The Most Interesting Portuguese Cuisine Is Found 1,000 Miles From the Mainland

If you’ve been to Portugal, you know how rich the food and beverage culture is. During a trip, you’ll no doubt try pastéis de nata (custard tarts), bacalhau (salted cod) and arroz de marisco (seafood rice). And you can certainly find those dishes throughout the Azores, a nine-island archipelago in the mid-Atlantic, 1,000 miles west of the mainland. But the region’s dramatic volcanic landscape and temperate, subtropical climate has helped create unique foodways.

I went to São Miguel, the largest island of the Azores, for four days, and it was jam-packed with eating, drinking and plenty of exploring. Before diving into the perfect itinerary, here are a few things to know before you go:

• Seafood is king: The fresh fish here is spectacular. Eat as much of it as you can, and always go for what’s local.

• But don’t forget the beef: Even though São Miguel has 360 degrees of coastline, the island’s main industry is beef. And because we’re talking about a small island with small farms, it’s some of the best in the world.

• They are dairy experts, too: Seventy percent of all the dairy in Portugal comes from the Azores, and the island abounds with local cheeses and fresh milk used to make the regional pastries.

• Wine from Pico: Northwest of São Miguel is Pico, home to Mount Pico, the tallest mountain in Portugal. The island’s volcanic soil is prime for growing wine grapes, and the rocky terrain acts like trellises to protect them from the elements. You’ll see a lot of wine from Pico during your trip to São Miguel — try as much of it as you can. While wines from other parts of Portugal are readily available internationally, wine from Pico is much harder to procure outside the country.

Getting There

Because São Miguel, the largest of the Azores islands, is 1,000 miles west of mainland Portugal, it’s only a six-hour flight from NYC — which also means it’s counterintuitive to fly to Lisbon only to change planes. Sata Azores Airlines has direct flights from NYC, Boston, Toronto and Montreal, so if you’re on the east coast of the United States or Canada, you’re in luck. It’s a typical overnight red eye that gets you to São Miguel early the next morning. If you don’t live on the East Coast, you can change planes in one of these cities and make your way.

Plan to rent a car for your trip to São Miguel. The island is small, so you won’t be driving long distances, but a car is necessary if you want to explore outside of capital Ponta Delgada.

Day 1

Breakfast: On your way to Furnas (where you’ll spend the first leg of your trip), stop at Gorreana tea factory, the oldest tea farm in Europe. The Azores were full of tea farms in the 19th century, but they slowly started to go by the wayside in favor of different types of agriculture. But Gorreana has been going strong since 1883, and it’s still a family-run affair. If you’re drinking tea in São Miguel, it’s Gorreana.

Start with a tour of the facilities where you can learn how different types of tea are harvested and processed. As with most tours, this one ends in the shop, where you can buy Gorreana’s teas and other local delicacies. Then sit down for breakfast in the charming cafe. Alongside both green and black tea, I dined on bolos lêvedos — a local bread that’s similar to an English muffin — charcuterie, pastries (including Portugal’s infamous pastéis de nata) and a local cheese that was cured in São Miguel’s thermal water. Afterwards, weather permitting, take a stroll through the tea fields via one of the two trails.

Stay: Check into Octant Furnas, a tranquil, wellness-focused hotel near the center of the island. The rooms here are warm and welcoming, awash in greens and browns that call to mind the natural world outside. If you’re celebrating something special (or just because), book a Terrace Pool Room, which features an outdoor deck with lounge chairs and a private plunge pool.

Lunch: Perhaps one of the most beautiful hotel restaurants I’ve ever seen, À Terra at Octant Furnas is a bright, glass-ceilinged greenhouse done up in warm wood and tons of greenery. For lunch on my first day, I had a beautiful corn soup and salad with tuna, egg, potato and sun-dried tomato.

Relax: As you settle into your stay, you’ll notice that guests walking around in their bathrobes is a common sight — and you’ll soon be joining the ranks wearing the fluffy white uniform. Octant Furnas leans into its natural surroundings (São Miguel has the highest concentration of natural hot springs in Europe) by offering thermal pools on-site. There’s an outdoor pool that’s hot in winter and perfectly tepid in warmer weather, and the thermal indoor pool features a smaller, hotter pool, a cold plunge and thermal circuit with massaging jets.

