Here’s my pick of the best bars in Funchal, Madeira. The city is full of bars serving delicious poncha and even has an emerging craft beer scene (craft beer as in the hoppy American hipster kind). So while Madeira isn’t your place for crazy nightlife, there’s somewhere to get ratarsed round every corner.

Obviously, while in Madeira you’ll be wanting to knock back a poncha or ten. Poncha is a unique and rather strong alcoholic drink from Madeira, made with boozy sugar cane rum, honey, sugar, orange/lemon juice and other fruit juices. The traditional lemon one is my favourite because I’m all about that sour life, but lesser beings might enjoy the maracuja (passion fruit) one, which also seems to be pretty popular. Apparently, they (they being the locals) say that if you drink three poncha, you’ll be able to speak fluent Portuguese. I can confirm this is very much not true, but you will be far too confident in giving it a go.

You might die if you only drink poncha for your entire trip in Madeira, so hunting out some craft beer should also be on the agenda. Madeira is awash with the generic Coral lager, a Heineken brand. It’s not vile but it isn’t something you’d seek out. We were stuck with it when we first started going to Madeira a few years ago, but things are looking up now as Madeira seems to be growing its own little hipster craft beer scene. V exciting. More on this later.

So here’s our selection of where to get your drink on in Funchal…

If you’re looking for where to eat in Madeira, you’re in for a treat. There is a real foodie scene on the island, with plenty of traditional places but also some cute hipster cafés, and most of it is delicious. Dig out all your clothes with elasticated waistbands.

I love Madeira and I love eating so this is my expert guide to combining the two: I’ve listed the best restaurants in Funchal, the best cafés/snack bars/food stalls in Funchal, and the best places I’ve eaten in other towns around the island that you might find handy on day trips. While Madeira is an island that everything grows well on due to its perfect climate, vegetarian and vegan food can be hard to find. It’s definitely a meat-heavy place, so if like us you don’t often eat meat, it’s worth doing a bit of planning ahead. Obviously, all this food needs washing down with some booze so keep an eye out for next week’s post on where to drink in Funchal.

Anyway, on to the eating…