Restaurant in Funchal, Portugal
Madeira's folklore, plated with precision.
Audax is one of Funchal's most compelling tasting menu options at the €€ tier, with chef César Vieira building menus rooted in Madeiran folklore through 3 to 7 courses depending on the session. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025) and a 4.8 Google score back the kitchen's quality. Book the evening 7-course for the full experience; the value relative to the city's €€€€ alternatives is hard to argue with.
Picture the smell of a busy open kitchen — garlic, ocean, something fermented and sharp — drifting into a modern dining room on Rua Imperatriz Dona Amélia. That's the first thing that orients you at Audax: this is a working kitchen, not a stage set, and chef César Vieira is building something specific with it. The verdict is yes, book it , particularly if you want a Madeiran tasting menu that earns its courses without inflating its price tag. At a €€ price point, Audax is one of the most sensible decisions you can make in Funchal's competitive São Martinho dining stretch.
The menu architecture is the real story here. At lunch, Vieira runs a tighter format: a 3 or 4-course tasting menu that makes sense as a midday commitment without derailing your afternoon. In the evening, the kitchen shifts into a more deliberate mode, with 5 or 7-course options that move through Madeiran ingredients and references at a pace that holds attention. This is not a restaurant where the tasting menu feels like an arbitrary upsell , the evening format in particular reads as a considered progression, and the jump from 5 to 7 courses is worth taking if you have the time.
The clearest signal of what Audax is trying to do comes from one documented dish: a preparation built around Poncha and coastal prawn, referencing the traditional drink that Madeiran fishermen made with peanuts and aguardente, then restating it in contemporary terms. That single reference tells you the kitchen's orientation. This is not fusion for its own sake, nor is it nostalgia dressed up in modern plating. The island's folklore is the source material, and the menu is the argument for why it still matters.
Full kitchen is open to the dining room, which is worth knowing if you're the type who likes to track what's coming. The decor is modern without being cold. For a São Martinho restaurant operating in a zone with plenty of competition, Audax has earned a 4.8 out of 5 from 374 Google reviews, which is a credible signal given the volume. The kitchen has also held a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, recognising quality cooking that doesn't yet carry a star but sits clearly in Michelin's orbit. For context on what that recognition means in Portugal's tasting menu scene, the bar Michelin sets is visible in restaurants like Belcanto in Lisbon, Vila Joya in Albufeira, and Ocean in Porches , Audax is working in the same register at a fraction of the price.
If you've already done a lunch visit, the evening format is the obvious next move. The 7-course menu is the one that shows Vieira's range most fully, and the progression from lighter, more acidic early courses to richer, more textured later ones is the kind of arc that justifies the full commitment. The Poncha and prawn dish, if it's on the menu when you go, is the reference point for understanding the kitchen's logic , but treat everything else as the point, not just the headline dish. Regulars who've settled into the 4-course lunch should resist the habit and try the evening format at least once; it's a meaningfully different experience.
If you're comparing Audax to other tasting-menu formats globally, the closest reference points for this kind of grounded, ingredient-driven contemporary cooking are restaurants like Jungsik in Seoul or César in New York City , chefs working with local identity rather than against it. Closer to home, Antiqvvm in Porto and The Yeatman in Vila Nova de Gaia occupy a similar relationship to Portuguese culinary tradition, though at higher price tiers. Casa de Chá da Boa Nova in Leça da Palmeira is perhaps the most direct peer in terms of using a strong regional identity as the spine of a tasting menu.
Reservations: Booking is rated easy, but given the volume of competition in the area and a 4.8 Google rating drawing consistent traffic, don't leave it to the day before, especially for evening slots and weekend lunches. A few days' notice should be sufficient in most cases. Budget: €€ , this is one of Funchal's more accessible tasting menu options; the lunch format in particular represents strong value for the quality of cooking. Format: Tasting menu only , 3 or 4 courses at lunch, 5 or 7 courses in the evening. Address: R. Imperatriz Dona Amélia 104, São Martinho, Funchal. Dress: No stated dress code, but smart casual fits the modern room. Kitchen: Fully open, visible from the dining room.
See the full comparison below. For broader Funchal planning, Pearl's guides cover restaurants, hotels, bars, wineries, and experiences.
For different needs in Funchal's contemporary dining scene: William for a higher-end tasting menu with Atlantic views; Ákua for a modern approach to Madeiran ingredients at a similar price tier; Oxalis for contemporary cooking also at the €€ level; Gazebo if you want a step up in formality without going to the leading of the market; and Desarma for the full splurge at €€€€. Audax sits in the right position for most visitors: serious enough to be the meal of the trip, priced well enough to not feel like a gamble.
