In this post, we selected 7 food suggestions for you to eat in Rio de Janeiro. So, if you believe that to know better a place you also need to try its cuisine, this article is for you!
Our list includes different types of dishes: main meals and snacks. They are not necessarily Cariocas either, but they are much loved by all who live in Rio. Therefore, we cannot establish a preference order between them, and we suggest that you try them all! But each at a different time of your trip. Therefore, in the following paragraphs, we also indicate when and where to eat these delicacies of Brazilian cuisine.
1. Feijoada
The famous feijoada is a dish made from beans, very similar to “Cassoulet” in France, “Cozido” in Portugal, “Casoeula” in Italy, and “Puchero” in Spain. Therefore, its origin is certainly associated with these dishes and the colonization of Brazil by Portugal.
The Brazilian and Carioca version, however, has two peculiarities. The first is that the dish is prepared with black beans, a type originating in South America and very common in the diet of native Indians. The second is that feijoada is served with traditional side dishes of Brazilian cuisine: white rice, farofa (made from manioc flour), braised cabbage, pork rinds (pork belly flakes) and orange.
It is, therefore, a real feast that very much symbolizes the Brazilian cuisine! And so, it is one of the 10 must-see attractions in Rio de Janeiro.
However, beware because you don`t find feijoada very often in the restaurants of the city. Because it is a heavier dish that needs to be cooked in large quantities, you will find it more often on Fridays and Saturdays, sometimes also on Sundays. To eat it on other days of the week, you can go to the Casa da Feijoada restaurant (Feijoada`s house), located a few meters from Ipanema Beach.
Where to eat?
* Casa da Feijoada (Feijoada’s House): Prudente de Morais St., 10B – Ipanema – Every day: from 12 noon to 11:20 pm.
* Bar da Pracinha: Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays: from 9 am to 23 pm.
* Bar do Momo: Fridays and Saturdays: from 11 am to 15 pm.
2. Barbecue on an all-you-can-eat steakhouse
Brazil is known worldwide for offering quality meat. And Cariocas do live up to this fame! Although Rio de Janeiro is not a region specializing in beef cattle, several restaurants serve excellent meat throughout the city.
However, if you really like protein, we recommend that you look for what we call Rodizio in a Steakhouse (rodizio is the Portuguese word for all-you-can-eat service). At these restaurants, various cuts of meat (beef, pork, chicken and hunting meats) are served to your table by a waiter who takes the skewer straight from the barbecue to your plate. To accompany, there is usually a buffet with salad and other Brazilian dishes. Among them, farofa, breaded banana, cassava, and even cheese and garlic bread.
From the description above, you can already notice that a meat rodizio is not the kind of meal that you eat day-by-day. So make sure you’re quite hungry before you go to one. Prices range from R$ 60 to R$ 140 per person, to eat as much as you want (or can).
Carioca Tip:
Be sure to try the cuts called Picanha (rump cap), the Costela bovina (Beef Rib), Cupim (hump) and coração de galinha (chicken heart).
Where to eat?
* Carretão, for best value for money: Rua Siqueira Campos, 23 – Copacabana. Everyday from 12 noon to 11:30 pm.
* Fogo de Chão, if your budget is more generous: Repórter Nestor Moreira Av., s/n – Botafogo. Everyday from 12 noon to 11:30 pm.
3. Oswaldo Aranha Fillet
Also, another type of meat that you need to try is the Filet a Oswaldo Aranha. The meal consists of a piece of filet mignon or fillet seasoned with fried garlic, accompanied by Portuguese potatoes, white rice, and egg farofa (toasted manioc flour mixture).
Unlike the previous ones, it is a typical Carioca dish. After all, it was created between the 1930s and 1940s at the Cosmopolita restaurant in Lapa, in honor of Brazilian diplomat Oswaldo Aranha, who was a regular customer at the restaurant.
At that time, the Cosmopolitan restaurant was known as “Senadinho” because it was a meeting point for deputies and senators of the time. Oswaldo Aranha, who loved to eat meat, used to request the combination daily. As a result, the dish not only gained its name but became a classic that can be tried in many restaurants in the city.
The Cosmopolitan restaurant is still operating and is one of the bars and restaurants considered Intangible Cultural Heritage of Rio. Plus, it is located near the Arcos da Lapa and the Selarón steps and can be a great lunch option on the day of your visit to the neighborhoods of Lapa and Santa Teresa.
→ Be sure to read: Top 10 things to see and do in Lapa.
Onde comer?
* Cosmopolita: Travessa do Mosqueira, 04. From Monday to Saturday, from 11 am to 22 pm. Fridays and Saturdays until 01 am.
* Cervantes: Prado Júnior Av., 335 – Loja B – Copacabana. From Tuesday to Sunday, from 12 noon to 04 am.
