Editor Pick
Golden Gate
- May 20, 2006
- Rated 3 of 5 by
Harrod from Salford, United Kingdom
The Golden Gate is the sort of place that makes you wish you could speak Portuguese. It’s where Funchal’s ladies-who-lunch go to eat and to gossip. When you are sat at a table next to three or four women of a certain age who are toying with their food, sipping their drinks and making animated conversation you just wish you could eavesdrop. I’m sure it would be the place to find out exactly what is going on in town.
On a prominent corner site in the city centre on two floors and with outdoor tables on the recently widened pavement the Golden Gate is a good place to lunch, to rest your feet or to have a cake and a coffee in the afternoon. And, if you’re fortunate enough to speak Portuguese, to catch up on the news. It is not just the ladies-who-lunch who go there. It also attracts smartly dressed business men, who take their time over a leisurely business lunch. Something regarded as old fashioned and charming these days, but I’m sure still a good way to cement business deals. And not only the smart set eat there. There are usually tables of students meeting up with each other and finding out what is going on for the week end.
You can have a snack, a meal, a cake, a coffee, a glass of beer... whatever you like. Last time we were there for lunch, one us had smoked salmon (lots of it), the other had a classic Caesar salad. Comfortable wicker chairs tempt you to stay and relax. Expect to pay around €20 for lunch.
From journal Madeira, Garden Island