I came to Curitiba on vacation to experience the best of what the city had to offer. And well, Bar Cana Benta hit the spot! A friend of mine who lives and works in Curitiba excitedly told me that he was taking me to a really fun restaurant. Having no idea what to expect, this was a super fun surprise. In fact, we loved it so much our entire vacationing group came back twice in the same day! Depending on the day of the week and the time of day, your experience here will differ. Saturday and Tuesdays they have feijoada specials, in the afternoons they have a massive Brazilian buffet and in the evenings they have small plate happy hour and tableside service. For lunch our group of about 15 people popped by and hit up the buffet. In the US when you think of a buffet you think of heat lamps, dried up old food, and cheap ingredients. In Brazil a buffet is heavenly. Quail eggs, pickled veggies, fresh salads, pasta, stewed meats, chicken dishes, and more. You basically grab what you can and then take your plate/s to get weighed. However heavy the plate equates to how much you pay. The man at the scale hands you a number and at the end of your meal they tally the different numbers (if you're in a group) and then you pay the bill inside at a register. Well organized, easy, and delicious, this is an awesome way to eat in Brazil! But wait, we went back! So for dinner we ended up here to watch a World Cup game and sat outside on their covered patio watching TV. We had a waiter serve our table and yet again the entire operation was well organized. He offered menus (in English and Portuguese) to our group and then handed up small pieces of paper that acted like food checklists. Similar to sushi bars. You just wrote your name on the paper and checked off what you wanted to eat. At the end of the meal they tally your total based on what you order and then you pay your bill and show the receipt to the doorman as you exit. It helps control the crowd because the bar is rather large and has multiple indoor and outdoor areas. The walls are decorated with various tchotchkes collected throughout the years and it adds a very local, relaxed, and fun vibe. One special thing we tried were rollmops. It's Scandinavian but this bar boasts they have really good ones. Having to learn what they were by ordering them, we found out they're pickled herring balls. Basically a piece of fish wrapped around an onion and pickled. Not my favorite thing but definitely a popular item here! Fun to try if you're up for the challenge. read more

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