For contemporary cooking in Funchal, your clearest alternatives depend on budget. At the same €€ tier, Oxalis is the most direct peer. Step up to €€€ and Gazebo and Ákua offer more formal experiences. If budget isn't the constraint and you want the highest-end tasting menu in the city, Desarma at €€€€ is the leading of the market. Audax is the call if value-to-quality ratio matters most to you.
The menu is tasting-format only, so ordering is a matter of choosing your course count rather than picking dishes. That said, the Poncha and coastal prawn is the documented signature , a dish built around the traditional Madeiran fishermen's drink, restated in contemporary terms. In the evening, the 7-course menu shows the kitchen's full range. At lunch, the 4-course option is worth choosing over the 3-course if you want a more complete read on what Vieira is doing.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, but Audax pulls consistent traffic given its 4.8 Google score and Michelin Plate recognition. For weekend evenings, aim for 3 to 5 days in advance. Weekday lunches are likely more flexible. São Martinho is a busy dining strip, so last-minute walk-ins may be possible but aren't a reliable strategy, especially during summer and holiday periods.
Yes, at the €€ price point it is. A Michelin Plate over two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) tells you the kitchen is cooking at a level that Michelin's inspectors consider worth flagging, and the grounding in Madeiran folklore gives the menu a coherence that many tasting menus lack. Compared to €€€€ peers like Desarma, Audax is not the same level of ambition or formality, but it's a considerably better value proposition for most visitors.
Yes, with one qualification. The 7-course evening menu is the right format for a special occasion , it has the pacing and structure that makes a meal feel like an event. The modern room and open kitchen create atmosphere without being stiff. If you need a private room or highly formal service, the database doesn't confirm those features, so check directly. For a birthday dinner or anniversary meal where the food is the priority and the bill won't cause anxiety, Audax is a strong call.
No dress code is stated, and the modern decor and €€ positioning suggest smart casual is the right register. You won't be out of place in a shirt and trousers or a simple dress. This isn't a black-tie room , overly formal dress would be more conspicuous than a clean, put-together casual look. The open kitchen and relaxed-but-serious atmosphere set the tone.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audax | Located in one of the most dynamic leisure areas of Funchal, where there is plenty of competition and many alternative dining options, this restaurant stands out for its flavourful, tradition-filled offering. Inside, with a modern decor and a fully open kitchen, chef César Vieira offers a contemporary cuisine rooted in the island’s folklore, featuring a tasting menu with 3 or 4 courses at lunchtime and a more haute cuisine approach in the evening, where you can choose between 5 or 7 courses. An enticing dish? Their delicious Poncha and Coastal Prawn, which references the typical Poncha fishermen made with their peanuts, viewed from a contemporary perspective.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | €€ | — |
| Il Gallo d'Oro | Michelin 2 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Desarma | Michelin 1 Star | €€€€ | — |
| Oxalis | €€ | — | |
| Gazebo | €€€ | — | |
| Avista | €€€ | — |
A quick look at how Audax measures up.
For a higher-end tasting menu with Atlantic views, William is the step up. Ákua covers modern Madeiran cooking at a similar price point. Desarma and Oxalis are both worth considering if you want a shorter or more casual format. Audax sits in a competitive stretch of Funchal, so there is no shortage of options, but the Michelin Plate recognition two years running gives it a clear edge over most neighbourhood competitors.
The Poncha and Coastal Prawn is the dish most closely tied to chef César Vieira's approach: it references the Poncha that Madeiran fishermen traditionally made with peanuts, reframed through a contemporary lens. Beyond that, the structure of the meal matters more than individual choices — at lunch, go 4 courses if you have the time; in the evening, the 7-course menu is the fuller expression of what Vieira is doing.
Booking is rated easy, but Audax carries a 4.8 Google rating and sits in one of Funchal's busiest dining corridors, so leaving it last-minute in peak season is a risk. Aim for at least a week ahead for weekday dinner; for weekend evenings or a specific date, two weeks is safer. Lunch is a more flexible window.
At €€ pricing with Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025, yes — the value case is straightforward. The lunch format (3 or 4 courses) is the lower-commitment entry point; the evening 7-course menu is where Vieira's range comes through most fully. If you only have one meal in Funchal at this price level, Audax earns its place.
Yes, particularly for an evening booking. The modern dining room, fully open kitchen, and structured 5 or 7-course format give the meal enough weight for a birthday or anniversary dinner. It is less formal than a two-Michelin-star room, which makes it a good fit if you want occasion-worthy food without rigid ceremony. The €€ price range also means the bill won't derail the evening.
The venue has a modern decor and an open kitchen, which signals a relaxed-but-considered setting. There is no evidence of a formal dress code in the venue data. For an evening tasting menu, neat casual — a collared shirt or a simple dress — is appropriate and consistent with how contemporary Portuguese restaurants of this tier tend to operate.
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