The best restaurants Rio De Janeiro

A small restaurant that seems lost at the end of a cul-de-sac, the Dom Mario restaurant offers quality cuisine. All day, from noon to night, Dom Mario serves signature dishes. Fish with maracuja sauce, filet mignon (of beef) with gorgonzola or pepper sauce, barbecued fish and shrimp... are the most popular dishes. The other feature is the generosity of the dishes. The portions are almost worthy of Pantagruel! It's a bit pricey, but well worth it.

For many years Sabor da Terra has been offering its cuisine to locals and tourists who do not want to spend too much without sacrificing the quality of the contents of the plate. In this restaurant by the kilo at the entrance to the old town, you will find a buffet that may lack variety, but is certainly of high quality at a very affordable price compared to those in the centre. Good minute grilled meats, ready meals, vegetables, pasta, rice... a good Brazilian cuisine without pretension. More and more guests are going there!

The Trattoria restaurant is perhaps one of the best value for money establishments in the city. In a slightly retro atmosphere (checkered tablecloths), with brick walls a few steps from the Copacabana Palace, a Turinese chef and her family have been cooking since 1976. You'd expect to see mafia-style chefs at the table. Pasta, of course, has pride of place and is available in both land and sea versions. The Neapolitan shrimps are a real delight. A good canteen, with your eyes closed, for sure.

Aipo and Aipim is a chain of restaurants by the kilo with a wide variety of dishes, salads, meats, dishes cooked in sauce, very Brazilian dishes, aipo means celery and aipim, also called mandioca, is a kind of tuber of the potato family, very common in South America. In short, they are a bit like Brazilian fries. It is the opportunity to taste a Brazilian cuisine by the kilo, of quality... at prices of the southern zone. Two other addresses on Nossa Senhora avenue, at n° 391 and 920.

The Cipriani is the main restaurant of the Belmond Copacabana Palace. The service is of impeccable class and taste. It overlooks the patio and the pool, in a setting with a taste of paradise. The cuisine is tinged with a northern Italian influence: Chef Carli used to run the kitchens at the Cipriani Hotel in Venice. Try the thinly sliced lamb with goat cheese ravioli and Dijon mustard tarts! You can reserve the chef's table in the heart of the kitchen (990 reais), a must... expensive!

A good address found thanks to our friend Nicolas. In the increasingly popular Botafogo district, Lima is a fusion of Peruvian and world cuisine. Of course, you'll find the traditional ceviches here, but also many seafood dishes (octopus and shrimps with yellow garlic...). Some may regret the old location, more "authentic" and family-friendly, while the new restaurant is flashier, noisier and more "in". The menu, however, remains up to scratch.

The Majorica is a very 1960s address, with a decoration so kitsch that it almost becomes chic! Once you set the tone, it's easy to see why the restaurant has been around for decades. The menu is classic and of high quality. The Majorica offers excellent meats on the menu ( picanha lovers will appreciate the local picanha, which is excellent!) and a grilled sausage to ask for as an aperitif. The fish and seafood with notably several cod recipes (bacalhau). Well stocked wine list. A classic.

Mizu is a Mexican-Japanese restaurant, so it had to be daring! And yet, the gamble paid off. The formula works perfectly. You can eat as much as you like, starting with Mexican cuisine (nachos, burritos, tostadas, ceviche, etc.) and ending with Japanese fish (sushi, sashimi, etc.). Some dishes are served in seats imitating boats. Well, the setting is a bit faded nonetheless, but it's definitely worth the detour if you're a fan of either cuisine.

Once a real gastronomic complex, this establishment (which has nothing to do with Garcia & Rodrigues, the founders) has become a very good bistro. Delicious breakfasts, sandwiches, and high-end bakery. On the map, pasta, risottos, steaks, fish (succulent toasted salmon).

