited - it's actually vegan - and not too interesting for choice.
I chose a Tropical Salad which I remember cost 12 euros. It was a rip off. Mainly lettuce and cooked pasta (probably to fill you up), with small pieces of fruit and 'supermarket' croutons. It was very disappointing. I commented on it to the waiter. His attitude wasn't the best; started asking me if I knew how high restaurant running costs were here! In the end, they brought a biggish portion of local soft cheese to go with it. Even then, there was no way this was worth the money. My partner fared somewhat better with a cut of pork.
I wouldn't go back if I were to visit this area again. Not really recommended by myself regarding vegetarian choices; my partner would probably say that he had a nice meal but paid somewhat over the odds for it.
(ffi. a note for would be visitors to Sao Miguel: outside of the capital, restaurants are quite thin on the ground and most close at 10 p.m. Menus are mainly based around meat and fish - this is good quality and fresh. On average, the prices are gastro pub prices in UK. There are some less expensive places - you just need to check the menus first.
If a vegetarian then there's not a lot of choice - I think most places will do the ubiquitous omelette! It is useful to be pesco-vegetarian. Salads are excellent - very fresh and can have interesting ingredients, eg. local pineapple, and local cheeses are very nice. Vegans will probably struggle to find protein and end up eating salad and bread for a week).

We were there during our vacation and observed this restaurant as inconspicuous, but when you are in, you will be impressed from the service and the excellent food. My recommendation is to ask for fish of the day or the special offer of the day. You will be supriced how they perform magic for you. Definitely a good place for having dinner.

This place has received some great reviews -- and some others not so great! Ignore the good reviews -- these folks don't know what they are talking about. This was quite simply one of the worse meals we’ve ever had in Sao Miguel – and considering the cost – also one of the worse rip offs. We were in the Rabo do Peixe area and decided to have lunch at this Botequim Acoriano. It looked nice from the outside. But as they say – you can’t judge a book by its cover! Being the adventurous types, we opted to try their Polvo Botequim. We know our octopus – and know how it should taste. My wife described this one beautifully as just something boiled, tough and tasteless! The accompanying potatoes should be cooked with the sauce to absorb the flavor. These potatoes were thrown into the pot as an afterthought – also not well cooked and totally bland (not at all like potatoes should taste on this island). The service was OK, the wine not bad, the Fado music playing in the background a nice touch and the bathrooms were very clean. But here is what is really beginning to disturb me. We live in Sao Miguel 5 months of the year – the rest of the time in Canada. Clearly, tourism has been growing at a rapid pace. But it seems that ‘greed’ has also grown to keep pace. Botequim Acoriano claims to be “the place where gastronomy and Azorean culture sit at the same table”. Not at all an apt description. It’s among the many places that are springing up all over the island where some relatively well-off businessman has decided to become a ‘restauranteur’ without knowing really anything about gastronomy. This is the new trend in Sao Miguel. The local, family run restaurants are disappearing – replaced instead by what I call the white polyester table-cloth tourist traps offering some half decent décor, nice wine glasses, ok service – but terrible food at exorbitant prices (at least for Sao Miguel). This is pretense at gastronomy. We paid our Polvo 35 Euro for two. At Mane Cigano in Ponta Delgada – a local dive that’s been in the same location for 50 some years -- their Polvo is ½ the price and three times as good. Cais 20 was one of our favorite places for lunch after a long walk on the boardwalk. But no longer – it’s now impersonally big and quite expensive. Mariserra down the boardwalk a bit is just as big and even more expensive. Tasca used to be one of our favorite places to eat but the food quality has deteriorated, the prices have gone up and the crowds have swelled. Down the street from where we live in the Paim area, a new, big restaurant has opened by the same people who own Pao do Rei -- Zitaka. They claim to serve Frango da Guia. Excuse me please, we’ve been to Guia and this is not Frango da Guia. Greed is taking over. Too bad. Sao Miguel is a beautiful island that deserves better than this. Enjoy your visit to this island paradise but avoid Botequim Acoriano.

Botequim Azorean manages to be both elegant and quaint at the same time. I had a lovely lunch with an ocean view...and an interesting book selection at my fingertips. Ok. But about the food. I ate at several places on Sao Miguel and, of all of them, this restaurant had the best version of the fabulous Azorean pimento with cheese. I think they make the pimento in-house. Also, if the pimento is not your thing, the cheese came with a delicious reduced grape spread. So good. The lobster risotto was perfectly creamy and cooked to that moment of being firm but not mushy or underdone. It was, magically, made with out cheese (how do you get so creamy with no dairy product?) so the flavor of the lobster did not get lost and lead the dish with its buttery lightness. I also had the flambéed pineapple. How do you make Azorian pineapple even better than it already is? Flambe it in alcohol. Speaking of, they have an impressive looking wine list, though I stuck to the local sodas. I should say the local tasty, wonderful sodas. The waitstaff is helpful and efficient and quietly excited about what they are serving. I understand it is a family affair, a joint venture between two generations--a mother, father and their son. The father helped serve our table and told us that their family has been on the island for hundreds of years. They have a real connection with the history of the food. It sounds like they are starting a craft beer line and maybe tea also, using local good, so that's cool. Oh. And the place was near some beautiful beaches and rock-lined ocean pools. I think everything on the island is near beautiful beaches, but still, we had a lovely time working up an appetite and then going to relax afterwards.