Albertino Milho fulfilled his American dream by owning and operating Madeira Restaurant, which specifies in Portuguese fare.
East Providence restaurant serves up Portuguese cuisine – and ambiance
Madeira Restaurant
Owner: Albertino Milho
Type of Business: Restaurant
Location: 288 Warren Ave., East Providence
Employees: 36
Year Founded: 1987
Annual Sales: WND
It’s obvious that all the buildings surrounding Madeira Restaurant on Warren Avenue in East Providence are owned by the same person. They are all flamingo pink.
“Why pink?” is a question Albertino Milho has answered more than once, and the reason makes perfect sense.
“Because about 80 percent of the buildings on Madeira Island are pink.”
The Portuguese island 350 miles off Morocco is considered “the floating garden” of the Atlantic. Milho left the year-round resort – with mountains, warm weather and honeymooner-type attractions – for America at age 21 and fulfilled the American dream.
Milho started working in a restaurant when he was 14 in his home country and worked some odd jobs upon arriving in the United States. In 1987, he left his job in sales and bought a small, 58-seat bar.
Nineteen years, eight expansion projects and millions of dollars later, Madeira Restaurant seats 600 people including a 300-seat banquet area for weddings and other events. About three years ago, a lounge area was added and last year Milho added patio dining complete with a garden and waterfall that may not be quite as majestic as those in Caldeirão Verde on Madeira, but reminiscent all the same.
Cooking behind the scenes are chefs from Portugal and surrounding islands, including his wife and Head Chef Zita Milho, who has used both traditional Portuguese ingredients and her own recipes since the restaurant first opened its doors.
The couple’s two children, Karen Milho-DaSilva and David Milho have worked in the family operation on and off since it opened.
Madeira has no problem competing with the acclaimed restaurants of Providence since its niche, high-end Portuguese food, isn’t found in the city. It also has plenty of parking. The people also come again and again.
“We do well because when people come to the area and want good Portuguese food, they are sent to us. Everyone knows us,” the 51-year-old entrepreneur said in his thick accent, boasting of his wife’s talent with food.
Traditional Portuguese cuisine like kale soup, little necks with chourico, peppers, onions and red sauce; marinated pork and little necks; codfish, octopus, and many other seafood dishes
are offered at very reasonable prices – most under $20.
Of more than 1 million households in Rhode Island, there are about 95,700
with ties to Portuguese heritage, the 2003 American Community Survey shows, which is probably why most nights of the week the restaurant is full and banquets, weddings and business parties are
constantly booked.
The success of Madeira throughout the years also led Milho into real estate. He owns just about the whole block.
He has acquired 15 buildings
and knocked down four through the years, leaving him with 11 properties including apartments, office and retail space.
“When I bought the restaurant, I never thought it would get this big,
but everything went well and we kept growing,” Milho said.
Doing business in Rhode Island has been good for Milho, who resides in East Providence.
“I like it here, we have a good location and everything has gone well for us,” he said.
As of 2003, there were 3,091 restaurants in the state, representing 10.1
percent of total employment in Rhode Island, the National Restaurant Association reports.
Milho said he is finally done expanding and buying buildings and he’s ready to focus on keeping the properties up and retaining his loyal Madeira customer base.
