The best restaurants Ilha Grande

The Café du Mar is both a bar and a beach restaurant. It's a beautiful place, rustic and pleasant. It welcomes visitors until late at night, secluded from the bustling center of Abraão, on the magnificent Praia do Canto. You really can eat here with your feet in the sand. You're rarely disappointed. The dishes are hearty. The choice of kebabs is varied. Wednesday is barbecue day. Excellent grilled fish and meats are on offer. Cocktails and fresh fruit juices are also very good. At sunset, the place becomes magical.

In the tropical paradise of Ilha Grande, we go to the Canoa Café Lounge not only for its location. The decor matches the surroundings and the cuisine is refined. Everything is a pleasure for the senses. The camarao crumble, the falafel, the vegan dishes, right up to the homemade dessert, the Canoa crumble. Enjoying a caipirinha or a Jorge Amado cocktail, made with local cachaça, passion fruit and lime, while watching the sun go down, is an unforgettable moment. The pleasant, professional service can be (very) time-consuming.

The Lua & Mar restaurant offers a simple, pleasant setting. Garden tables are laid out on the sand on Canto beach. The restaurant specializes in fish and seafood, served in the shade of almond trees at lunchtime and by candlelight in the evening. You can listen to the lapping of the waves as you savor well-crafted dishes. The bobó de camarao (shrimp) and the fish or shrimp moqueca, two Bahian dishes, are two marvels on the menu. The caipirinhas are said to be the best on the island! Expensive but good.

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, the Dom Mario restaurant serves signature dishes. Fish with maracuja sauce, filet mignon (of beef) with gorgonzola or pepper sauce, barbecued fish and shrimp... these are the dishes most often served here. 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.

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!

Eating a good crepe abroad is often a moment of simple, intense and often rare pleasure. So, to tell the truth, in the small ecological paradise of Ilha Grande, the Creperia Tropicana, run by a French owner, is a good discovery, of course. Practically with its feet in the water, this crêperie offers dishes, both savory and sweet (the crêpe with dolce de leite is exceptional) that would make even the Bretons nostalgic of the place. On the menu, you can also find good pasta. To know, inevitably!

At the risk of repeating ourselves, O Pescador is no longer a seafood restaurant. An Italian chef now serves... Italian food. According to transalpine friends on Ilha Grande, this is without doubt the best pizzeria on the island. Dishes are generously served for two. The setting is pleasant, right on the beach. The decor is warm and inviting. The change of culinary destination is certainly a success. We're never disappointed with the dishes on offer. Definitely worth a visit.

Another interesting address if you want to eat on the go in Abraao while looking for dishes that are pleasing both to the palate and to the wallet. The Paes & Cia company, which has numerous stores in Rio, offers its sandwiches in the island's small town. It's an excellent place to enjoy hearty hamburgers (including the local specialty, Big Pães e Cia), cold sandwiches and pizzas, accompanied by a glass of Guarana. And don't forget to finish with a good açaí! Good value for money.

Many Argentinians spend their holidays in Ilha Grande... Parrilha is their national dish. The menu of this restaurant is entirely dedicated to meat products. In its rustic decor, under a large roof of woven palms, you'd almost think you were in a restaurant in the land of the Pampas. The smell of grilled meat greets diners. Provoleta and salads are offered as side dishes, and the eight main courses are all meat-based. You can try the veggie parrillada, with a good glass of Argentinian wine. A good address.

It's easy to understand why this "feet in the sand" restaurant (translation of Pé na areia) is located on the front line of the seafront. It offers diners a romantic terrace with subdued shade lamps. Of course, it's not the only restaurant of its kind in Vila do Abraao, but it's a very pleasant one. Music ao vivo on weekend evenings. Dishes for 2 are very hearty. The wine list is quite good and the service efficient. An excellent address, fairly priced and very elegant.

The quiet Las Sorrentinas restaurant is one of the few places on Ilha Grande to delight the palate of gourmets and novices alike. This cozy, wood-framed restaurant is run by Argentinian chefs, but the reference to Sorrento is unmistakable. A wide variety of homemade pasta dishes are lovingly prepared. Try the house specialty, pasta a la Sorrentine, a large ravioli generously filled. The desserts are excellent. The maracuja mousse is incomparable.

atelié Cafeteria offers simple, good food in a pleasant setting, day and night. Salads, wraps, crêpes and tapiocas are served generously indoors, on the terrace, on the beach or on the sidewalk. Cocktails are served in moderation, and can be enjoyed while watching the sunset. With its live ao vivo music on certain evenings, competitive prices and attentive staff, it's easy to see why this is such a popular address.