Digital menus for restaurants in Funchal and Madeira
A digital menu for a Madeira restaurant is your menu published as a web page that guests open by scanning the QR code on the table. No Portuguese region depends so much on foreign visitors, and none has dishes so little known outside the island — the menu has to explain almost everything.
Updated October 2026
Portugal’s most international region
In 2024, 85.3% of nights in tourist accommodation in the Autonomous Region of Madeira were spent by non-residents, the highest share in the country, according to Statistics Portugal (INE). In January it reached 88.3%: Madeira has no low season for foreign visitors, only different visitors in different months.
The main market is Germany, with 24.1% of non-resident nights, and the top three markets add up to 56.0%. Madeira received 30.9% of all German nights in Portugal — more than the Algarve or Lisbon.
Which languages a Madeira menu needs
English is the shared language of nearly every market and should come right after Portuguese. With Platerio the menu can be in up to 30 languages, and German — the island’s main market — is one of them. For a Funchal restaurant, Portuguese, English and German cover most tables; Dutch, French and Polish help with the remaining markets.
Espetada, bolo do caco and limpets
Madeiran cooking has names no visitor knows: the beef espetada on a bay-wood skewer, bolo do caco flatbread with garlic butter, grilled limpets, black scabbardfish with banana, fried cornmeal. Without a line of explanation these dishes simply do not get ordered.
Explain the sides too. Bolo do caco is made with wheat flour and served with butter — gluten and milk must be listed even when the bread is “just a side”. The same applies to the prego steak roll in bolo do caco, very common in Funchal.
From Funchal to the other islands
The challenges are similar in the Azores, where the main market is the United States. For places overlooking the cruise port, cafés in central Funchal or poncha bars, the logic is the same: less time explaining the menu at the table, more time serving.
Frequently asked questions
Which languages should a Funchal restaurant menu have?
Portuguese, English and German. Germany was Madeira’s main foreign market in 2024, with 24.1% of non-resident nights (INE); Dutch, French and Polish help with the rest.
Does Platerio publish menus in German?
Yes. German is one of the 30 available languages; the translation is made automatically from your original menu and stays a proposal until you approve it.
How do I explain espetada in English?
“Madeiran beef skewer: chunks of beef seasoned with garlic, salt and bay leaf, grilled on a bay-wood stick.” See the espetada page.
Do I need to list allergens for bolo do caco?
Yes. Bolo do caco contains wheat flour (gluten) and usually comes with butter (milk). Sides count too.