We enter the world of pastry. For 45 years, the colher de pau has excelled in homemade sweets, including the famous brigadeiro (chocolate and condensed milk) and the excellent rocambole de chocolate, which can be foundas a specialty in Tiradentes. The pies come in a thousand varieties: strawberry charlotte, passion fruit, lemon and walnut pies. The salted cakes like pasteis are also very good. Of course, there is a large number of wooden spoons from all over the world (colher de pau) sent by friends from all over the world as decoration.

One of the annexes of this famous restaurant, which offers buffets for a fixed price. The dishes are excellent. Prices are not quite soft.

This small restaurant with terrace is a little more expensive than the rest of the neighborhood. The products are selected and excellent, the atmosphere is refined, even chic, and it is not because we are on holiday that we will boycott the sophisticated places.

If you want to eat a quick and very good thing in the center of Ipanema, after the beach or during your shopping, take a break at Mustafá. It is simple, but the service is good. Only three tables on the terrace. Tabbouleh salad, stuffed grape leaves with rice, pumpkins, aubergines and stuffed peppers, rice with lentils. Fried kibes, spinach or cheese have left us a good memory. If you still have a little hunger, there are chocolate pies, coconuts, or orange rocamboles.

One of the fashionable restaurants, trendy New York bistro, even though the kitchen remains typically Brazilian. Meat is valued, including a succulent mignon net, or seafood: excellent shrimp bisque. On dessert, we cracked for the fennel conflict. To discover.

Here of course, as its name suggests, we enter a place dedicated to Italian gastronomy. Open since 1999, this Italian establishment enjoys an excellent reputation. We go there to taste a fabulous roast duck and an excellent lamb chop. The grilled wild boar will also convert all those who are hostile to game. On the sea side, the Grigliata Mista Di Mare for two people is a pure pleasure (395 reals all the same). Impressive wine list. Top-of-the-range service. A gastronomic evening in Leme is guaranteed!

You have to imagine Lapa in its normal functioning to understand the "dimension" of the Brasil bar. This bar is a part of the tradition of the old Lapa district which transpires its popular origins... We are far from the rhinestones and glitter of the chic bars of Rio. Noisy, messy, outdated decoration... but we love it! The walls reflect so many counter stories that you have to stick to them. Good German food goes well with a cold beer (or vice versa). You can find its program on www.lanalapa.com.br

In 1989, a Swiss doctor had the idea to open a "bistro" with a French spirit in the heart of this very pleasant place full of history. Good for her. 3 decades later, the bistro is an institution, with simple and quality cuisine. It is a restaurant that serves huge salads and very good quiches. At lunchtime, on weekdays, it is frequented by the young dynamic executives of Rio's business district - as well as by the staff of the French consulate, whose offices are next door to the Bistro.

Some places allow you to discover the sociology and daily life of the people who pass through them. Traditional places, by definition, are lessons in history, tradition and/or modernity. The Beco das Sardinhas has been a traditional place in Rio since the 1960s, located in a small pedestrian section of Miguel Couto Street. Several small establishments share their terraces and serve excellent grilled sardines (as in Sète or Casablanca) known as frangos marítimos. To be enjoyed with a good draught beer!

A compromise between pastry and fast food. There's a little bit of it in a pretty ugly decor, style 1980. Ideal when you go from the beach to several. Good salads and wide variety of desserts and ice cream.

Picanha do Gugu is a rather tasty churrascaria located in the centre of Saquarema. Well, we know that meat restaurants are less and less popular among Europeans and Brazilians who are more sensitive to the ecological cause, but for those who love meat... and who can nevertheless be sensitized to the Amazonian cause, the restaurant Picanha do Gugu, one of the subsidiaries of the eponymous group, offers good meat. Over several years, however, the price of the picanha has risen. Few non-meat offers.

La Garota de Itaunà is a large, colorful restaurant that has established itself as one of Itauna's most interesting eateries. It's a great beach establishment, simple and friendly, as you'd find in the Nordeste. Of course, it serves excellent fish (grilled fish with Maracujà sauce, Itauna-style prawns), but also tasty meats (churrasco), served in generous portions. Good value for money. Nice view from the balcony. An excellent place to watch the sun set over the sea.

