Gringo Cafe quickly became one of my favorite breakfast spots in Rio. It's a popular hangout for…read moretravelers and expats, so if you're looking to meet other English speakers or swap travel tips, this is a great place to start. What kept me coming back was the Bodybuilder Breakfast, packed with chicken breast, egg whites, and fruit. When many breakfast options around town lean heavily toward bread and carbs, it was refreshing to find a protein focused meal that fit my routine. The location is another big plus. It's within walking distance of the beach, several shopping areas, and a large open air market where you can browse everything from fresh seafood and produce to clothing, souvenirs, and household goods. Service can be a little relaxed, but the food is consistent, the atmosphere is friendly, and it's an easy place to start your day before heading out to explore Rio.

Gringo Cafe in Rio Brazil is a dope breakfast/brunch spot that is Brazil owned…read more Food: the food was amazing literally finger licking, tasting, leaving you wanting more! We had the Belly Buster and Farmhouse Breakfast and it was a MEAL lol! Everything was cooked fresh, hot, and seasoned well. Service: the service was amazing, fast, efficient, and staff is very friendly working together at all the tables. Due to the high demand for this location everyone is fast past but ensure to engage the customers and personalize the experience. Ambiance: the resturant is Brazilian owned with open seating from host. It's can seat max 45ppl and also have outside sidewalk seating. The inside is also decorated according to the season and holiday. My overall score is 5.0/5.0 listen when I tell you when in Rio Brazil this is a MUST!!!

Truly American 'style' food with interesting (and tasty) combinations. The burgers are good though…read morethe toasted buns do not hold up to the challenge of keeping everything together until the end of the meal. The night we were there they had live music and it would be good to have reservations on such nights. The waiters were very helpful to non-Portuguese speaking patrons with menus with pictures you could point to. The American style shakes were more than a little runny but given you only had paper straws (no spoons) in which in indulge it kind of made sense. Always interesting to see how another culture interprets your own. If I are hungry for an Americana 1960/70's style burger cafe you will enjoy Zack's. Definitely worth a go.

Impressive is the only word to describe the restaurant itself. The building is striking and has a…read moremassive interior that also feels elevated and grand. Fogo has its service down to a science and seating as well as waiter service is pretty seamless. I was surprised that attentiveness to refilling water and anything other than meat was not up to the standard that I have experienced at other Brazilian steakhouses. The meat itself was plentiful, however, more inconsistent than I would have liked. One serving of Filet Mignon was delicious, flavorful and perfectly cooked, while the next was surprisingly overly cooked (to the point of not being tasty or even chewable). Salad bar is impressive and offerings were fresh and varied. I would have liked a few more protein options in the salad bar (such as fish or shrimp). Overall, a beautiful restaurant - but consistency of food could be improved.

I've been to a few of this Brazilian chain around the world and nothing beats this home base…read morelocation. The view was beautiful and service was responsive. The options were vast, the flavor was unlike others that I've tried, and I absolutely liked the other locations. Besides the meats they brought out other rodizio options I've never had before and I genuinely enjoyed it. They also had good bottles of red wines that couldn't be resisted. The tres leches was arguably the best I've ever had. And it all turned out to be relatively inexpensive after the currency conversion.

One of my all time favorite steakhouses. Quality steaks with fries and broccoli rice. The sauces on…read morethe side were also a great compliment with the meat. If you got room, get the shrimp and a slice of sausage in the beginning of the meal when they offer it table side. When I spent some time in the city, I went all the time that the servers knew me and took well care of me.

This was my first lunch stop during my recent trip to Rio. Saw loads of locals and was feeling…read moregreat to try this place based on reviews. We got the toscano sausage which was fabulous and the best along with broccoli rice and steak. The broccoli rice was fantastic but the steak could be better. We then ordered the brigadeiro cake which was good but too sweet for me but still good. Overall dint get the hype around this place as they had a hugggge line during lunch time but we got there right at opening so dint have any wait time.