4. Coxinha
If you feel hungry in the middle of the afternoon, after a day at the beach or a long walk, a nice choice may be to try a delicacy that Cariocas love called “Coxinha.” (No wonder there is even a National Coxinha Day!).
The Brazilian Coxinha (that means little chicken thigh) is a fried dough made with a soft potato batter, stuffed with well-seasoned chopped or shredded chicken meat, and preferably with catupiry (a very creamy cheese that only exists here). The Coxinha is always molded into a shape resembling a teardrop or a pear.
However, like the feijoada, the Brazilian Coxinha is a rereading of European recipes that, as far as we know, were first made by the French. After all, cookbooks from 19th-century chefs already taught how to make a “croquette de poulet” (chicken croquette), advising to shape it “in the form of poires” (“pears-shaped”).
With Portugal’s appreciation for French cuisine, the recipe was also very popular in the Lusitanian country and eventually came to Brazil. But it does not matter its origin. For the Cariocas, the Coxinha as it is made here is tastier, and the best one is from Fornalha, a snack bar located on Flamengo Beach.
5. Cheese bread (Pão de queijo)
As you may have noticed, Cariocas are good at adopting for themselves things that come from other places in Brazil and around the world. The cheese bread is one of them. The baked bread, made from cheese and tapioca starch, is from the countryside of Minas Gerais, a Brazilian state. But across Rio de Janeiro, it can be found literally around every corner, in bakeries as well as specialty eateries. There is no time to eat it. Cariocas include cheese bread for breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, as an accompaniment to the barbecue, in the afternoon with a coffee or even, stuffed, accompanied by a good wine.
The original versions are made with typical Brazilian ingredients. It is, therefore, a delicacy that only exists here. Needless to say, it’s delicious. Everybody loves it. And for that, you have to try it.
Onde comer?
* Casa do Pão de Queijo, many addresses – check their website.
* Rei do Mate, many addresses – check their website.
* Empório São Roque – for delicious stuffed gourmet versions. R. Bambina, 161 – Loja AB – Botafogo. Everyday, from 10 am to 12 midnight.
6. Botequim Snacks
In the article “Comida di Buteco” (Boteco’s Food), we narrate the origin of these institutions and how the National Competition arose to elect annually the best finger food sold by these establishments. In the article “Intangible Cultural Heritage”, we mention that many of these places are considered Intangible cultural heritage of the city of Rio de Janeiro; not only for its gastronomic varieties but for being lively spaces that blend with the culture of the city and the Cariocas. And for this reason, their main dishes also feature on our list.
Among the Carioca’s favorite snacks are pork rinds, frango à passarinho (Brazilian style deep-fried chicken), cassava chips with jerked beef and well-seasoned black bean soup. But gourmet versions of these traditional dishes are being created and also becoming popular.
Carioca Tip:
If you think Feijoada is too much for your taste, try at least the Feijoada fritters. The snack is a small and fried version of the famous Brazilian dish and pleases all stomachs. The original (and the best) is the restaurant Aconchego Carioca in Tijuca, but there are other good versions in several restaurants and pubs in the city.
Where to eat?
* Pavão Azul: Hilário de Gouvêia St., 71 – Copacabana. Everyday from 12 noon to 12 midnight.
* Bar do Mineiro: Rua Paschoal Carlos Magno 99.
* Os Imortais: Ronald de Carvalho St., 147 – Copacabana. Everyday from 5 pm to 12 midnight.
7. Seafood
Rio de Janeiro is a coastal city, surrounded by lagoons and the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, fish and seafood can also be a great choice during your visit to Rio. After all, there are excellent specialty restaurants.
For a truly local experience, you can combine this gastronomic option with a tour to the west part of the city, where is located the beaches of Barra da Tijuca, Prainha, Praia do Secreto and Grumari, 4 of the 10 best beaches in Rio. Waterfront kiosks are famous for offering fried fish. And if you want, you can try it while spending the whole day at the beach.
Carioca Tip:
Avoid buying and eating shrimp skewers or other delicacies on the beach, whether from vendors or the stalls. After all, seafood is quite perishable under the sun and the heat of Rio de Janeiro. Therefore, we suggest that you leave them to try them at specialty restaurants.
Where to eat?
* Siri Restaurant: Praça Euvaldo Lodi, 65 – Barra da Tijuca. Everyday from 11:30 am to 12 midnight.
* Point de Grumari: Estr. do Grumari, 2710 – Grumari. Everyday from 11:30 to 6 pm.
We hope these tips are helpful and make your trip to Rio de Janeiro really complete. For more tips on Eating and Drinking, follow our blog by subscribing our newsletter. And if you need help writing your travel itinerary, don’t forget that we can help you. Get in touch here.
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