The Azores

Despite the name Casa de Chá (tea house in Portuguese), this is also a slow food, café, and bar all in one. On their menu, an overwhelming variety of tea leafs from which to choose--more than 100--as well as the usual coffee specialties, hot chocolate, cocktails, and other alcoholic drinks. Plus, salads, toasts, and pizzas along with pastries, pancakes, and mouthwatering cakes. Boasting a great view over the city and the bay as well as a beautiful garden, Casa de Chá a nice place to relax, have a chat, and grab a bite after a tour of the island.

Tucked away in the upstairs of a house, A minha casa, which means My house in Portuguese, is a cosy and quaint little cafe right by the Angra do Heroísmo Bay. Both the fare--which includes local dishes, pancakes, and burgers--and the funky decor invite patrons to linger for hours.

The Illy coffee served at Confeitaria A Colmeia is largely praised as some of the best on the islands, but the food is probably this cafe's biggest draw. Local style burgers with Azorean beef or lentil and mushroom based veggie burgers are particular highlights, along with the salads and the signature pastries, including island cheesecake and pineapple cake.

Specializing in different types of tea and herbal infusions, Chalet da Tia Mercês is a picturesque and charming tea house, right next to the hot springs in Furnas. Besides offering a vast selection of teas, their menu also features coffee, wine, local cheese, cakes, and sandwiches. Pretty much everything here is homemade and cooked with thermal water. But the icing on the cake is definitely the wonderful view it offers over of stream and Caldeiras.

Intz48 has specialised in coffee, pastry, and gelato and is one of the most famous cafes on the island of Sao Miguel. Be sure to try one of their freshly roasted coffees and enjoy the atmosphere of Ponta Delgada's oldtown.