It is a fact that Brazil cuisine is known worldwide by its famous Barbecue and Feijoada, two dishes where meat is the main ingredient in the recipe. However, the offer of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in town has grown considerably in recent years. Even traditional restaurants have sought to adapt their menus by offering vegan and vegetarian options.
Therefore, if you are vegan or vegetarian and are planning your visit to Rio de Janeiro, you don’t need to worry. We made a selection with the best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Rio de Janeiro for you to try, and included a bonus in the end of the article.
Teva Vegetal
Ipanema
Teva Vegetal is a modern plant-based restaurant and bar, with a 100% locally grown vegetables and seasonal organic ingredients menu.
They also have options for lactose-intolerant, celiac, and people who follow the raw food diet.
Dessert and cocktail menu are also no different from the theme: everything is based on vegetables. Among Brazilian, Argentinean, Italian, and French labels, the wine list has only organic, biodynamic, natural, and sustainable options.
* Teva Vegetal: Avenida Henrique Dumont, 110B – Ipanema
Open: Tue-Thu 12:00pm-12:00am, Fri-Sat 12:00pm-1:00am, Sun 12:00pm-10:00 pm.
Yasai natural sushi
Ipanema and Barra da Tijuca
Yasai Natural is Rio de Janeiro’s first plant-based sushi restaurant.
They have a branch in Ipanema and a smaller kiosk inside La Fruteria, which is in Barra da Tijuca. In this second unit, only cold menu options are served.
They have a very varied hot and cold menu promoting Mondays in celebration of #MeatFreeMonday with a 15% off the menu.
* Yasai natural sushi: Rua Aníbal de Mendonça, 55 – Loja E – Ipanema. Open: Thu-Sat 11h30am-11pm, Sun-Wed 12pm-8pm
Gouranga Veggie
Lapa
Gouranga Veggie, located in the bohemian neighborhood of Lapa, is a vegetarian bistro that combines the best of vegetarian and vegan cuisine with an exotic touch of Indian cuisine.
Based on Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine), the restaurant seeks to bring its customers a conscious and healthy diet without losing style and taste.
The restaurant offers a daily set menu with two main meal options and one dessert. When buying a meal, the customer gets a juice of the day, which is sometimes the self-produced yerba mate iced tea, one of the 7 typical drinks that you need to try.
Caipi Hare and Chai, Indian drinks with aperitif and digestive properties, respectively, are served free of charge.
Carioca Tip:
Try one of the house specialties – the vegetarian version of Feijoada, our national dish, made with azuki beans and tofu.
* Gouranga Veggie: Av. Gomes Freire, 625 – 2º andar – Lapa. Open: Mon-Fri 11:30am to 4pm.
–> Do you want to combine your lunch with a tour around Lapa? Have a look on our tour Lapa and Santa Teresa by foot.
Bardana Cozinha Natural
Copacabana and Downtown
Bardana Cozinha Natural is a buffet-style restaurant specializing in vegetarian cuisine.
It is considered one of the most traditional vegetarian restaurants in Rio de Janeiro and has two units, one in Copacabana and the other in downtown Rio de Janeiro.
They have balanced and different menus every day, combining recipes of traditional cuisine with natural and whole foods. Among the dishes on the list are salads, soups, and feijoada, as well as some Lacto vegetarian options.
* Bardana Cozinha Natural: Copacabana: Rua Souza Lima 37 Quadra da Praia – Copacabana. | Downtown: Praça Ana Amélia N.º 9 Sobreloja. | Open: Copacanana: Everyday 11:30am – 4pm. | Downtown: Mon-Fri 11am-3:30pm
Prana Vegetariano
Jardim Botânico
Prana Vegetariano is a vegetarian food restaurant with a variety of vegan options in a calm and welcoming environment.
On the second floor of their big house in the Jardim Botânico, they have a meditation and yoga room, inherited from the former tenant.
The restaurant’s differential is that they produce pieces of bread, focaccias, and long-fermenting pizzas, which are also available to purchase and take away. At night, the porch turns into a pizzeria, with seven flavors available, all for $ 45 (or $ 55 for vegan mozzarella orders).
