A Taste of São Miguel: Our Hungry Whales Food Tour Through Ponta Delgada

October 13, 2025 — MS Volendam, Holland America Line

After five days at sea, we were ready to stretch our legs and explore solid ground again. The MS Volendam docked around 7 AM in Ponta Delgada, the capital of São Miguel, the largest of Portugal’s Azores Islands, about 900 miles west of Lisbon. With volcanic peaks inland and a calm crescent harbor, Ponta Delgada has long been a natural stopover for ships crossing the Atlantic.  The ship was cleared around 7:45 AM

HERE is the map provided my HAL.   HERE is the map provided by the port which includes a list of the cruise terminal shops

We’d been here once before, in 2023, when we spent a day touring the island’s interior. This time, we wanted something slower and more grounded — a walk through the old streets, some local food, and a closer look at daily life. A food tour checked all those boxes.

We always enjoy food tours when we visit ports – it gives us a chance to walk around the town with a local, visit restaurants for small bites, and interact with our guide and other passengers. These tours usually have smaller groups, which facilitates interaction.

I found Hungry Whale Tours by using Google. Viator will also lead you to many tours, and Viator will always give you the name of the tour operator. The price for this tour, as listed on Viator, is $135. If you book directly with Hungry Whales, the cost is €95 or about $110. You can save money booking direct, but with Viator, you have a much more liberal cancellation policy. Consider whether the 20% Viator price premium is worth it to you. We always try to book direct when we can for tours, and we booked directly with Hungry Whale Tours.   Find their website HERE

The ship was in port from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with all aboard at 4:30. We left the ship around 9:20 under mild skies — about 70°F, light breeze, and a mix of sun and clouds.

Walking to Hungry Whales

We walked from the cruise terminal into town and arrived at the Hungry Whales office at Rua do Brum, 48, around 9:45.

Here is meeting place for the Hungry Whales tour

Inside, there were a few tables — relaxed, functional, and welcoming. We were offered bottled water while we waited for the rest of the group to arrive.  Our group totaled nine people. Shortly after 10:00 AM, Marco (our guide, originally from the Netherlands) introduced himself and his assistant Ishaja, who handled logistics at each stop.  Marco asked everyone to introduce themselves and share their hometowns.  With everyone gathered, we headed out to begin the tour.

Marco welcomes the group and outlines our tour

From City Gates to City Flavor

Our first pause was at Portas da Cidade, the triple-arched city gates of black basalt and white limestone that once marked the entrance to the walled town, now standing in Praça Gonçalo Velho Cabral. Marco shared a quick primer on Azorean geography and history — volcanic origins, settlement, and the islands’ strategic mid-Atlantic role.

As we left the square toward our first tasting, we passed the Estátua de Gonçalo Velho Cabral, the 15th-century navigator credited with discovering São Miguel, gazing out toward the harbor.

Marco presenting an overview of the Azores

First Stop: Colmeia Avenida

Our first food stop was Colmeia Avenida, a casual local spot that blends bakery, café, and sandwich shop.

Inside mall entrance to Colmeia – Avenida

We were served a bolo lêvedo sandwich with queijo tipo Roda, a mild local cow ‘s-milk cheese similar to a young Gouda. The sandwich was served cold — simple, soft, and satisfying, with the faint sweetness of the bread perfectly balancing the cheese. Alongside it: a queijada (sweet cheese tart), an orange–pineapple–cinnamon pastry, and a cup of local black tea.

Azorean Bites: Bolo lêvedo is a slightly sweet, soft flatbread (part English muffin, part pancake) and a staple of São Miguel. Queijo tipo Roda (“wheel cheese”) is semi-soft, smooth, and mild — perfect sliced in sandwiches.

We left around 10:50, exiting through an interior passageway that opened back onto the street before turning inland toward the market.

Mercado da Graça — The Market of Grace

By 11:00, we reached Mercado da Graça, the city’s main public market since the mid-1800s. After a multi-year renovation, it reopened in September 2025 with upgraded stalls and improved accessibility, while retaining its traditional layout.