If you're looking for a spot that serves American bar food, shows American sports with English…read morespeaking bartenders, Blue Agave is the spot. The food isn't great but if you're trying to watch the Super Bowl like us, it worked out perfect. Everyone is really chill, you'll meet fellow English speaking friends from Europe and Australia.

Really enjoyed this expat owned bar. My small posse and I went to watch the US women's soccer team…read moredestroy Japan and sat at the small bar. Around us, nearly everyone was having conversations in English and even the bartenders (while fluent in Portuguese hailed from the US). While it's not every day that I seek out an American refuge, I was super happy that this place was showing the game and that I got to enjoy it around people who were similarly pumped. So that's the tip, if you're looking to watch a popular American sporting match, Blue Agave is likely to play it over local Brazilian soccer games (which they probably show as well). My margarita was properly made and one of the better ones I've had in Brazil and the chicken tacos along with the al pastor were similarly satisfying. Great, cozy spot in Ipanema to grab a drink and a bite to eat.

Michelin star level favela style eatery. I could not believe my taste buds and eyes! I wish I had…read moreguts to go to the favela location (the original) but copa cabana location was exceptional too! Best food I have had in 2 weeks in Brazil!

I was a bit nervous about venturing into a favela (chalk it up to being mentally stuck in the era…read moreof "City of God"), but when a carioca casually asked if I'd seen the view from Babilonia yet, I realized my perception of the favelas was probably not accurate. I'm glad my misconception was corrected, because Bar do David was 101% worth the trip - it *doesn't* have a view, but we did have one of the best meals of our trip. Our favorite was the ribs with pineapple salsa, which were perfectly charred and fell off the bone. We also had a completely beautiful seafood salad and some croquettes with carne seca, plus a couple very tasty drinks. I can't recommend it enough!

Our evening started with a quick stop off at Botafogo's Caverna bar for a quick drink and bites…read morebefore our dinner. Caverna's emo rock theme was quirky, and it brought back a lot of memories of listening to All American Rejects, Blink 182, My Chemical Romance, and more. My husband mentioned to the bartender that he enjoyed the bar look and music while snapping a few photos of the bar. To show their appreciation, the bar gave us all a shirt, some stickers, and their house specialty cachácã drink that comes in a glass skull. It was an incredibly nice gesture, and we certainly appreciated all of it. I wished we could have stayed longer, as their cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks (I had the green apple maté) were delicious and service was obviously totally kick-ass and friendly!

From the owner: Pratos na medida certa com apresentação em grande estilo, harmonizados com cervejas, chope da casa…read moree drinks autorais assinados por quem entende. Ingredientes selecionados, ambiente agradável com design moderno, aconchegante e muito rock!

A really nice meal. The meat cuts were smexcellent. Really happy to see picanha as the first of the…read moremeats to come out and regularly. Really loved the flank steak too. And the filet in mushroom sauce at the buffet was great. Had some salad but ended up not eating the rest of my buffet selections and stuck with the meats

I went on vacation back in June for my girlfriend's birthday, and we decided to go to Brazil…read moreCopacabana to be exact. While in Brazil, you learn quickly that the locals love steak and I love steak so figured this would be a fun trip. We decided to come to Carretao which is a rodizio style Brazilian restaurant. Once seated inside the weight staff try the very best to explain to us how everything works. You're given a disc which is right on one side and green on the other side as long as the green side is showing the staff will continuously bring different cuts of delicious meats to your table and slice you off some samples. There was an open salad bar, which was loaded with fresh salads and little appetizers, but the main attraction was the never ending Daisy chain of meats. I was in heaven, and I enjoyed every moment of it. My only complaint about this restaurant was that I definitely bought my appetite and after sometime, I noticed that the staff stopped coming to the table with the prime cuts of meat, but would only come with the less desirable cuts this didn't bother me too much because I definitely ate more than my fair share lol. I would absolutely come here again. The price was amazing. The staff was friendly and at the end of dinner we got some delicious dessert shots, which were quite a treat.