The best restaurants Mato Grosso & Pantanal

Le Chapolin is certainly the best fish restaurant in town! Home-made plates and family atmosphere, rustic setting with wooden tables, affordable prices, deliciously grilled fish and a warm welcome... We recommend the pacu or the pintado (local freshwater fish) cooked on a wood fire in banana leaves accompanied by rice, beans and banana da terra, a delight. The owner always gives a warm welcome to customers. Remember to call to reserve your fish.

As the name suggests, the idea here is to combine food by the kilo with culinary flavours. It is certainly a good self-service restaurant for ogre appetites, located in the city centre, on Dom Aquino Street, two blocks from Praça Pantaneira. The buffet, with its array of colours, is impressively varied (they even prepare sushi!) and the quality, without being great cuisine, is satisfactory. Desserts are also served by the kilo. The service is done until 3pm on weekends.

Fish lovers will certainly find something to eat at the "Casa do Peixe" restaurant. The unmissable peixería consists of a large buffet of fish with all kinds of sauces (lots of fried fish) that is eaten in a large canteen-like room. From the first restaurant next to the railway station to the current one, opposite Praça das Araras, it is the long years of work, challenges and the will to provide a quality menu that have been the guidelines of the house. And it's good!

Cuiabà is full of good fish restaurants. The Mirante das Aguas is a pleasantly atmospheric establishment to indulge in for lunch. In a green setting with the Cuiabá River as a backdrop, it serves the famous rodizio de peixe ( a fish dish) with regional fish cooked in all kinds of ways (fried, grilled, in fritters, stewed...). The Mirante is also a pizzeria. The establishment offers nice salads to go with it all and a few meat options to keep everyone happy. A good choice!

As the name suggests, you come here to find traditional cuisine. The Tradiçao is indeed a typical traditional churrascaria with an unpretentious decor and a canteen atmosphere. A few tables have been set up on the sidewalk and invite you to try the classic Brazilian dishes and especially to try the pintado (a local fish), the local specialty. Good meat fillets, salads and pizzas are also on the menu of this simple and good tavern. A traditional place to know.

The smiling Eulália has been preparing one of Cuiaba's best bolo de arroz for over 60 years. And with good reason: it was Eulália who brought the recipe back to town from her uncle. The rice cake has since become one of the culinary symbols of Mato Grosso. Eulália continues to open the doors of her shop at 5:30 a.m., and on Sundays, she sells up to 2,000 bolinhos... This is the place to go to wake up to a traditional "Cha Com Bolo" cuiabano. An authentic place to visit.

Bistrô da Mata is another establishment that stands out for the environment it offers, as much as for the food. In an enchanting setting with a panoramic view (it's easy to see why newlyweds choose this place to celebrate their union), you can enjoy quality Brazilian cuisine with a modern twist. We recommend the elegantly presented and tasty fish and meat dishes. Nice wine list. It's true, you have to wait a little before being served, but it's worth it. A must-see!

In a rather sober decoration, decorated with plants and old recycled stumps, the Samambaia restaurant, under the leadership of Rita, offers a rustic cuisine, composed of local products. The specialties offered (pork chops with rice and galinhada) honor the regional cuisine. You can enjoy a good "PF" (prato feito) where you choose the meat or fish that invariably arrives with rice, beans, salad and two small dishes to choose from. The "executivo" dish is recommended for families. A really good address.

For more than 20 years, Laço de Ouro has established itself as a good value-for-money establishment. In this restaurant, one of the few where you can eat at any time of the day until midnight, the "executive dishes" are good options for groups of 3 or 4 people (Milanese fish fillet, grilled meat). A meat rodizio is also served for the more carnivorous. The offer is varied and of good quality, the price very reasonable. On busy days, however, the staff is quickly overwhelmed..

In the old town of Corumbà, next to the colonial houses, the Rodeio restaurant has quickly become a must. This establishment is a good kilo at lunchtime and also serves à la carte dishes in the evening. The pastelzinhos (small fried "pasteis"), one of the house specialties, are very good. On some days, the house offers a marmotex (meat and side dishes as well as salads) for R$ 20. On Saturdays, as in many places in Brazil, the feijoada is on the menu. An address with good value for money.

Vicio da gula is a café, but also a very good sandwich shop where you can also enjoy good milkshakes, including guavira, a local tropical fruit. It also serves meat fillets and burgers, as well as good juices and pastries displayed in the window. The concept is that of a gourmet café. The pastries are aesthetically pleasing, well presented and very good. By combining quality culinary services with a professional and very attentive welcome, Vicio da gula has quickly become a classic in the city.

Alecrim is a good restaurant by the pound that has been running happily for several years now. The chef trained at the DOM in São Paulo with the talented Alex Atala. The cuisine is fine and varied. As soon as you enter the establishment, you can see the concern for the well-being of the guests. The premises are welcoming and cosy. The concept of the place is to propose a quality international cuisine at reasonable prices! The young students of the surrounding private schools and the courteous executives are more and more numerous and faithful every day.

This yellow-walled restaurant is an institution in Bonito, as it is known for its tasty and simple cuisine. We come to Juanita, the eponymous hostess, for her house specialty: pacu (local fish) grilled or a la plancha(chapa), but also for her tasty caiman. The caiman is raised in fazendas dedicated to the breeding of this crocodilian. The different species are protected in their natural environment and any predation is severely punished. The places and the welcome are always very pleasant.

The Praça Popular has become a reference point for Cuiabà's nightlife and for the quality and diversity of its restaurants. Haru has established itself as one of the best Japanese restaurants in a city with a large Japanese community. The long waiting line on weekends attests to the quality of the products and the creativity of the chefs who work there. Here too, beyond the sushi, there is a subtle mix of Japanese dishes and regional cuisine. The Japanese ceviches are excellent. Worth knowing.

Le Lélis is an establishment that honors the Pantanal through its decor (photos and naturalized animals, including a pirarucu) and above all through its menu (jacarè sausage, mojica de pintado). Lélis is one of the best fish restaurants in Cuiabà and certainly deserves its reputation. The rodizios allow you to sample some of the region's many tasty fish varieties. The main dining room is modern and simple, with no frills. The service is professional. An impressive wine list... A gastronomic delight.

It's hard to miss this vast building. The former arsenal of Cuiabá, a magnificent yellow building in the Franco-Lusitanian style, now converted into SESCs (socio-cultural centres spread throughout the country), offers a pleasant cultural and gastronomic fair every Thursday, the "bulixo". The stalls offer excellent food in a family and festive atmosphere. You can also find handicrafts and typical products. You can spend pleasant moments in the bar of the SESC, sipping a fruit juice. An excellent place to know.

The Hawaiian word Mahalo means "Gratitude, tranquility, good fortune, inner peace and even divine blessing". And that's what you feel when you walk into this beautiful, sleek establishment. It is an excellent restaurant in Cuiabà. Its contemporary cuisine subtly blends Brazilian products and French sophistication, but regional cuisine is not forgotten. At lunchtime, on weekdays, a simpler and cheaper cuisine is offered. You can thus enjoy the refinement of a great table at very low prices. A must-see!