Before or after taking your turn in the mineral-rich waters, an aromatherapy massage is just the thing to stave off jet lag. The essential oils used are made with island ingredients, and you can choose your own adventure, whether you need a jolt of energy or require a little help relaxing.

Dinner: You’ve had a long day of travel, so why not settle into island life and simply take it easy? You have a few more days of adventure ahead of you, after all. That means booking a special chef’s table experience at À Terra, where you’ll cozy up to the open kitchen counter and indulge in a multi-course meal while watching the chef team fire pizzas and other dishes for the rest of the restaurant.

Chef Henrique Mouro will no doubt outdo himself like he did for my party. We dined on local Azores tuna with an orange soy sauce and succulent oxtail and bone marrow croquettes. Next came beef cheeks — which were cooked in the hot springs — with a baked mushroom rice and local rockfish. Finally, a flourless chocolate cake made with yams, another big island crop. To help you digest all the goodness, have a glass of local pineapple or passion fruit liqueur.

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Day 2

Breakfast: Whether the unpredictable island weather is bringing pouring rain or bright sun, dining at À Terra first thing in the morning is a treat. The self-serve breakfast is laid-out with everything you could want: fresh fruit, local pastries, eggs, cured meats, roasted vegetables and, my personal favorite, cured forkbeard abrótia, served with dill and pickled quail eggs.

Cook: People in the Azores have been cooking with thermal energy since the 17th century. In 1522, a landslide flattened the village in Furnas, and they had to bring in constructors from the mainland to rebuild because the governor was the only survivor. Lumberjacks brought their own traditions and food, and someone hid their meat underground so no one would steal it. When he went to retrieve it, he realized the hot, volcanic ground cooked it. This cooking is still a tradition 500 years later, and the Octant Furnas Cozido Experience lets guests try it for themselves.

Cozido is one of Portugal’s national dishes, and it varies from region to region. For example, the mainland version is richer with cured meats and beans, and smoked products often go into the stews in the north. In the Furnas version, you’ll work with an À Terra chef to chop vegetables and sweet potatoes, and they’ll layer in meat like chicken, pork knuckles and ears, beef and the local blood sausage wrapped in caldo verde, a large leafy green also known as Portuguese kale. After filling the large pot, you’ll wrap it in white cloth and write your names on it so you can verify it’s yours at the end of the day. Then, it’s off to Caldeiras, in a park around Furnas Lake, where you’ll bury the pot underground. The thermal heat will cook the stew at about 200 degrees Fahrenheit for seven hours.

Lunch: All that cooking has likely worked up an appetite, and because you’re about to have a meat-heavy dinner, seafood should be your midday focus. Stop for lunch at Ponta do Garajau, where you can sit in the sunny courtyard or the rustic stone dining room. Definitely get the freshest whole fish of the day, and the fried blue jack mackerel and octopus with potatoes are absolutely must-tries.

Explore: After lunch, stop by Ponta do Fogo, a scenic lookout where you can lounge on the rocks or walk around on the small beach and take in the ocean air. After arriving back to the hotel, embark on a short stroll to the nearby Jardim Público da Courela where you can witness steam vents in action, try different types of mineral water and browse a few shops selling local wares.

Relax: Across the street from Octant Furnas is a lovely park where you’ll find the Poça da Tia Silvina. This is one of the most famous hot springs in town, and both locals and visitors come for the water’s healing properties. First, dip your feet in the hot water, which can reach temps of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. After five minutes, spin around and cool your feet in the river, submerging them in the water for 10 to 15 minutes. This movement from hot to cold helps promote circulation.

Cocktails: Retreat to the cocktail lounge in Octant Furnas for a pre-dinner drink. The bar team gets creative with local rum and liqueurs, and even has a Margarita variation with pineapple foam. I’m partial to the Onion Pickle vs Grey Goose, one of the most interesting cocktails I’ve ever had, made with vodka, blackberry liqueur, pickled onion syrup, lemon and egg white.

Dinner: Now that you’ve dug up your cozido and the kitchen team has prepared rice to go with, it’s time to dive into your hard work. Ask the sommelier to suggest both a white and red to pair with the dish, as they both worked well and complemented the food in very different ways. To help you digest, try a fortified wine from Pico, which is similar to Port but not as readily available outside the Azores.

