Now that I've been to Delírio Tropical, I understand why there's a line that goes out the door…read moreevery day.... My friend and I went here because we wanted to try to eat a little healthier - for at least one meal ;-) You'll see a white paper English menu near the entrance. Armed with information from the menu, you can simply point to whatever looks good, and the staffers will put some on your plate. If you get something that needs to be heated up, take your tray to your table; your food will be brought out when it's ready. At the end of the food line, you'll be given a receipt that shows what you ordered and the price of your order; pay when you leave. There's a cashier near the door. We had the chicken Caesar sandwich with qunoa and the roasted beef salad. To wash that down, we got two drinks; the total bill came to about $13 USD. Not bad!

Mastered the ratio between quality and quantity. Food was fresh and flavorful at a hard-to-beat…read moreprice. While we had a line, it moves fast! Plentiful seating options spread across 2 floors. A great spot to grab lunch in the heart of the Ipanema fashion district.

Located in Botafogo, and focused on Slow Food ideas, The Slow Bakery offers a unique menu of global…read moreBreads built by natural fermentation alongside house-roasted Coffee in cozy environs with great service. Using the description "from field to table," and open Tuesday through Friday from 11h00 to 19h30 plus Saturday 09h00 to 15h00, it was approximately two hours prior to closing that the store was found mostly full, staff fluent in English exceedingly pleasant and the combination of free WiFi plus copious power outlets a welcome sight after several hours of sightseeing. Producing everything from Yogurt and Ice Cream to Cakes, Jams and Bread on-site, the latter built on an inherited Lactobacillus Sanfranciscensis starter, it was with strong Cold Brew in hand that three items were received after re-warming, the Banana Bread crumbly yet moist and quite similar to what might expect from Grandma's kitchen. Moving next to The Slow Bakery's Cinnamon Roll, an item not otherwise seen in Rio or São Paulo, suffice it to say that the addition of Dulce de Leche certainly did not hurt a springy coil of Sourdough while the Cookie saved for last was fluffy with warm Vanilla notes, but fairly light in Chocolate Chips.

I'm one of those people who finds free food = delicious food, no matter what it is. So, this means…read moreI generally really like airplane food. I know, it's not exactly free, but it feel free because I've typically paid for my ticket many months beforehand. However, I'm finding more and more than breakfast plane food is just pathetic. Sooooo, that being said, when we landed in Rio at 6am, I was starving. I was whatsapping with our tour guide and he mentioned getting a quick bite to eat first before starting anything else. I was a happy camper. He brought us here, and was extremely enthusiastic about this place and their offerings. Since they are so famous for their bread we both opted for sandwiches, pretty much grilled cheeses, only mine had bananas on it as well. Both sandwiches are awesome, and yes, the bread was the shining star. We both tried the Masala drink as well, which I guess I didn't really understand what I was signing up for at first, as this is coffee based, and I hate coffee, but it was light enough that even I could enjoy it, and get a little bit of a wake me up buzz. Definitely a great spot. Very hipster vibes, if that's a Brazilian term lol.

I've driven by this place a few times before and was always curious. I was out in Grumari the other…read moreday and decided to give it a go. I'd like to say it's worth the trip and was excellent, but it fell a bit short of the mark in several ways. This restaurant is located on the top of a hill along a windy, narrow road. As a result, the views are spectacular - you can see the mountains, the ocean, and lots of lush green forest. The main dish served seems to be the grilled seafood plate. We ordered that but started with the ceviche. Frankly the ceviche was a disappointment. The portion size was very small, and while the presentation was excellent and full of color, it had almost no flavor. I'm used to ceviche with a lot of acidity from the lime juice, but this one tasted like they used processed lemon juice, the kind you'd buy in the U.S. in the little yellow plastic bottle. Pass on it. The seafood dish was very good. It could easily serve 3 people, maybe 4. It comes with rice, a lettuce/arugula mix, potatoes, melted butter with capers and mushrooms and shrimp. There are two options for the seafood dish, with or without lobster. It came with 2 lobsters (they were halved), shrimp, mussels, octopus, calamari, and fish. The flavors were all excellent, except for the mussels. They just didn't taste right. I found a bone or something in my calamari too, it looked like plastic. Maybe it was. Unfortunately there was just too much food for 2 people, so we didn't eat it all. The real downer was the price: about R$250. It's good, but I didn't think it was *that* good. The menu is pretty big so you have lots of options. Grumari is an excellent beach and a good place to spend the day, so I'd recommend stopping in if you're in the mood for some seafood. It's also good for groups because there's lots of seating. A guy was playing the guitar and singing when we were there, so the ambiance is nice, but it's all open-air. If it's cold outside you're going to need a coat. Overall OK, but I don't recommend making a trip out here just for this place. Oh, one more thing, there is a dude in the parking lot who "helps" you park. You're supposed to tip him. R$2 should be fine.

Looking for the best seafood, here's the restaurant with fantastic views, you're almost envelope…read moreand wrapped around by natural environment, ocean, lakes. Trees and mountains are your surrounding. Full wine bar, their caipirinha of maracuya (passion fruit) is top of the line, best grilled seafood

Barthodomeu is an unremarkable open air bar in Ipanema where it's easy to get a couple chopes…read more(Brazilian draft beer served icy cold in small glasses so it doesn't get warm). And on the occasion I visited that's exactly what I drank. Barthodomeu also strikes me as a nice spot to catch a football game.