Punto di vino has established itself as a leading name in Italian cuisine. Very good Italian cuisine with Brazilian flavours. Pippo, the Italian owner, always manages to find you a small seat (prefer the garden, which is cooler), even when the restaurant seems full (which happens very often). Try the carpaccio triplo con rucola, a delight of local produce. Excellent pizzas, a little expensive but prepared with good ingredients, Italian style (priceless). In the evenings, there are regular ao vivo concerts, especially at weekends, to set the mood.

This popular establishment did not always. You can also come here to drink a coffee or nibble a sandwich, a quiche, a carpaccio.

Not everyone knows it, but Arab culture and Arab cuisine have been very present in Brazil for almost a century, when the first members of the Syrian-Lebanese community arrived in Brazil. The Amir is certainly one of the best Arab restaurants in the city... and it is true that they are not so numerous in Rio. The menu during the week is of Lebanese inspiration (hummus, falafels, esfiha - salted cake - around a very good all-you-can-eat buffet) and the speciality of the weekend is an excellent Moroccan couscous.

The scent of rosemary guides and attracts visitors. Beyond the gate and into the superb garden, you discover a large, rustic-style house with a hushed, elegant ambience. The uncluttered menu features Italian-influenced local specialties cooked with talent by chef Julio Buschinelli. The house osso buco is now a local staple, as is the duck confit with mustard. The kitchen garden supplies the restaurant's vegetables. An experience to be discovered and increasingly recognized by gourmets.

Since it opened in 1994, Gosto has rightly earned a reputation as one of the region's finest Mineiro restaurants. It has to be said that the harsh mountain climate blends perfectly with a hearty cuisine of rich, delicate flavors. Grilled sausages, black bean purée(tutu mineiro) and desserts galore will delight diners... Chef Monica Rangel's talent is recognized by top chefs such as Alex Atala and Roberta Sudbrack. There's also an impressive menu of cachaças, with over 350 different labels.

We leave the Finnish style of Penedo for a moment. In a restaurant with a European-style roof, Fritz, a Swiss who moved here a few years ago, prepares excellent German-style cuisine. The beer is served ice cold and you can eat on the terrace. What more could you want? Anyway, it's always full, which is the best proof of quality. Of course, Fritz's cuisine is not exactly nouvelle cuisine... You would have guessed it.

The Secret Garden is aptly named. It is one of those establishments that you want to keep secret. The chef Fabiano de Almeida officiates in the kitchen of a refined and elegant restaurant, considered one of the best in Penedo. You can try the grilled pirarucu, even if it is not a local fish. It is often recommended. The trout (local) is given pride of place. The menu is contemporary and the wine list is quite extensive. In the evening, candlelight dinners are accompanied by the murmur of the river.

This bar restaurant is definitely worth a visit. It is a gastronomic option with its feet in the water. The setting is enchanting and the team never ceases to bring the guests into osmosis with the environment of Ilha Grande. A large part of the menu is made up of seafood, fish and local products that are as fresh as they are tasty, and the chef's talent does the rest. You can also find simple dishes at lunchtime like chicken or veggie wraps. With a caipirinha with jaca, the day or evening takes on an extra dimension!

An emblematic Paraty establishment, the Margarida Café is undoubtedly one of the finest restaurants in this small colonial town. For decades, we've been eating and drinking in a beautiful, large room with exposed stonework, wood, sofas, period furniture and a small winter garden... always with the same pleasure! Live music every evening. Brazilian and international dishes (moquecas, paellas, pizzas...), some original dishes (crispy shrimps, fish à la mode of the chef...), excellent wines. Touristy but pleasant. Slightly salty note.

Le Saint-Tropez aims to be an international restaurant and bar with a French soul. The owner Guy, a French expatriate, opened the doors of his establishment in the early 1980s, and the big jovial Obelix at the entrance is now a well-known figure among tourists. The chef offers a good cuisine with an undeniable French touch, the moquecas are excellent. Grilled octopus with bacon, shrimps with thermidor sauce, scallops with "belle meunière" sauce. It's a bit expensive and the service can be improved.

