Best Madeira Food Tour! Firsthand Review from a Foodie Traveler 

We didn’t meet Jaqueline, the founder who dreamed up the tour after a food adventure in Reykjavik, but our guide Ana was fantastic. Friendly, kind, and super engaging.

She made us feel like friends while leading us to hidden spots and sharing great stories about the island’s food and daily life.

Our Food, Wine & Cultural Tour had seven delicious stops over four hours. Plenty of bites, sips, and laughs.

I also loved that we could book the 4 pm slot so we could hike Madeira’s amazing trails in the morning and basically eat our way through “dinner” on the tour. Easily one of the best ways to experience Madeira!

Alright, now on to the fun part of where we went and what we ate.

Okay, I’ll admit it. I was a little skeptical about our first stop since it’s right on one of the more touristy streets.

But wow… Casa do Bolo do Caco totally blew me away! It ended up being my absolute favorite stop on the tour.

Ana kicked things off with a bang, introducing us to Madeira’s famous bolo do caco, recently ranked the #10 best bread in the world by Taste Atlas!

Casa do Bolo do Caco has been using the same recipe for over 100 years, and after one bite, it’s easy to see why. This soft, slightly sweet flatbread is made with sweet potato and served warm, dripping with garlicky butter. Pure heaven.

Ana ordered ours with chorizo, and I swear, I could’ve eaten seven more pieces. We loved it so much that we actually went back the next day just to have it again!

Our next stop was Mercado dos Lavradores, Funchal’s lively farmers’ market that’s been buzzing with energy since 1940.

It’s packed with bright stalls overflowing with tropical fruits, vibrant flowers, fragrant spices, and the day’s fresh catch. Even the building itself is stunning, with traditional Portuguese tiles and beautiful old architecture that gives it so much charm.

Ana guided us through the maze of stalls, pointing out local specialties and sharing fun tidbits about Madeiran ingredients as we made our way upstairs to a table that was waiting for us.

There, we got to sample some of the island’s seasonal fruits: passionfruit (our favorite!), banana (we’d been seeing banana plantations everywhere, and even did a little hike along the RB1 Verena da Ladeira trail), avocado, mango, melon pear, and dragonfruit.

Next up was UAUCACAU, a gorgeous little chocolate shop tucked inside the Mercado dos Lavradores.

Our guide Ana surprised us there with a glass of Blandy’s 3-year Sussex Madeira wine.

Later in our trip we actually visited the historic Blandy’s Lodge on an incredible wine tour around the island, so getting that first little taste here felt like a preview of what was to come.

The wine’s light and nutty flavors perfectly paired with two pieces of chocolate, banana and passionfruit-mango.

Wow, they were almost too pretty to eat! Like little works of art.

UAUCACAU was founded in 2014 by Tony Fernandes, a local master chocolatier who focuses on artisanal, preservative-free chocolates made with ingredients from Madeira itself like passion fruit, poncha, banana, mango, and more.

Their Passion Fruit chocolate even won gold at a national competition, and after tasting it, we totally understand why.

If you’re looking for something special to bring back for loved ones, these chocolates make the perfect Madeira gift.

As a sweet full-circle moment, when we checked out of the amazing Three House Hotel in Funchal, we got a box of UAUCACAU chocolates as a parting gift. The perfect goodbye to a delicious trip!

Our next stop felt like stepping straight into a time capsule.

Fabrica Santo Antonio is a tiny biscuit shop that’s been baking happiness since 1893.

This was the first biscuit factory in Madeira, founded by Francisco Roque Gomes da Silva, who spotted a business opportunity when English families brought their tea-time biscuit tradition to the island.

Using local ingredients and family recipes perfected by his wife Guilhermina, the factory has stayed in the same family for five generations.

The shop still sits in its original building in the heart of Funchal, filled with antique wooden shelves, vintage tins, and the sweet smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through the air.

It’s cozy, nostalgic, and absolutely charming.

In addition to their famous homemade biscuits, we also got to try the traditional Madeira Sugarcane Honey Cake. Loved the biscuits, but I would need to acquire the taste for honey cake.

And fun fact: since we were staying at the coolest hotel in Funchal (Three House!), our apartment actually had Fabrica Santo Antonio biscuits stocked in the kitchen (for an extra cost).

