The best restaurants Minas Gerais

Since 2009, Xapuri is an open-air restaurant where one comes on Sunday lunchtime, before riding around the property or after going to Pampulha. Some of the ingredients come from the vegetable garden. You can try the good lombos de panela, or the frango ao passarinho. The buffet offers eighteen desserts, among which snow eggs, doce de leite, candied pears, casca de mamaye, mango, figs... One of the best regional cuisine restaurants in the city. Of course, traditional music groups complete the pleasure of the table.

A small, relatively lively bar-restaurant located in the main square of Catas Altas, opposite the beautiful Matriz church. The simplicity here is combined with the quality of the food. One of those small restaurants typical of the Minas countryside that exude authenticity, simplicity and sincerity. A very family atmosphere, a very "caseira" cuisine. The environment, if you think in black and white, makes you think of one of those "Cinema Novo" films, where the hero is the everyday man from the interior.

The Chopp Real is an ideal address to have a drink or to linger over a dish, in a friendly setting in the heart of the historic center of Ouro Preto. As for the dishes, the establishment offers regional specialties such as Tutu a Mineira or Feijao Tropeiro, but also delicious grilled meat and fish as well as international cuisine (risottos, pasta, pizza...). Let yourself be tempted by the picanha, you won't be disappointed! The service at Chopp Real is efficient and the welcome is warm. Music every night.

As Minas Gerais regulars will have gathered, chef Ricardo Martins offers a fusion of the delicacy and spice of Thai cuisine with the richness of regional Minas Gerais cuisine. Uai is in fact an interjection referring to the Mineira culture and expressing surprise. Uaithai is indeed a pleasant surprise. The chef has succeeded in highlighting and marrying the most subtle flavors of the two cuisines, with the blending skills of the Bordeaux cellar masters. A crazy combination of aromas to discover.

The Restaurante Tamboril is one of the various dining venues on offer at Inhotim. It is the most sophisticated and expensive gourmet table in the Inhotim complex. The restaurant offers a quality buffet in a pleasant setting. At the end of the day, you can enjoy a drink here on the terrace before heading back to Belo Horizonte. The food and the setting are unmissable. The Inhotim site also features a pizzeria, a less sophisticated restaurant, two cafés, a fast food and juice bar.

A rustic and romantic restaurant that serves generous plates of comida mineira prepared with love, and not at all expensive. In a setting that only Minas knows how to offer, with its whitewashed walls, its exposed stones and its long room, Bem te vi is a historical, folkloric and culinary adventure. In the evening, the candles add a romantic touch to a place that is never without it. We are far from Copacabana or Ipanema and we are not complaining. A delicious buffet and not expensive by the kilo.

One of the most popular restaurants in BH, on weekends a queue forms at the entrance! A traditional and classic cuisine that has proven itself since 1975. If the room is ordinary, what is on your plate will delight you: meats, dishes of the Nordeste... Well, the problem is that the proposed menu is infinitely long, between fish, beef, mineira.... Some dishes are more than enough for two people. Also a good wine list. A lively place often voted "best traditional restaurant in BH".

Despite its name...it's a good plan for lunch! Located on the first floor of a beautiful building, this restaurant offers a very well-stocked buffet (salads, meats, fillings, desserts), as well as a "grilled meat" station. The price is based on the weight of the plate (it is a restaurant by the kilo or a buffet. The room is pleasant and spacious. It is a self-service restaurant with a sophisticated look. From the dining room, you have a nice view of the Mercado Velho square if you choose a table near the windows.

A few dozen metres from the church of Santo Antônio, you can't miss the chef's Harley-Davidson. Motorcycle and whiskey fan, the chef André Grobério makes a very nice food. The pizzas are cooked on a wood fire, the mineiros dishes are also quite good. On the restaurant side, in the air-conditioned room, an interesting wine list. When the sun is shining, it is pleasant to sit on the terrace.

The Bistrô at the Congonhas Museum is the best option for a sweet or savoury break during your visit to the city. A few dishes are on offer, as well as a very good coffee. The charm of the Minas Gerais of yesteryear is gone. The Bistrô has a resolutely modern design style, perhaps a little impersonal. Some spaces, near the bay windows, offer a magnificent view of the city. Music groups sometimes perform in this place of culture and gastronomy. Sandwiches, picanha, "grand gateau", heart of palm salad...good for a snack.