Day 3

Breakfast: Check out of your hotel and start driving southwest. Your final destination is Ponta Delgada, the capital of São Miguel, but first you’re stopping for breakfast. Queijadas da Vila do Morgado is a small bakery in Vila Franca do Campo that is famous for its queijadas, small custard cakes that were created by nuns of the Saint André’s Convent back in the 16th century.

Shop: When I dined at Ponta do Garajau, I quickly became obsessed with how they served their olives — in a small blue and white ceramic bowl that was connected to another smaller ceramic bowl for the pits. The locals told me it was from Cerâmica Vieira, a small ceramics company that’s been producing its wares for more than 150 years. Everything is still locally made and painted by hand. At the factory store, you can shop for mugs, plates, platters and those clever little olive bowls. When you arrive in Ponta Delgada, visit Mercado da Graça. Even with the modern convenience of grocery stores, locals still buy local produce in the market, and the Azores volcanic soil means there’s plenty of hard-to-find tropical fruits. After perusing the produce floor, wander upstairs where you’ll find shops selling fresh fish, chorizo, cheese, wine, tinned fish and every other local delicacy you can imagine.

Lunch: Eating where the locals eat is always a good idea, and the beloved Mané Cigano is where to do just that. Fried fish is the move, or whatever daily special sounds good to you. Don’t miss the pickle plate and the restaurant’s homemade Concord grape wine.

Stay: Check into Octant Ponta Delgada, which is perfectly situated between the water and the town, so you can do some exploring on foot. The hotel is stunning, with large rooms that overlook the ocean and bustling marina below. The breakfast buffet is legendary, where you can pair a made-to-order omelet with local pastries. The property also features an indoor pool, sauna and steam room, as well as a gorgeous rooftop pool.

Drink: The Gin Library boasts Europe’s largest gin collection, with 1,481 bottles from around the world and counting. The staff encourages you to peruse the walls and grab a bottle, and they’ll customize a Gin and Tonic for you, based on the flavor profile of your choice. They also make their own gins, which are excellent. Grab a seat on one of the picnic tables outside or in the back room speakeasy, which feels like the coolest clubhouse ever.

Dinner: Ascend to the rooftop of Octant Ponta Delgada for a light meal at Whale Watching Bar. The steak and club sandwiches are both excellent, and they have a variety of smaller seafood-focused bites to go with. The cocktails are great and they have a nice wine selection, too.

Day 4

Tour: São Miguel is known for its small, sweet pineapples, so a tour of Plantação de Ananases A. Arruda is in order. Pineapple was originally brought to the island as an ornamental plant. But as pests started to destroy the orange business, farmers needed a new cash crop, and pineapple was brought into the spotlight. São Miguel is now one of the only places in the world where pineapples are grown in greenhouses, which you can see firsthand during a farm visit.

Lunch: On an island full of incredible seafood and breathtaking views, Boca Aberta is a standout. A long, leisurely lunch here is the move, and one best enjoyed with wine, as they have about 160 bottles from which to choose. Start with bread slathered with codfish butter and a plate (or three) of the fish crudo, a cured delight which was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. As for the main, the seafood rice dishes are superb — you can’t go wrong with cilantro oyster, tomato lobster or saffron limpet.

Set Sail: If you have your sea legs, set up an afternoon on a fishing boat with a pro who will help you cast lines with a glass of Pico wine in hand. If you’re staying at Octant Ponta Delgada, they can arrange this for you, but there are other tour companies for hire in the area if you want to go a different route. While I was told this was a rarity for how close to shore we were, we saw dozens of dolphins racing and jumping around our boat — it was truly amazing. If fishing isn’t your thing, dolphin- and whale-watching excursions are also popular maritime activities.

Dinner: Setting up an À Terra chef’s table dinner (yes, all of the main restaurants in Octant hotels are called À Terra) is a must at Octant Ponta Delgada. Chef Paulo Leite is an absolute master of his craft and a joy to be around, so you’re sure to have a memorable meal. He uses fresh, local ingredients and puts his own modern spin on Portuguese traditions. I dined on albacore tuna tartare with caviar and rangpur lime beurre-blanc, an island cheese soup with sauteed zucchini and a poached egg, and crispy suckling pig with confit potato and Azorean pineapple chutney. Chef Filomena Costa’s pastries are the perfect way to end an incredible meal.