Itapema is a beach town and most of its eating happens at the kiosks along Meia Praia: fried fish, isca de peixe, fresh oysters from Florianópolis, and the inevitable rodÃzio de espetinhos. The proper restaurants line Avenida Nereu Ramos and the cross streets behind it, with the densest concentration roughly between the Hotel Plaza Itapema and the Morro da Sentinela.
The Azorean heritage shows up in the seafood: anchova grelhada (grilled bluefish), tainha assada na telha (mullet roasted on a clay tile, in season), and a hearty caldeirada of mixed shellfish and fish. The fish markets at Canto da Praia sell the morning catch direct, and several family-run restaurants nearby will cook anything you buy.