No one in the history of man has come to Foz do Iguaçu for the food. Everyone comes here to see the falls, and as a result the infrastructure here is geared largely to cater to the crowds who flock here for the natural beauty of the area. As a result, most of the food is pretty uninspiring, and leans heavily toward the hamburger, pizza and other fast food outlets. We asked our hotel if they could recommend something a bit more interesting for dinner, and they pointed us in this direction after I mentioned that I'm a chef. (I should point out that there are actually three locations of this restaurant, and the one we visited was on Av. Republica Argentina.)
The restaurant is characteristically large, with a long buffet table on one side. We were welcomed warmly and shown to a table, where we were presented with a few bottles of wine (Argentine Malbecs) that we could choose to have, if we liked (at an additional price). The wine was only R$39 (US$11 or so) so we went for it, sharing it among the four of us (and it was very nice, too).
The buffet is comprehensive, and had a range of salady things, a pot of feijoada with the traditional accompaniments, and a dessert selection. There was also a range of starches--manioc, rice, and potatoes prepared various ways. You could easily make your meal of this buffet alone and feel that your R$34.50 was well spent, but that would be a mistake, since, in true churrasceria fashion, the servers circulate around the dining room with skewers of grilled meat that they offer at regular intervals. Most of the servers managed at least some English, so on those occasions when I did not understand the Portuguese name, they could explain what they had. There were the usual--assorted cuts of beef, pork, and chicken--together with things like ribs, chicken heart and bacon-wrapped cuts. Most were very good, and when something came out done more well done than you like, they are happy to bring out something a bit more rare.
Gourmet food it certainly is not, but this was a satisfying place and well worth the reasonable price. read more