Le Formaggio is an Italian restaurant, as its name suggests. The Italian cuisine on offer is simple and tasty, in a setting that may be a little faded, but the pleasure is in the food. The menu features fine meat and pasta dishes, as well as pizzas. The pasta is homemade and the pizzas are cooked over a wood fire. The size of the pizzas is impressive. The filet mignon is a must-try! Service is friendly, pleasant and professional. Beers are served chilled and the wine list is decent.

Lorenzo-Pizzeria & cantina is an establishment that honors transalpine cuisine. In this restaurant with its old-fashioned tablecloths, the pizzas are thin-crust and cooked over a wood-fired oven, which is unusual in Brazil. Homemade pasta, picanha or seafood risotto, prepared with meticulous attention to detail and fresh, noble ingredients. A fine wine list means you can enjoy Italian, Chilean or Argentinean wines by the glass. Regular concerts.

In the romantic Casablanca Imperial Hotel, the Casablanca Bistro is a refined, tasteful restaurant. The place itself is well worth the trip. The 60 seats are harmoniously arranged in a wood-panelled room with a fireplace and flickering candles in the evening. The dishes have a strong French influence (although the menu refers to "a slight French accent"). The cuisine is "uncluttered", simple, with noble foods, in the image of the Casablanca Imperial hotel.

In Rio as in Buzios, "chez Michou" has become a must. This crêperie boasts an impressive menu of crêpes: there are over fifty to choose from. The pastries are pancake-like, and seem to treat guests before they head out to set the dance floor alight (it's usually packed on Saturday nights). It's good and not too expensive a way to fill up. Okay, it's pretty noisy when you want to talk, but it's perfect for watching the crowds go by in the rua das Pedras. You can also come in for a drink.

Its bolinhos of bacalhau (cod balls) are ranked among the best in Rio; to be enjoyed with a draught beer, it is one of the Cariocas' favorite appetizers. Portuguese origins are still very present (discover bacalhau a patuscada for example or bacalhau spiritual). You can also choose a very good grilled octopus with red pepper. The dishes vary throughout the week and can be delivered. The wine list offers excellent Lusitanian wines. Very popular in the neighbourhood.

A place not to be missed on Lapa nights. The Nova Capela is an institution of the district and a symbol of its rebirth. This tavern, more than a hundred years old, is a popular meeting place for musicians, artists and journalists. Its style is so old school that, for many, it becomes deliciously trendy. It offers iced beers, snacks and a very relaxed atmosphere. You can also taste meats that are rarely found in Rio, such as goat or wild boar! A classic of the neighborhood's gastronomic scene.

Satyricon is considered the temple of fish lovers in Rio. Without a doubt, it is the best place to enjoy Mediterranean sea food. You can enjoy prawns, oysters, scampi, lobsters, with a little Italian touch (the seafood pasta is a must try). The misto de crustáceos, a selection of the best seafood, allows you to appreciate the diversity of the offer. The atmosphere is subdued, the service is refined, and everything is there to spend a pleasant moment with your partner. There is an annex of the satyricon in Buzios.

On the quays, a beautiful address, with several tables outside with a view of the schooners and the bay. Seafood and fish specialties selected by chef Maria Isabel do Amaral directly from local fishermen. 20 years of know-how for a gastronomic restaurant that combines Brazilian tradition with a Mediterranean touch. Also good meat dishes and homemade pasta (especially the excellent pastas ao vongole). You can also come here to have a drink, enjoy thehappy hour and the quietness of the place.

The botequins are essential places of the carioca culture. The boteco Belmonte, on Atlantica avenue, in front of the famous "orla" is a classic, a bistro that dates back to 1952, the first of the Belmonte botequins chain, which has since spread throughout Rio (7 addresses in total, in Leblon, Ipanema, Lapa...). The waiters are always friendly and the debates around soccer are going well! Everything is good on the menu! The pepper steak is delicately spiced and the shrimp moqueca is really copious as well as the salgados of different flavors.

