The best Italian pizzerias and restaurants Rio De Janeiro

Wooded and large volumes in this crested pizzeria in the Jardim Botânico district. The menu consists of about thirty pizzas, which some consider to be the best in Rio. Taste in particular the Margherita Gourmet, really delicious! The prices are slightly salted (between 40 and 50 R $ per pizza!). Best pizzeria of the city in 2010 by magazine Veja Rio.

With its cobblestones on its front, reminiscent of the orla of Rio de Janeiro, and its brick walls, the torre da pizza has a convivial and traditional side that is not contradicted by the presentation of its menu. This pizzeria is a good option for small budgets in the centre, as it has reasonable prices and the pizzas are prepared with love (but it takes time): fine dough, homemade tomato sauce, and the menu offers other dishes that are not too expensive. There are a few tables in the pleasant street for lunch or dinner outside.

With its wooden front and interior, Aglio e olio is not an intimate and sophisticated restaurant. Once inside, the tone is set. The smells speak for themselves. It's an Italian restaurant that doesn't look like much, located in the center of Penedo, but it serves some of the best pasta we've ever tasted in Brazil! The penne al'arrabiata or a la napolitana are a real success! A small wine list that is also nice and cheap. An address not to be missed!

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.

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!

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!

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.

The Fromaggio is an Italian restaurant, as its name suggests. The Italian cuisine it offers is simple and tasty in a slightly faded setting, but the pleasure will be on the plate. The menu offers good meat and pasta dishes, but also 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 worth a try! The service is family, pleasant and professional. The beers are served well chilled and the wine list is correct.

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.

These are now two neighbouring establishments, the Massas and the Pizzas. Since 1979, the Luigi family has been offering good Italian cuisine in its restaurants. The Luigi Massas, located in a beautiful building, offers delicious homemade pasta. There is an extensive buffet with all kinds of salads (also 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, the gnocchi of fortune are offered.

A casual Resto-pizzeria attended mainly by a gay clientele. You can enjoy a beer or a caipirinha while admiring the beach. 

Originally from São Paulo, the other pizza capital of the world, Pizzaria Bráz is one of the best in Rio. In this traditional setting in the Jardim Botânico district, the great Italian classics are the basis of the menu, but many variations are offered, from the classic award-winning caprese to the basic Neapolitan... or theimigrante. The wine list allows to highlight the flavours of the place. For dessert, the traditional panettone and tiramisus will satisfy the specialists.

As in Rio, the Manjericao is an excellent pizzeria that has been delighting fans of this Neapolitan dish for more than 10 years now. This pizzeria has the secret of excellent pizzas with extra-fine dough and original ingredients (taste the house specialty, pizza with basil, nuts, garlic, parmesan and catupiry). Vegetarians will not be outdone. The environment itself is very pleasant. The restaurant is well designed and warm and the team is super professional and pleasant. A sure value in Teresopolis at the right price.

Giuseppe Mar is a restaurant in Barra's Village Mall, dedicated entirely to seafood. The restaurant's trademark is a display case filled with ice, fish and seafood brought in daily by the teams of divers and fishermen. Depending on the day's arrivals, guests can choose from grouper, whiting or sea bass for their dishes. The prices are high but the menu, very well prepared, will certainly justify exceeding the budget.

You won't necessarily appreciate its location, in a shopping center, especially the one in Barra, far from the center and south of Rio, where tourists are usually to be found. However, once you're there, it's clear that the Gabbiano is a fine Italian restaurant, well worth "relocating" to this remote area for an evening. In fact, everything is done to make you love the place. The restaurant was designed by the architect Bel Castro, the waiters are super pro and the food very good. L'ospitalità italiana!