The time has come to venture over the Washington Bridge and support some of the fine East Providence restaurants.

Madeira, at 288 Warren Ave., is one of the finest.

Situated among small shops and three decker houses, the elegant building looks like it belongs on a mountaintop in Portugal, overlooking the sea.

We enjoyed our first octopus many years ago at Madeira, discovering last week that the food, atmosphere and service was still of the highest quality.

The only thing missing were the crowds, Madeira survived the pandemic, only to be hit with the disruptions caused by the Washington Bridge traffic situation.

You can still get off Route 195 east at the Warren Ave. exit, turn left, and proceed to the restaurant, which will be on your left. When departing from the huge parking lot you must turn left, go to the next stoplight and follow signs to the 195-west entrance.

The restaurant is as elegant as I remember: cloth napkins and tablecloths, comfortable chairs, chandeliers, wide windows and dark wood panels.

Only one section is open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with the larger room opened Friday and Saturday until 10 and Sunday noon until
9 p.m.

There is also a large outdoor patio and an upstairs banquet room.

We were pleased with the entrée prices, all around $20.

You must start with the $5 cup of Portuguese soup, filled with fresh vegetables, beans, pork and pasta. They also serve the traditional kale soup with chourico and potato broth.

A large, fresh breadbasket accompanies the meal. We skipped the many unique Portuguese appetizers, saving our appetites for the huge dishes of piping hot entrées.

Joyce enjoyed Camarao Mozembique, sauteed shrimp, butter, garlic and wine over a bed of rice ($21.95). The sauce had a mild heat to it and a most pleasant taste.

I chose the Amiajoa e espagnole linguini, an enormous plate of linguini, mixed with onions, peppers, chourico sausage and littlenecks in a tangy, tasty red sauce.

Portuguese cooking is unique. We found that it is also filling, so we enjoyed bringing leftovers home to switch for the next evening’s meal.

 The entrées revolve around cod, littlenecks, shrimp, steak, octopus and pork.

We’ll be back to Madeira, as it becomes easier to navigate the bridge, and is well worth the short trip to East Providence.