The Bananaland restaurant, not to be confused with Paraty's Banana da Terra, has been a popular spot in Buzios for a quarter of a century. Chef Beto, who owns the place, has succeeded in making Bananaland a compromise between good food and affordable cuisine. Just off Santos-Dumont Square, this high-flying "kilo" offers a good variety of very good dishes (25 salads and 25 hot dishes). The moqueca is unforgettable. Some dishes have won prizes in national competitions. Try their famous crepe with maracujá liqueur!

In a large house at the end of a quiet little street in Botafogo, the Botequim restaurant has been open since 1979. The architecture of the restaurant is very pleasant, the establishment is divided into several rooms, a patio, a mezzanine, one eats good Brazilian cuisine or an honest pizza while watching the waiters going up and down the many stairs. The menu consists of many meat and fish dishes, but the Botequim offers a vegan moqueca and vegetarian ricotta ravioli. Good value for money

Since 1979, the Luigi family has been serving fine Italian cuisine in its two restaurants, Massas and Pizzas. The Luigi Massas, located in an attractive building, serves homemade pasta of the highest quality. There's an extensive buffet offering all kinds of salads (as well as quiches and cheeses). Pasta lovers will be delighted. The atmosphere is more modern in the adjoining Luigi Pizzas restaurant. On Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings, pizza rodizio. On the 29th of each month, we offer gnocchi of fortune, as in Argentina.

Restaurant da Ponte is an unpretentious establishment on the second floor of the fish market, serving fish and seafood...of course. You couldn't ask for fresher seafood. You can enjoy freshly caught crabs, grilled shrimps, huge stingrays, all while watching the boats unload their cargo. For a quality restaurant in Cabo Frio, the value for money is unbeatable. The combo dishes (shrimp, squid) are a must. The setting is simple and friendly. Recommended.

This small establishment in the historic Passagem district attracts locals and tourists alike, for a bite to eat or just a drink. This bar-restaurant has been making a name for itself for over 20 years, offering traditional, home-style local cuisine. It serves typical dishes, pizzas, petiscos... The traditional beer goes very well with Mané's cuisine. The cocktail menu is equally interesting, and the house blends are a success. Ao vivo music some evenings.

The Rio Minho is a river that originates in Portugal and flows into the ocean in Spain. As you can see, this restaurant is inspired by Portuguese and Spanish cuisine. It is an excellent fish restaurant, open since 1884, which makes it the oldest restaurant in the city of Rio still in "activity" and a meeting place for some personalities, such as the Baron of Rio Branco! To try: the leão velloso soup, a tropical adaptation of our bouillabaisse!

It is difficult not to fall under the charm of this blue house with pink shutters: oriental decor, candlelit, soft music. You go barefoot and sit on the floor, on Persian cushions and carpets. The dishes are a clever mix between western and oriental cuisine: grilled tuna with oyster and passion fruit sauce, grouper with white butter flavoured with curry and basil, Moroccan couscous with vegetables and fruit, duck with jabuticaba sauce... The visual aspect of the plates is very sought after and sophisticated. High prices..

For decades, in Rio as in Petropolis, Majorica has honored the gaucha tradition of noble meats. The Majorica Churrascaria is a safe bet, offering meat dishes cooked over the coals or in the oven. T-Bone Angus steak and chorizo steak are just some of the highlights of this noble house. A place out of time, deliciously old-fashioned, you feel at home here and the meat is excellent. Each dish can feed two people with ease. For vegetarians, a few options are available. Recommended.

Certainly, the Picanha do Zé does not spontaneously attract the passer-by. To tell the truth, it is a restaurant with a rather ordinary decoration, with its huge room and its big tables. It doesn't matter what the bottle is... People come here especially for the meat! The picanha, they are big pieces of meat grilled on a hot stone put on your table. The whole room is smoked by the cooking, but it is a real delight! The portions are generous, as is the side dish. For those who avoid meat, there are fish dishes. A classic of Cabo Frio.