They also offer matching dishes with sparkling, white, and red wine for those who love a good tasting menu.
* Prana Vegetariano: Rua Lopes Quintas, 37 – Jardim Botânico. Open: Lunch from Mon-Sat 12pm to 4pm and Pizzeria/dinner from Mon-Sat 7pm to 11pm.
Refeitório orgânico
Botafogo
The restaurant Refeitório Orgânico is a vegetarian zen-haven in the city.
Located in Botafogo, 5 minutes from the subway station, the decoration of the house is a charm alone. With a Buddhist twist, the 2-story mansion features an inner courtyard with a water fountain and a Buddha statue welcoming guests.
On the first floor, wooden tables share space with a small shop of natural products. On the second floor is the buffet, with a ten-seat community table, as well as smaller tables.
They offer a variety of fixed-price buffet dishes as well as an a la carte menu, where you set up the plate choosing from 2 to 5 servings of the day.
The main dishes of the house are the plantain moqueca with algae and shiitake bobó with organic palm. To drink, the house suggests the organic whole grape juice.
* Refeitório orgânico: Rua Dezenove de Fevereiro, 120 – Botafogo. Open: Mon-Sat from 11am to 4pm.
Açougue Vegano
Ipanema and Barra da Tijuca
A meatless butcher shop. This is the ambition of Açougue Vegano (Vegan Butcher), which sells exclusive vegetable meat products.
The handcrafted vegan shop opened its first unit in Barra da Tijuca and today has one more unit in Ipanema.
The Vegan Butcher’s product list has 16 items, which, according to those responsible for the venture, can please even the most convinced carnivores.
There are kebabs, Kafka, meatballs, hamburgers, sausages (made with vegetable blends), ham (made with soy and seitan), and even bacon – made with coconut and natural essence that guarantees the smoky flavor.
Carioca Tip:
Be sure to try their prized ‘coxinha de Jaca,’ a vegetarian version of Carioca’s favorite snack made with jackfruit, a fruit originally from Asia and very common in Brazil.
* Açougue Vegano: Ipanema: Rua Prudente de Morais, 167 – Ipanema (near the subway station General Osório)
Barra: Av. Ayrton Senna 5500, Barra da Tijuca
Open: Every day from 11am to 9pm.
Bonus: La Fruteria
Ipanema and Barra da Tijuca
La Fruteriait’sa fruit boutique that brings the concept of a whole food product market with snack options and even a coffee shop. Although it’s not a restaurant, it has so many snack options on the go that it couldn’t be left off that list.
The specialty of the establishment is the various options of unique, exotic, and imported fruits that are available both whole and in juices or minced, served in take away containers – with granola and yogurt!
Moreover, besides the fruits, the store has other types of healthy foods such as cakes, quiches, salads, and frozen foods by the sous-vide method. They also offer the super pop Greenpeople pressed juices, GoodKarma granolas, functional juices, Detox soups, and a range of natural products for vegans and those suffering from food intolerance.
In the food wing, you will find frozen options such as grilled salmon, manioc puree, cream cheese spinach, chicken stuffed with dates and hazelnuts or spinach, dried tomato risotto, and so on. During the day, the store also offers freshly prepared mixed dishes, where the customer chooses a protein and the accompaniment.
A great option if you want a quick snack to take while sightseeing in the city.
* La Fruteria: Ipanema: Rua Visconde de Pirajá, 559 – Loja A – Ipanema. Open: Mon-Fri 7:30am- 9pm Sat-Sun 9am-8pm
Barra: Av. Lúcio Costa, 3150 – Barra da Tijuca.
Open: Every day 8am- 10pm
We hope you enjoyed our selection of vegetarian and vegan places in Rio de Janeiro.
This post was made in collaboration with Cristiana Rebouças from @aquitemveggie. Cristiana is Carioca from Leme and a vegetarian for over 10 years. She gives tips on places to eat and where to find vegan products in Rio de Janeiro on Instagram since 2017. Follow her to know other vegetarian places in Rio de janeiro.
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