Inside, the market was clean and active — mostly locals shopping. There were fruits, vegetables, eggs, dairy, and cheese. We sampled Azorean pineapple and passion fruit, both bursting with tropical flavor. Marco explained that local pineapples are greenhouse-grown and have no hard core, so they can be eaten whole.

We also tried two types of honey — winter (lighter, smoother) and summer (darker, more robust).

Did You Know? São Miguel’s pineapples are forced to flower in greenhouses using forçagem (smoke induction), allowing year-round production — each fruit takes nearly two years to mature.

A Tasca — Traditional Taverns Done Right

Our third stop was A Tasca, a long, narrow tavern on Rua do Aljube — a busy local favorite with seats for around 75 people. Our group of nine was seated at a large round table, and the food arrived quickly.

• Octopus salad
• Soft cheese with pimento and bread
• Alheira (smoked chicken sausage with centuries-old roots)
• Chouriço flamed at the table
• Arrowroot with parsley sauce

Bread baskets and a choice of local red or white wine rounded out the spread — the kind of lunch locals linger over.

O Príncipe dos Queijos — The Prince of Cheeses

Just a few minutes away, we stopped at O Príncipe dos Queijos, a compact specialty shop stacked to the ceiling with wheels of local cheese (some weighing over 20 kg). We sampled two soft varieties — creamy, fresh, and quietly tangy — a love letter to São Miguel’s dairy pastures.

Igreja Matriz & the Sardine Stop

We continued back toward the center of town, passing the Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião, with its striking black-and-white basalt façade and 16th-century stonework. A few steps later, we reached the Comur — Conserveira de Portugal sardine shop, its walls glowing with rows of colorful tins — sardines, tuna, mussels, even swordfish — around €13.50 per tin. We admired but didn’t shop yet; we planned a return after our tour.

O Avião — The Mackerel Surprise

By early afternoon, we arrived at O Avião, an aviation-themed restaurant featuring airplane murals on the walls. Almost immediately, two trays of fried jack mackerel arrived — small fish served whole, crispy, and flavorful — plus a simple salad of tomatoes, lettuce, and mozzarella.   The fish can be eaten whole, but some people cut off the heads or trimmed off some of the bones first.

Drinks included a pitcher of Isabella wine and laranjada (orange soda). Mixed, they created a light, fizzy, and surprisingly refreshing combination.

Sweet Endings: Palm Terrace Café

Our final stop was the Palm Terrace Café inside the Hotel Talisman. We were seated at a long indoor table where each couple would share one of the Vulcão do Fogo — chocolate, pineapple ice cream, caramel, toasted meringue, and berries — while others chose a dairly free option:  Pudim de Ananás, a silky pineapple pudding with caramel sauce. Both were excellent.

After dessert, our group photo was taken outside in the courtyard — nine smiling travelers in the soft afternoon light.

Heading Back to the Ship

We made our way back toward the cruise terminal, stopping again at the Comur sardine shop to pick up a few tins (including swordfish and boneless sardines with edible gold flakes), and ducked into a small souvenir shop for keychains. Back aboard by 2:49 PM, we were both full and fulfilled.

Pete in front of the Sardine shop with a Golden Sardine Tin – Sardines without bones or skin, garnished with edible gold flakes

Reflections

This tour gave us exactly what we hoped for — a chance to walk the city, try traditional foods, and learn through conversation rather than lectures. The pacing was comfortable, the portions just right, and the commentary rich without being scripted.

From bolo lêvedo to fried mackerel, from historic gates to tucked-away taverns, it was a flavorful stroll through everyday Azorean culture — unhurried, personal, and sincere.

Here is the map of our tour with the stops. There is an interactive map at the bottom of this post

Back on the ship

Tricia Kelly returned to the main stage for her second performance.   She discussed the many requests she received after the first show and sang parts from many of the requested songs if she had a backing track available.

Tricia Kelly

This is an interactive map showing the stops marked with stars and the path in yellow