Chef Paulo Rosa has opened his own restaurant, after working at Michelin-starred restaurants in Sao Paulo and at Theatro da Villa and Tragaluz in Tiradentes. Good for her! While many of the restaurant's specialties have their origins in Italy, the chef's true passion is French cuisine, the very source of the name "Bistrô". The chef's approach is to make everything by hand, using only the finest ingredients, to create a fusion cuisine combining Europe and Brazil. Menus change frequently.

Bichinhos is definitely a place that holds all kinds of treasures. In a small, simple house with bucolic charm on the road to Bichinhos, chef Leonidia honours simple regional cuisine with products from the garden that you come across as you enter the restaurant. We work here in short circuit or in locavore. The dishes are family-style and very tasty. The desserts are also excellent. The "straw hut" style is romantic. The cuisine of the place has been honoured for a long time. A good idea for a break on the Estrada Real.

A small typical bar whose small dishes perhaps allow you to get a better idea of the "mineiro" spirit. The bar do Zézé offers a real mineira atmosphere and for some, one of the best tropeiras cuisine of all the botecos of Belo Horizonte. Of course, one does not come here to seek the sophistication of the trendy bars of Ipanema. This old grocery store has kept its "neighborhood" spirit that mixes so well with the "boteco" spirit. Zezé has won numerous culinary awards.

The central market of Belo Horizonte is a must-see place in the city. Although there are tourists, the central market is a guaranteed dive into the heart and soul of the Belo Horizonte city. The restaurant Casa Cheia is one of the most popular botecos in the central market, where you can find some small specialties from the chef's piano that are definitely worth a visit. Try the carne do sol with manioc or the feijao tropeiro. A place to know.

The Vila Bistrô, restaurant of the hotel Vila Serrana, offers a good Italian cuisine in a pleasant setting. The setting is pleasant, from the moment you enter, the team shows great professionalism. It is of course the menu that justifies a stop at this beautiful restaurant in Sete Lagoas. Mushroom risotto and filet mignon, fish moqueca which allowed the chef to reach the final of the "Chef revelation" competition, crunchy Saint-Pierre with braised vegetables, "carne do sol" risotto and chestnuts... The wine list is not to be outdone.

This restaurant, located in the fazenda-pousada of the same name, offers a very good Mediterranean cuisine based on local products from organic farming. The Asturian owner is on the way to succeeding in a daring challenge, combining sophistication and terroir in the cuisine he proposes. From the bread to the coffee, through the duck confit with orange sauce or the lemon meringue pie, everything is made with a permanent search for taste and quality.

If café da manha is a Brazilian tradition, the brunch craze hasn't escaped Minas Gerais either. Right in the heart of the small town of Tiradentes, Morada Brunch is a cosy, well-decorated and welcoming place. The many sweet and savoury dishes are prepared with the constant aim of offering maximum pleasure to guests. A daring rocambole (a traditional Tiradentes pastry) with goiaba jam and cheese is a must. Vegetarians will also find excellent mushroom lasagne.

Certainly one of Belo Horizonte's many gastronomic temples. In this large, friendly establishment, you can "compose" your dish by choosing certain "options". The menu also includes grilled meats and filet mignon. Risotto is the house specialty. The "policy" at the heart of the project is to seek out quality food and balanced dishes. A place to know, for sure! Delivery service is also available.

Le Glouton is a culinary address that enriches the offer of Belo Horizonte. The young chef Leonardo Paixão, aptly named, studied in French cooking schools and then trained in the kitchen of Taste-Vin, with chef Rodrigo Fonseca, another enthusiast of the "French touch" in cooking. The cuisine is of great finesse and originality. You can see the cooks practicing their art in the kitchen. Beyond the quality, the quality-price ratio is to be underlined. You can't go there without a reservation and a deposit is required.

