For more than a century, Rio was sold to the world as a place of exotic delights: samba, carnival and sweeping crescent beaches. Bossa nova and football were added to the mix in the 1950s but food hardly got a look-in. Even today, few first-time visitors have much knowledge of Brazilian cuisine beyond rodizio (all-you-can-eat) barbecue restaurants and the meaty stew of feijoada.
But there’s a new movement in the city, a renaissance of sorts that is changing all that. Locally-grown ingredients are starring at all levels of the dining scene, from Michelin-starred restaurants to hole-in-the-wall botecos.
A handful of well-known chefs are reviving their careers, and they’re joined by young chefs who run more casual projects focused on regional produce. The result is that Rio has a diverse dining landscape, and it’s all based around Brazil’s most popular drink: cachaca, the country’s national spirit.
There are countless great places to eat in the city, but it’s worth seeking out those with a reputation for quality. For example, Restaurant Cervantes https://www.guidefrancophoneriodejaneiro.com/ in Copacabana serves monstrous sandwiches finished with cheese and pineapple, while Galeto Sats serves grilled chicken – try the Galeto Completo dish which includes a whole spit-roasted bird, rice, fried potatoes, salad and pickles. And for a taste of true Brazilian cooking, head to the neighbourhood of Charitas and check out A Mineira, a rodizio-style buffet restaurant that specialises in food from Brazil’s interior Minas Gerais state.
Other highlights include Lava-Java in the upscale shopping mall of Vogue Square, which dishes up sambal-inspired cocktails and delicious guacamole with a side order of grilled empanadas. Also in the mall is Vizinho, another cocktail bar from Rio’s leading mixologist Jessica Sanchez, this time with a menu that makes creative use of the ubiquitous cachaca, pairing it with fruits and native honey.
And at the lower end of the spectrum, a few of Rio’s beloved botecos have been given a makeover by a new generation of owners. Chanchada, for instance, is a gourmet take on the old standby, serving such tira-gostos as torresmo (fried pork sandwich) and pastel de camarao (shrimp empanada) as well as traditional Brazilian snacks such as berinjela a milanesa (breaded eggplant).
Rio’s smaller neighborhoods offer plenty of eating options, too. For example, the swanky Leblon district has some of Rio’s most sophisticated wine bars, while Copacabana and Ipanema have a laidback vibe that’s perfect for people-watching. For a nightcap, head to Botafogo, which has the city’s densest concentration of hip bars, such as Quartinho, with high ceilings and a playful cocktail list (cocktails from 30 reais). Or for something more relaxed, head to Xepa, where groups of friends chat in beach chairs along the street.