Ilha do Sal Restaurants

This is a nice restaurant right on the beach. Its french managed and serves Cabo Verdian/Creole Cuisine. Clients seem to return often and some it seemed ate only exclusively there. The Bar is well stocked and serves various cocktails for its guests. The wine list is good though prices are a little steep because the bottles have to be imported. For those who can afford it, a Clos Vougeot Grand Cru is available. Ah, those french! There is a good selection of platters which are well proportioned and presented nicely. The tuna carpaccio , grilled lobster and the Cape Verdian "Cachupa" are highly recommended. For those with simpler tastes sandwiches and pizzas can be ordered all day. Overall, this restaurant is very good and moderately priced. Beware though, the service can get overwhelmed during peak times. Try to get there early to avoid the wait. Even better, keep ordering those cocktails until your food arrives.

Favorite Dish: For those of you who dare to be different the local shellfish called "Cracas" is served at this restaurant. It's rare, delicate and very special. The only other place I've seen it served was in the Azores. Its orded as a a starter and is priced by the kilo. How can one describe it? It 's like a big gray rock with holes in it. Don't let it's appearance discourage you. Inside these holes are these succulent, little morsels dripping with the taste of the sea. Accompanied with a ice-cold beer or even better, a chilled bottle of Vinho Verde is absolute heaven. Oooh la, la!

This one is a “can´t miss”, it´s not the food or the service, is everything. The food is a buffet on weekends or Rodizio in the other nights, nothing very impressive, but the show really gets you going… Very nice atmosphere, good show. Prepare for some African dances.

Favorite Dish: try the Caipirinhas!!!

Another Italian restaurant and also very good, here I recommend the carpaccio for starter, the fish ravioli and the banana with chocolate for desert. You can enjoy a bottle of Italian Lambrusco or local wine from Ilha do Fogo. Good restaurant.

It’s a very nice Italian restaurant, with animation every night. Live Music, Indian dances, all of this in an unique environment, very cozy.
He pizzas are excellent, as well as the pastas. You need to try it!

In the centre of Santa Maria are several restaurants, where you can eat fresh seafood and other good food.

Our favourite for dinner was restaurant Mateus at the central Praca with terrace and live music.

For lunch we frequented the Pastelaria Relax, one block north from the Praca (for fresh yogurt and salad). Here you can sit outdoors in the shade.

Further there are a lot of small snackbars downtown and nice beach-restaurants.

Favorite Dish: RICH ‘CACHUPA’ (a kind of stew)

Ingredients:

4 cups of maize
200 g of beans
200 g of beef
300 g of pig’s trotters
200 g of bacon
2 large potatoes
4 smoked spicy sausages
2 cassava roots
2 sweet potatoes
200 g of cabbage
2 onions
2 laurel leaves
2 cloves of garlic
Olive oil (to your liking)
a pinch of salt and pepper

Preparation:

Place in a saucepan the beef (cut into small pieces), the bacon, the pig’s trotters and the smoked sausages, salt, pepper, and a stock cube (if you wish). In a separate pressure cooker, put the maize and the beans, along with the onions, some olive oil, salt and the laurel leaves. Cover with water and cook for half an hour. Next, in a larger saucepan, put the cooked beans and maize, cover with water and bring to the boil. When this is boiling, add the contents of the first pan (the meat). When everything is nearly cooked, add the potatoes and the cabbage. When it is cooked, take from the heat and leave alone for a few minutes. After this it is ready to be served. The rich ‘cachupa’ is at its best when it still has a liquid sauce. If you leave it overnight the ‘cachupa’ will thicken, then the following morning you can fry the cachupa with butter and have it for breakfast.