Current Time
Currency
restaurants
Rio de Janeiro restaurants
Rio de Janeiro's restaurant scene trails a poor second to the world-class gastronomy available in São Paulo: Serious foodies decry locals' willingness to put up with lazy technique, unimaginative menus, and indifferent service. The exceptions we've found are listed here, but dining in Rio is best enjoyed without casting a critic's eye over everything. What fits the local vibe are the botequim bars where traditional petiscos (tapa-size mini-dishes) are served without frills and always with plenty of ice-cold beer. The city's ubiquitous churrascaria grill houses also provide good value, the waiters circling with endless skewers of meat flavored with rock salt then grilled over the fire. Other highlights include delectable black beans (feijão), the weekend-only bean-and-meat stew feijoada, and spicy dishes from Bahia and other northeast Brazilian states. Sushi is a good option in Rio, given the plentiful fresh seafood and Cariocas' obsession with healthy living. Look out also for the streetside juice (suco) bars, which serve tropical and Amazonian fruits such as açaí, a purple palm fruit, fruta do conde (sweetsop), and graviola (soursop). They're liquefied before your eyes and are shockingly inexpensive.
The contemporary menu at this hot spot for post-beach lounging shamelessly mixes its metaphors—ceviche to dim sum to ravioli. The terrace is sweet, but...more
Nestled in a private jungle of jackfruit, mango, and star fruit trees, this artfully designed eatery became Santa Teresa's first gourmet restaurant when it...more
There are hundreds of juice bars in Rio, but Polis Sucos, just two blocks from Ipanema beach, regularly wins prizes for its fresh Amazonian fruit juices and...more
One of the few places to eat well in Lapa, this century-old Portuguese restaurant has become an institution, much loved for its award-winning baixa gastronomia...more
Chef Natacha Fink has made this Santa Teresa's most popular restaurant with her creative take on cozinha amazônica, offering a seven-page menu as exotic to...more
You can't beat the location: Set on a quiet corner opposite Rio's Jardim Botânico, Bar do Horto spills out onto a street shaded by tropical almond trees....more
RSS Feeds