Perfect for pairing with that morning coffee or tea.

When I think of Portugal, the first thing that comes to mind is the pastel de nata.

The creamy, golden egg custard wrapped in flaky, buttery pastry is absolute perfection. I could honestly eat one anytime of day, with coffee in the morning or a glass of wine at night.

We found our favorite at Nata 7, a cozy little spot off Rua dos Ferreiros in Funchal (they have a few locations, but this one has all the charm). We’d actually stumbled upon it a few days before our food tour.

But coming back during the tour was different because they served them hot, straight from the oven, and that changes everything. A warm pastel de nata is pure happiness in pastry form.

You can dust it with powdered sugar or cinnamon. We’re team cinnamon all the way. I could’ve eaten five without regret. Totally worth every buttery, custardy calorie.

Our food tour company now offers a pastel de nata cooking class. That’s definitely on the list for next time!

The Portuguese really know their way around three proteins: black scabbardfish, tuna, and beef. Ana took us to a local spot that served up all three.

When it comes to beef, the classic is the espetada, one of Madeira’s most iconic dishes.

The meat is simply seasoned with garlic and salt, grilled on an iron or bay leaf skewer, and then hung vertically so you can pull off those juicy pieces with warm bolo do caco flatbread (aka the ultimate combo).

Before the food tour, we’d actually tried espetada at a super local, off-the-beaten-path place called Talho do Caniço.

You literally pick your meat at the butcher shop, then carry it down the street to a grill master who cooks it up while you grab bread and wine. That experience was next level. See pic above.

The espetada on the food tour didn’t quite hit that same wow factor, but it was still delicious, and the real standout surprise here was the black scabbardfish.

Flaky, tender, and surprisingly mild (just… don’t Google what it looks like before eating 😅).

We also got a full spread of traditional sides such as sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans (perfectly al dente, not mushy!), and crispy fried polenta.

All paired with a glass of local red wine. A true Madeiran feast!

Our last stop was Rei da Poncha, the perfect place to end the tour.

Poncha is Madeira’s signature drink, a mix of sugarcane rum, honey, and fresh citrus juice, stirred together with a little wooden whisk called a mexelhote.

The most important thing? It has to be made fresh. That’s what gives it its bright, smooth kick.

We got to choose between a poncha or a nikita, and the beauty of traveling with your hubby is that you can order one of each. I loved both, but the nikita totally surprised me.

It’s basically an adult ice cream float, made with wine, Brisa passionfruit soda (another local favorite drink), and pineapple ice cream.

Who came up with this genius combo?! I normally don’t like sweet drinks, but this dessert + cocktail concoction was incredible!

Both the poncha and the nikita actually originated in the charming fishing village of Camara de Lobos, which we visited earlier in the trip on a lovely coastal walk.

There’s even a pedestrian tunnel carved right into the rock along the ocean (I’ve shared more about that in this how to do the coastal walk post!).

And if you’re a rum lover, do yourself a favor and check out O Reizinho, a small-batch distillery run by Pedro, the nicest guy ever.

His rhum agricole is some of the best on the island. If you can’t make it out there, stop by the Madeira Rum House, where they serve his rum if you order a premium tasting. It’s absolutely worth it.

Oh, and for a truly local secret, we stumbled upon a grocery store that hides a tiny bar in the back where locals grab a poncha after work.

It’s strong, it’s fun, and it will pack a punch. I’d suggest sticking to one (I did 2 not knowing!) … unless you’re in the mood to be dancing later 😄.

Want to know where it is? Drop the word “PONCHA” in the comments below!

This Food, Wine, & Cultural Tour was such a fun, flavorful way to experience Madeira.

Our guide Ana made it even more special. Warm, funny, and full of those little local stories you’d never find in a guidebook.

The tour felt like wandering through Madeira with a friend who knows all the secret spots. If you love good food, good wine, and authentic local experiences, this tour is an absolute must!

And if you’re planning to pair your Madeira trip with a stop in Porto, don’t miss my full review of the best food tour in Porto.

This is the very same one that once showed the late Anthony Bourdain around. Because if you’re going to eat your way through Portugal, you might as well do it right!

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Questions about our Madeira food tour?

Let me know in the comments below!