Gourmet products local specialties and wines The Azores

One of the island's three cheese factories. On weekdays, you can visit the factory and see how the famous São Jorge cheese is made. Very interesting! You can also drop in just to fill your suitcase: it's the only place where you can buy vacuum-packed cheese! We remind you that São Jorge cheese is one of the Azores archipelago's best-known specialities, and holds the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

A whiff of cookie in the alleys of Praia's old port, and you've arrived at the Queijadas da Graciosa factory. Made with free-range eggs, butter and Graciosa milk, they are THE island's gourmet specialty. Here you can visit the production workshops, from the making of the dough with its characteristic star shape to the baking process. Taste them hot from the oven - they're pure delight! The tour ends in the boutique, where you'll discover the factory's other products.

Very friendly, it is a good way to immerse yourself in the daily life of the inhabitants. You will find fresh and quality products. The prices are very interesting. We recommend local specialities such as cheese or pineapple. Take the time to enjoy a freshly squeezed juice. A real delight. Colours and flavours as we like them. The market is open all day long, but it is in the morning that the activity is at its peak, in the afternoon it is rather quiet. There is also a small local restaurant.

A little way out of town, it's not the easiest place to find. But your patience will be rewarded! Maria de Fatima Brasil's workshop is filled with the smell of pastry. Wafers, meringues, cigars, caramels, cookies of all kinds, massa sovada, not to mention the famous Espèces de São Jorge, everything here is made the old-fashioned way and baked over a wood fire. A real treat! The bakery also has a sales outlet on Topo's main street, some 50 metres down from Império.

One of the oldest pastry shops in the Azores. O Forno offers a wide selection of freshly baked regional sweets. A small terrace has been set up in front of this pastry shop with a local atmosphere. Don't miss the delicious donas-amélias, which literally melt in your mouth. Savory treats are also available. You may have to be patient to be served, but it's worth it! So don't hesitate and take the time to enjoy this gourmet break in the heart of Angra do Heroísmo.

The local sweet wine "Czar" by José Duarte Garcia is part of the reputation of the Pico vineyards; much tasted, among others, by the Tsar of all the Russias. Hence the name. The particularity of this wine is linked to the morphology of the volcanic soil, the climate and the rigorous treatment of the vines. In 2009, one of the barrels turned to sugar, producing a wine unique in the world at 20.1°. Only 75 gold-engraved crystal bottles were made. The wine has won several medals, including a gold medal at the Moscow International Fair in 2011.

A real artisanal cheese factory, with cows lounging in the surrounding fields. A small store at the entrance, to taste and buy the cheeses, but also a nice guided tour during which you can observe the local know-how and drink the explanations of Rui Caldeira who manages the visits with a master hand, so passionately! We love their natural cheese, with herbs and peppers. A real delight!

One of the island's three cheese factories. Before entering, you put on a sterile garment, and off you go on a guided tour to discover how the delicious São Jorge cheese is made. At the end of the tour, there's a small tasting session, before heading off to the store. The staff are friendly, and as cheese is the island's specialty, we strongly advise you to stop by and discover the know-how of São Jorge's cheese-makers.

This is one of the three cheese factories of São Jorge: an opportunity for an instructive and greedy break. We remind you that the Azores cheese has an international reputation and is the most famous specialty of the archipelago. It is a semi-soft or hard cheese, slightly spicy. It has a circular shape and weighs from 7 to 12 kilos; it is usually cut into wedges. It has a protected designation of origin (PDO).

This 4-hectare vineyard owned by an Azorean family is a fine example of vine-growing in a microclimate and on typical pumice soil. It produces red merlot, rosé merlot, white chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and more. These wines are sold locally and can also be found in some of the island's restaurants. The winery organizes guided tours (booking required), with tastings at the end. A highly recommended experience, especially if you have any interest in oenology.

The first thing that greets you is the smell of raw milk, and then Ilda, all smiles. Trained as a pastry chef, she didn't start making cheese until it was too late to use her cows' milk. Her cheese is now exported as far afield as the United States. You can visit this small artisan cheese dairy. Ilda produces not only fresh cheese, but also an extraordinary matured cheese. Its secret is a short ripening period, between 15 days and three months, which gives it a very special flavor, very different from other Azorean cheeses.

Located just north of Lajes, in the village of Lomba, this patisserie is packed with gourmet treats: cookies, pasteis de nata, pineapple tarts, but above all... Florentina! This is the name given by Maria, the pastry chef, to her creation: the first queijadas from the island of Flores. A queijada is a traditional Azorean cake, a crunchy crust filled with a sweet fresh cheese pastry. Maria only uses cheese from the island's two artisanal cheese dairies. The result is a real delicacy, which we strongly recommend you try!

Open every other Saturday, alternating with the Calheta market, this small Mercado Municipal welcomes local producers who come to sell their produce. Vegetables, fish, cheeses, you can also find a few handicrafts and mingle with the inhabitants of Velas, who are very attached to the products of their land. For those with a sweet tooth, it's the perfect opportunity to try the "Espécies de São Jorge", typical island cookies in the shape of small crowns with an openwork top, flavoured with cinnamon, pepper and fennel seeds.

This small café with terrace and sea view, in the center of Vila Franca, sells the famous queijadas da vila, the local pastry that has been prepared for centuries! Emblematic of the town, this fresh cheese delicacy covered in powdered sugar originated in the convent of Santo André. Join us with a delicious hot drink to sample these little marvels. Inside the establishment, picture windows allow you to see the pastry chefs at work making them. Not to be missed if you're in town!

This little ice cream shop is a godsend for a cool break during a day out in the sun! And the sorbets are delicious to boot.

This original boutique specializes in the sale of canned fish. In the spotlight: sardines, sea bream, mackerel, meagre, trout, cod, smoked salmon and cod roe, but also mussels, whelks and octopus... They're all preserved in boxes, each more colorful and fanciful than the last! Shaped like gold ingots, with panoramic views of Portuguese towns or even stamped with all the years from 1916 to the present day (look for your year of birth!). For gourmet gifts. However, we regret the rather high prices.

This family-run establishment is perfect for wine tasting off the beaten track, away from the crowds. With its beautiful terrace overlooking the vineyards and the sea, you can enjoy a breathtaking view while tasting the wines produced on site. Tastings are accompanied by informative explanations of the estate and the island's production, and tapas and cheeses if you wish. You'll receive a warm welcome and an immersive, authentic experience.

A pretty little bakery in downtown Ponta Delgada. You'll be greeted in Portuguese, but don't worry if you don't speak the language: the staff are very friendly and will serve you with a smile. The place is perfect for a quick breakfast or a snack of hot drinks and tasty pastries. The pastéis de nata are delicious! On the savoury side, the shop also sells toast and sandwiches. The room is small, but you can order takeaway. What's more, prices are unbeatable.

A guided tour of this large family distillery will tell you all about the liqueur-making process. Find out in advance so you can come along on the day of the traditional distillation and see the still in operation for yourself. Detailed explanations are followed by a tasting of the liqueurs and eaux-de-vie. The products are of the highest quality, and some have won awards, such as the blackberry and lemon liqueurs. And, of course, you can leave with a bottle or two of your own!

The smell of bread wafts from this bakery, and with good reason: wheat or corn bread, cakes, cookies, and the traditional Azorean "massa sovada", everything here is baked the old-fashioned way, in a wood-fired oven. Impressive ovens, heated each morning before the breads are put in. A real delight! On leaving Santa Cruz, take the road towards the village of Rebentao. In the heart of the village, slightly higher up, is the building of this excellent bakery.