Since it first opened, the Oxalis restaurant at Casa Velha do Palheiro has been recognised for its quality and innovation. An open kitchen shifted the paradigm, while a gastronomic concept based on tasting menus invited guests on a journey through a world of flavours.
The restaurant was included in the Michelin recommendations list, and the work has continued in such a way that this recognition appears once again in the 2026 edition of the famous gastronomic guide.
In a charming setting, Chef Gonçalo Bita Bota presents a concept with a wide range of flavours and techniques. Two tasting menus are available: The Edit, featuring five courses, and The Food Performance, offering eight courses. Each menu is paired with a corresponding wine harmony.
In the eight-course menu, the starters reflect much of Madeira, blended with influences from other origins. These include tuna with yuzu and caviar, a surprising take on a traditional “tavern egg”, and a smoked dashi.
Fish trimmings are transformed into “calamari”, a visual simulation of a squid ring, served on a plate decorated with an edible recreation of the flower that gives the restaurant its name. This dish neatly encapsulates the spirit of the cuisine led by Gonçalo Bita Bota: creativity, flavour, sustainability, and ability to surprise, among other qualities. Originally from the Alentejo, the chef brings a touch of his homeland to Madeira, where his passion drives him to revisit old recipes and reinvent traditional dishes.
Each dish is a creative challenge. Whether it is a Madeira trout tartar or a scarlet prawn, where even the heads are used, there is a touch of Madeira in this cuisine, but also Alentejo and, indeed, the wider world.
The menu also includes bodião (parrotfish) with fennel textures and miso hollandaise, as well as oxtail with onion, ginger, pickles, and potato.
Within the tasting menu, for example, the dessert titled “Madeiran Espetada” recreates chunks of meat on a bay laurel skewer — except everything is sweet, and the key ingredient is chocolate. Before this, a pre-dessert reimagines a traditional Madeiran drink, Nikita, combining the freshness of pineapple and passion fruit.
The front-of-house team matches the kitchen in quality, offering expertise alongside natural friendliness. The space is welcoming and imbued with a classic atmosphere.
There is no shortage of flavour or surprises in the Oxalis kitchen. The Michelin Guide recommendation therefore comes as no surprise, in a restaurant that also bears responsibility for the hotel’s wider gastronomic operations. There is still a journey ahead, along with the ambition and talent to go even further.
