The best restaurants Bahia

Good Italian restaurant, card without surprises.

For almost a quarter of a century, the Pousada Tubarão restaurant has been located right on the beach. It's a large wooden shack with tables scattered on the sand, in the shade of the trees. The menu features grilled fish and meat, seafood and cocktails made from fruit grown in the garden. The caipiroska and the magical sea view are almost worth the detour alone. Good food and a pleasant atmosphere.

Some specialties, such as empadas, are part of the country's culinary heritage. The empadas (Brazilian specialty) of the Cabana da Empada are famous. They are tasty and inventive. If you have never tasted an empada, then you will not regret this little break on the road. These small cakes, which are basically salty, are a delight. Crab, shrimps, cheese, carne seca are on the menu. On the sweet side (much less usual): doce de leite, cupuaçu, chocolate, guava... The place also has a restaurant side (Bahian dishes).

Founded in 1910, this café-restaurant has kept its Belle Epoque style. Rich fazendeiros and intellectuals of Ilhéus used to gather at its patina tables. Jorge Amado made it the haunt of Gabriela and Nacib, the characters of his novel Gabriela. Its shaded terrace, open to the square (and facing the cathedral), makes it a strategic place to enjoy a beer during a walking tour of the city. Simple and plentiful food at all hours. Impossible to leave without taking a picture of yourself sitting on the terrace with the statue of Jorge Amado!

Mistura is one of the best fish and Mediterranean restaurants in Salvador. Chef Andrea Ribeiro's main source of inspiration is simply the sea. The suggested starter is the seafood salad with octopus, shrimp, lobster, fresh mussels and raw oysters. Try the linguine with lobster. The menu also offers classic pasta and meat dishes. The decoration, in wood and bricks, designed by the architect Sydney Quintela, is refined and brings an extra soul to this beautiful address. A beautiful address.

Sorriso da Dada is a Salvador tradition. Now it's Dada's daughters who take charge of the restaurant in Pelourinho. The famous chef, a true legend in Salvador (she's on TV and billboards, a bit like choumicha in Morocco, for those in the know), runs her other restaurant, located in her former home (Sabores da Dada). Both are great places to discover Bahian cuisine. The food is deservedly renowned and the atmosphere assured, but get your wallets ready.

Amado is a contemporary Brazilian Michelin-starred restaurant run by Paulist chef Edinho Engel. Amado's cuisine has a French culinary touch, but the influences are international and varied. For starters, why not try the salmon tartar with wasabi and caviar cream, followed by a variation of moqueca with caju and shrimp, or shrimp-stuffed squid with mandioquinha mousseline. Enjoy the superb view of the bay as you savor these dishes.

Bahian and Brazilian cuisine is strongly focused on meat and fish products. However, fans of vegetarian, vegan and organic cuisine will find restaurants and establishments in Bahia that will meet their expectations. Since 1994, the Ramma Cozinha Natural restaurant in the Barra district has been welcoming lovers of fresh, healthy cuisine. No eggs, no fried food in hot or cold dishes. You'll find fish and chicken, but the heart of the menu is based on quality products. A must-try!

In the bohemian district of Rio Vermelho, the Casa de Tereza restaurant has been an institution for many years. Chef Tereza Paim has successfully met the challenge of offering an innovative cuisine that combines art, culture and gastronomy. Local artists are called upon to decorate the restaurant's various lounges, and Bahian culture and its African origins are duly honored. Whether it's a menu from the sea or from the land, everything is created with high-quality ingredients. A successful challenge to "sustainable" cuisine. Worth knowing.

A restaurant as we like them, where time seems to have stopped. A small wooden restaurant, friendly and simple. Tables placed directly on the beach of Cueira, almost feet in the water. A huge beach and palm trees. What else? Simply happiness. Guido's restaurant, located on the seafront of the Praia de Cueira, is known for its grilled lobsters, prepared in front of you on a wood fire. Sometimes the simplest pleasures are the best. The seafood dishes are not to be outdone. To know!

If Pousada Santa Clara is one of the best addresses on the island of Boipeba, some gourmets refer to the pousada 's restaurant as one of the best, if not the best, on the island. The Santa Clara restaurant offers contemporary cuisine made with carefully selected local ingredients. The menus, concocted by American chef Mark, change daily and offer three options for starter, main course and dessert. Reservations highly recommended during the summer.

In 1985, Sandra Marques and Fernando Leite opened "Capim Santo" in Trancoso, in partnership with a couple of friends, in a small house on the Quadrado. The food was prepared on a wood stove with ingredients from the garden and fresh fish delivered by local fishermen." This is the same concept that still characterizes the house today, keeping it casual and sophisticated, in a rustic and colorful atmosphere. Fish and dishes à la carte. The pleasure is in the plate and also in the decorum. A little expensive but worth it.

The "barracas de praia" are inseparable from the days and nights of Porto Seguro. Jamaica Beach is one of the most famous. It is a beach barraca unlike any other, the result of the work of cocktail specialist Smokey Joe Lowe and Portuguese chef Maria Henriques. Cocktails, Portuguese and Jamaican dishes are on the menu. They have also taken great care in the decoration: art objects are displayed everywhere. As for the music, there is no axé music, but lots of reggae, salsa and merengue.

Leila drew on the origins of Bahian food to create her restaurant. The result: African-influenced food and Baiano recôncavo. The air-conditioned main room is reminiscent of a candomblé terreiro. As for the food, lots of shrimp, seafood, peanuts and cashews form the basis of this gourmet cuisine, also inspired by dishes prepared in public markets. For the main course, the choice is between the seafood feijoada, a house specialty, theEfo (of African origin prepared with taioba, a green leaf full of vitamins), the coconut Mariene (Leila's creation), a real favorite of this place.

In one of Lençois' liveliest streets, the Quilombola restaurant is a fitting tribute to regional cuisine. In reference to the origins of many of the Chapadas' inhabitants (quilombolas are communities of former maroon slaves), all Bahian and regional cuisine is offered in quality in a simple, welcoming setting. Shrimp moqueca with banana da terra, fried apnhari with manioc purée, with good music in the background. What else?

The restaurant at the Pousada Passargada lives up to its reputation. It serves excellent Bahian cuisine, as well as a variety of dishes, salads and burgers. The view from the terrace is magical. You can enjoy an afternoon tea(chà da tarde) or sip an aperitif while admiring the play of colors on the Por do Sol, before sitting down to dinner. Land (grilled meat), sea (seafood and fish, ceviche), salad, pasta, snacks, veggie, there's something for everyone. A good address.

The Quatro Amici pizzeria is a cosy place in this lively and quiet area of Barra, a few meters from the Farol beach. It is a pizzeria with a chic restaurant service (valet parking at the entrance). The façade and the interior show a real aesthetic research. The alternation of bricks, which gives a vintage aspect, with the wood of the ceiling and the bright white walls, gives a cosy and pleasant aspect. The pizzas and Italian dishes are of good quality. The food and wine lists are rich and of high quality.

Located in one of Lençois' liveliest streets, the Don Oba restaurant has earned a reputation as a fine dining and convivial venue. All the regional classics are served here with excellence. Carne do sol is a favorite, as are picanha (grilled noble meat) and the more basic "aipim" (cassava French fries). The "poço encantado" cocktail, to be enjoyed with or without moderation, is excellent. The decor is both sober and tasteful. The welcome from Leivi, her family and her team is absolutely friendly and professional. A must visit!