It feels like another mineiro "rancho", the one in Mariana, a city dear to our guide Kenio Maximiliano Azevedo. The Rancho is a typical mineiro restaurant. At noon, the buffet offers a wide variety of regional dishes, cooked on wood fire, of good quality. The whole is simple, rustic and friendly. In short, a vario mineiro. When one stops in Serro, in general, stage of any journey to the hidden beauty that is Diamantina, the Rancho makes it possible to appreciate a very good local kitchen while impregnating oneself of the places.

This restaurant occupies a beautiful colonial house from the 19th century. Villeiros is both a good "kilo" and a restaurant where a varied and well-prepared mineira food graces the guests' table. The atmosphere of the place is very pleasant. The decoration of the rooms, but also of the plates is pleasant and refined. The food is noble and prepared with care. The shrimp pasta is as good as well presented. The cakes are renowned in the region. Something to satiate yourself while waiting for the Maria Fumaça.

Located in a superb and vast colonial house, the restaurant Bene Da Flauta, named after a great artist from Ouro Preto, offers all the great classic dishes of Minas Gerais cuisine such as torresmo, tutu mineiro or feijao tropeiro, well concocted. It has one of the most beautiful cellars in the region where Brazilian, Chilean or Argentinean wines rub shoulders with beautiful cachaça references. The room on the second floor offers a superb view of the city.

In a romantic setting with a very pleasant retro touch, the home-made pasta dishes are served on 33-round subdishes! Excellent comfort and beautiful wine map. Small piano jazz concerts in the evening. An excellent address! By descending the small stairs we get to «Escada Baixo», a beautiful surprise! The bar offers a modern rather rock-like atmosphere with a very cozy courtyard, and a simplified menu. Recommended.

Although the restaurant has changed address, the table is still as famous in Mariana. Dom Siverio has been serving excellent wood-fired pizzas for almost a quarter of a century! The pizzas and calzones come in a variety of options (tuna, cod, Californian). You can also eat a good dish for nothing. The lasagne or the filet parmiggiana are not bad either. The more adventurous can try the sweet pizzas (mozzarella, banana, cinnamon). The owners will give you a warm welcome.

Petras, the restaurant of Pousada das Pedras, offers a varied menu, from excellent wood-fired pizzas to the purest mineira specialties, all in a welcoming setting. The team is a family affair, with mother (who's the chef) and son in the kitchen. This family harmony is reflected in the dishes and the small but high-quality menu. The ravioli are incredibly tasty. Finishing the meal with the subtle sweetness of the homemade walnut tart will leave you with a taste of home.

This is the restaurant of the Colonial Hotel. This establishment is in the image and spirit of the colonial hotel. It is rustic and tasteful and it fits very well with the spirit of the place. The Cova do Daniel is a good table with strong mineiras consonances, in a rustic frame. We will taste the tutu mineiro and the feijão tropeiro... Of course. One will appreciate particularly this quiet, welcoming and pleasant place, far from the agitation of the downtown of Congonhas during the days very charged of visitors of the sanctuary.

The best self-service restaurant in town, with a special emphasis on Minas Gerais specialities! The establishment is simple and welcoming, just like Minas Gerais. If the coquettish Tiradentes is dressed in beautiful clothes, its cuisine often remains simple and based on the search for quality food. The Divino Sabor restaurant respects these principles to the letter. The soapstone kettles provide appetizing mineiro dishes that have been delighting locals and tourists for many years. A restaurant by the kilo with a fairly good price-quality ratio.

Modern and functional, you don't come to the Chafariz restaurant for its architecture or decoration, which are very ordinary. It is, however, a perfect self-service restaurant for lunch, located very close to the Maria-Fumaça train station, which is what you want in a restaurant. All the dishes are appetizing, from salads to desserts. The food is carefully prepared and well presented. Chafariz restaurant offers a buffet formula for R$ 30, which means all you can eat, without weighing the plate. Mineira cuisine and churrasco are de rigueur

This bistro is so well hidden away in a small street in Tiradentes that it's a real discovery. The quality of service is impeccable, the beers are served "bem geladas" as is the Brazilian tradition, and the portions are generous in size. The presentation of the dishes shows the guests' desire for satisfaction... and the flavor of the dishes will do the rest. The small size of the premises guarantees a certain conviviality, and the relaxed atmosphere is in keeping with the "mineira attitude". Vegans are welcome... as is everyone else.