This place has poor reviews, but the expectations should be reasonable since its a crowded bar…read moresetting. I went here during off hours to catch an afternoon snack and the service was fine. The staff was friendly and no one was too busy to pay attention. The menu seems to offer a lot of variety. The meat croquettes with gorgonzola cheese were definitely very flavorful (one must like that type of cheese). The arancini (fried balls of rice) with cheese were much milder and very palatable. Both were quite filling. Plenty of beers to chose from and sucos (juices) as well. I've always seen this place jammed packed and a few times with live music. When that's the scene, I think the expectations for a full meal and service should be a little different.

A good restaurant in a great setting -- beautiful views of Leme Beach from this relaxing patio. We…read moreenjoyed our meal and the courteous service.

It was entirely by chance that I found Canastra, and I'm VERY glad I did! It turned out to be an…read moreentirely delightful venue :-) The wine list is compact, with some exceptionally priced, very nice bottles on it. They even have several good by-the-glass options. Their menu is tapas-style, with a number of small sharing plates; it contains dishes like goats cheese with onion marmalade, marinated octopus, paté de campagne, and burrata of buffalo mozzarella. All the dishes on the menu are accompanied by delicious warm baguette, and the prices are all extremely reasonable ((R$19 - R$25 each). Our server was very friendly and attentive; we left quite satisfied and very full :-) Tip: If you're a fan of oysters, then Tuesday is a great night to come to Canastra! On Tuesdays they have reasonable priced raw oysters that you can order by the half dozen :-)

A beautiful, elegantly decorated space with AMAZING food and excellent service! I started with a…read morewatermelon and ginger juice which was clearly made with the freshest ingredients and chilled with coconut water ice cubes. So delicious!! As my entree I ordered a grilled fish dish (can't remember what it was called) that included a mashed banana concoction, cooked heart of palm, black eyed peas, and dusted with farofa. The fish was thick, flaky, and not overly seasoned which allowed the flavor of the fish itself to really shine. A very well balanced plate. My mom and aunt shared the arroz de bacalhau which was bold and flavorful (and quite large in portion). For dessert we all shared the bolo de aipim and the suspiro. I am a huge fan of bolo de aipim to begin with, but this one was unbelievable! Incredibly moist, with a similar texture to butter mochi, covered in a very rich, sweet sauce and served with a scoop of creamy coconut ice cream on the side. The suspiro dish was also creamy, and rich, with 2 different flavored concoctions topped with crispy suspiro bark, and served with a variety of small cut fruits. Also excellent! I will definitely be returning while still in Rio to try more dishes.

Perfeito! Do ambiente, à frequência, até é claro à comida!…read more Pedimos de entrada uns bolinhos de queijos. Super crocantes deliciosos. Como prato principal eu pedi o Pirarucu e brandade de pupunha com chutney de banana. DELICIOSO! Delicado, sofisticado e super saboroso. Tem uma caldinha de tangerina sobre o pirarucu que é divina. Meu marido pediu o famoso burguer e adorou. Claro que no final pedimos a torta de brigadeiro. Dá pra compartilhar por que é bem grande! Sem palavras! Aliás os pratos são bem servidos. Cada prato principal custa de 60 a 80. As entradas de 20 a 40, o bolo divino custa 36 reais! Caro, mas vale cada centavo! Curti muito! Ambiente muito agradável.

We went to Bar Urca for dinner on our third night in Rio. The main reason we chose this restaurant…read morewas because we read that they serve Camarão na Moranga--shrimp stuffed in a pumpkin. My girlfriend had been talking about this dish for years, ever since she first tried it during a trip to Rio nine years ago. Based on online reviews, Bar Urca seemed like the perfect spot to find it. The restaurant is located in Urca, a quiet, peaceful neighborhood with a charming vibe. The space itself is small, and the dining area is upstairs with a lovely view. The staff was super friendly and helpful--probably tied for the best service we had during the whole trip. As for the Camarão na Moranga--it was absolutely delicious and did not disappoint! The portion was huge--way too much food for just the two of us. Honestly, this dish could easily serve 3 to 4 people. We left completely stuffed. If you're ever in Rio, definitely give this place a try--and if you love shrimp, this dish is a must!

Well-served food, spectacular view, cozy place and good service. Very good restaurant, reservations…read moreare recommended as there are only a few tables. Excellent shrimp pie and fantastic bobó.

Really cute spot that's often quite busy. Good place for a midday snack. Outside patio area and…read moreindoor air conditioning to satisfy everyone. They actually had most the desserts available on their menu and I tried the pecan tart, which was pretty tasty. The cafe gelado wasn't as impressive, a frappe was just cold coffee, a splash of chocolate syrup and lots of whip cream. Next time I'll go for the shake. They also have lots of cute coffee percolators and their own blends of coffee beans on sale. Service was friendly and prompt.

I'm fascinated with the Melitta pour over cone that everyone uses in Rio. Back home, I had a huge,…read morehulking 12 cup Cuisinart that dispensed coffee by the thermos that I grabbed as I rushed out the door. As I gradually acclimate to Rio's slower pace of life (not to mention, erm, unemployment...) I look forward to my morning cup of coffee. Though Armazem do Cafe is a great spot to linger over a cappuccino and a snack, I like that they sell bags of whole bean coffee. With the Cuisinart, I just dumped in pre-ground coffee from Trader Joe's. But with the pour over I use Armazem do Cafe's house blend. They sell about ten varieties, including organic and decaf if that's more your speed. They will also grind beans to your specification. With seven locations around the city, there's no excuse to settle for a bad cup of joe!