There is great food to be had in the Azores, but it’s worth planning for to avoid frustration. We had reservations for about half the nights (some documented elsewhere on the blog), and then returned to a couple of favorites. We didn’t always grab photos of meals, but there are some highlights worth sharing.
One other quick note… many restaurants, especially in more rural places, close down in the afternoon from 3pm to 7pm. We got caught a couple of times, especially on Pico and eastern Sao Miguel, very hungry with few options other than snack bars. It may be better during the summer, but it was not a great situation off season.
Our first adventurous meal was at Restaurante Ponto do Garajau, off the beaten track in Ribiera Quente, on the coast about 10 minutes out of Furnas. I had thought they had not yet opened for the season, so failed to make a reservation. We were delighted to discover otherwise and agreed to an outside table in questionable weather and were soon joined by many others. The photo above shows our first of many servings of queijo fresco. It’s lovely mild fresh cheese with a spicy pepper sauce, served with most meals.
Yes, she ate them. 
Another favorite on Sao Miguel was Bar Caloura, which is about 20 minutes east of Ponta Delgada. It is a lovely setting on the water (view from our table below), with a relaxed atmosphere and wonderful fresh seafood. Our waiter the first night encouraged us to wait for the tuna delivery, and we weren’t disappointed. Interestingly, the deck sits under a beautiful old Pahutakawa tree from New Zealand. That’s one of those swimming pools built right into the ocean and rocks, not yet open for the season.
Another nice little find was Quinta da Queiro, a guest house in Sete Cidades. There was a limited menu, but offered us a wonderful snack in a lovely little spot. The Bolo de Ananás (Pineapple Cake) here and everywhere was delicious.
