Definitely not vegetarian, has a lot of meat and seafood. Honestly, it's not the most appetizing…read morelocation downstairs, feels a bit crowded and haphazard, but they do have a good selection, especially veggies which can be hard to find in Brazil, and the upstairs seating area is nice and breezy. I am not sure what is organic, however the food does taste healthier than normal, with less salt and oil. Pick a plate, pick what you want, and get it weighed before you eat. Pay after. I have been to tons of these kilo type restaurants, love the concept and wish they had these in the states. A great place to come get a bite to eat, catered to the portions you want.

Living year-round at ground zero for the organic/locavore movement it's easy to forget that much of…read morethe rest of the world doesn't have the access or ability to eat similarly. I'd eaten at New Natural's take out counter three times before learning the name of the place then did a double take when I saw the yelp listing describing it as an "organic shop" and "vegetarian restaurant". Travelers hailing from Northern California will find nothing here that resembles any organic shop or vegetarian restaurant they've ever been to. What New Natural is, from my point of view, is a) a bakery serving savory, meatless pastries and b) a buffet serving all sorts of things including non-vegetarian items. All the other Yelp reviews currently focus on the buffet (laid out in a small, very hot room behind the bakery) which I only viewed but didn't eat at. Let me tell you about the bakery: There, for BRL $6 apiece (less than $2 US) I chose many flaky, buttery pastries that easily constituted a meal even though they were consumed from a paper bag while standing in front of the store. Upon each visit they were offering a special - buy 2 get the 3rd free - which made this the cheapest meal one could imagine. Cheap and good and very near to Ipanema Beach. Many shops offer the traditional Brazilian pasteles but these were not those; these weren't greasy or fried. Of the pastries sampled, the fan favorite was one filled with tomato and ricotta. Wash a couple of these down with some fresh juice from the refrigerated case and you can be back on the beach in no time. I can't vouch for the buffet and I don't know about the organic or vegetarian labels. All I know is that this is the place for excellent, freshly made, savory, meatless pastries. They cost a mere pittance and fill you up darned good. If you're hitting Rio on a budget - or just seeking a quick, filling snack - New Natural's bakery counter is heaven sent. Just don't be searching for an American looking organic shop or you'll never find it.

This store is perfect for a health nut. They have snacks and treats to accommodate for gluten-free,…read morelactose-free....all of the frees you can imagine. They always have samples of their products, which I LOVE. Who doesn't love samples, am I right? One time they sampled mini-pizzas made with rice flower--so good! The owner is really nice and knowledgable. She helped me pick out a bunch of gluten-free snacks for a trip I was going on. The Love bars and the Bio2 protein bars were perfect for this. I found a line of protein powders that I love here called Essential. They have sample packets so you can try the different flavors before committing to an entire container of it (because it is quite expensive). Last but not least, they have fresh gluten-free cakes and pastels. I got a slice of the apple pie and it was so yummy and fresh.

I have traveled to many places and have found this place to make a great tuna fish sandwich. You…read moremay ask why I ate a tuna fish here and I'll tell you exactly this, I couldn't read a thing on the menu. Plus, as a pescatarian, you can't go wrong with it. Also, they make amazing fruit juice drinks that are fresh and sold daily. The staff is friendly and help as they can be without knowing very little English. I've been here twice on my stay. I'd come back. Restrooms are tolerable.

This is one of the many corner juice bars that you will find in Rio. This one in particular I liked…read morebecause of the large variety of fresh juices, delicious burgers, and selection of pastries. The service was really fast, so it's perfect for on-the-go meals. You should really try a different fruit juice every time you go to Big Bi! They have many of the local fruits, like the maracuja (relative to passion fruit). On the negative side, burgers do not come with fries. Very few juice bars will have fries for the same price or will offer fries for this price and charge less with no fries. I would walk around and compare. SOME ADVICE (for Big Bi and other juice bars in Rio): [ ] Read the menu that I posted in the pictures BEFORE traveling to Rio. I did not do this and it was frustrating to order and most of the time it was a guess. Pastry names would be ideal. Employees at Big Bi and other juice bars spoke little Spanish or English and knowing what you are ordering before traveling to Rio will make your like and their life a whole lot easier! [ ] Use credit card. Most USA banks have a 3% foreign fee per transaction. So you only loose 3 cents per dollar vs. the average 20 cents that are lost when exchanging money. I used my credit card wherever offered (~50% of businesses accepted Visa) and saved a lot compared to my friends. [ ] Based on the prices at Big Bi, budget how much you will spend on outside food. Keep in mind that corner juice bars are probably the most affordable meals in Rio so this is a minimum. That's it! Hope you like this place as much as we did!