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!!!

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.

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.

Great casual spot for food & beer. Heard that Boteco Belmonte is a big chain in Brazil and typical…read morefor a boteco - kind of like a the Brazilian version of a local pub. This location in Copacabana is a block in from the beach. The open air atmosphere made for a great spot to relax and cool off after some time on the beach or sightseeing. We got some Brahma beers served ice cold. I had the seafood moquequa and my friend had the feijoada. The food was tasty, prices were reasonable, and service was good.

Decent food, but very expensive for what it is. You can get a meal directly on the beach with a…read morebetter view for less

Didn't even realise that it was there until friends pointed it out. Semi-pub-ish kinda place, with…read morea decent selection of food (burgers look great! but too bad I don't take beef...), ordered rice balls which were decent. Another friend ordered their fish and chips, which was not what I expected - big portion of fish fingers and a whole load of wedges being passed off as fries. All in, it was good. Dessert was nothing to shout about though - we shared a brownie and were not at all impressed. They also have a beer menu (font and back page of an A4 sheet) which offers beers in pints and half pints. Tips : do select a more strategically located table, where you know the wait staff can see you, otherwise forgot about being served. Food comes fairly quickly so that was nice. Also, I went on a Saturday at about 7.30-8pm and stayed till about 10.30pm. When I went, it was crowded but I was still able to find a table - the crowd seem to start at about 8.30pm or so. When we left, there were quite a number of people outside waiting for a table.

4 stars here just for the beer. If I were rating just on food, I would give it a 3 because the…read moreburger was average in my opinion. For beers though, they have a great selection, including plenty of stouts and American IPAs/APAs. We came as a big group of Yelpers, so I'll give the wait staff a little credit for trying to take all of our orders and not getting mine exactly right (I'll also take into account my poor Portuguese). On the bright side, they actually fixed our order and didn't charge us, so I can't mark them down for that. There is one big projector screen in the back that would be nice to watch sporting events, but I don't think it would be sufficient for everyone in the restaurant to just watch from that screen. Overall though, if you're in the mood for good beer, check this place out.

My cousin and I decided to eat at Galeto Sat's because Anthony Bourdain highly recommended it. Long…read morestory short, totally worth it. If you're in Rio go get yourself some chicken. It is VERY popular and I'm sure being recommended by Bourdain has a lot to do with it. The first time we tried to eat there the wait was over an hour long. We went sometime after 1AM and there was still a decent wait, maybe close to 30 minutes. The place is pretty small and cramped, but that gives it some charm. Somehow that makes the food taste even better. We ordered a little bit of everything and it was all amazing. Chicken, steak, fries, garlic bread, polenta. It was all cooked and seasoned to perfection. Everything we ordered was delicious Service was fair and prices are reasonable. Do yourself a favor and visit Galeto Sat's!

Anthony Bourdain has dined here for one of his shows. That along with a few food blogs from the…read moreStates and Brazil recommending it means it was on my list of places to eat at. It's a solid restaurant that serves up pretty good chicken. In fact I ate here twice in a week, the first time to try it out and the second time because it was late at night and they are open until 5AM. Both times I was here it was timed right and I didn't have to wait for a table. The employees were accommodating to a tourist like myself who has a limited Portuguese vocabulary. They also have English language menus although I do like to navigate a menu in another language just to see what I can recognize. Both times I had the chicken with the garlic and pepper sauce as well as pão de alho. The chicken was perfect, juicy and very flavorful. And plenty of garlic. The garlic bread was delicious and had plenty of garlic. I love garlic so it was great for me but I can see some people saying it may be too much garlic. Batatas fritas were good as well. There was more I wanted to try but I will definitely be back the next time I am in Rio de Janeiro. This place has been around for decades so it should still be around on my next visit.

If you ever heard of the famous Brazilian song called "the girl from Ipanema" this is the actual…read moreplace the song was written and the place was named after I suppose it was called something else before Hahaa But this is located literally a block away from the Ipanema beach in Ipanema Food is great and because it's close to the beach it's got that vibe Always love the fried chicken and the picanha meat Mmm And some guarana soda!

Iconic restaurant giving birth to the famous "Girl from Ipanema" song with delicious tableside…read moresizzling steak. Food: 4 Service: 4 Atmosphere: 4 Cost to worth it rating: 5 (a lot more affordable than other steak places in town) Return worthiness: yes Highlights: - Picanha was cut thin and tender. Came oh a sizzling platter. 5 stars - Garlic steak was heartier and packed with flavor: 4.5 stars - Large menu so something for everyone if they are t feeling steaky: fish, pasty - Only a few blocks in from the beach - Where they were inspired to write the famous song "Girl from Ipanema" with song notes framed and hung up on the walls Midlights - French fries: just ok. Thick cut and not crispy. 3 stars - Fried fish: was fine, but dry. 3 stars - Farofa: prefer it more roasted. 3 stars Lowlights: - Popular so can be a line waiting outside Enjoyed this spot and would go back.

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.

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!

I came here for dinner on a Saturday night with a group of 4 people. They don't take reservations…read morebefore 9:30 PM. It's an AYCE buffet with churrascaria and the set price is R$268 (~$50 USD) plus 13% service charge. It includes the salad bar with vegetables, salads, soup, seafood, sushi, and churrascaria (meat, seafood, sides). The best options for the churrascaria were the ribeye steak, salmon with passion fruit sauce, and the lamb. I did appreciate that if you request a churrascaria item, they do bring it to you. You can also request sauces as well, the chimichurri sauce was good. I think the buffet was good value since you get a large selection of food and the quality was pretty good.

What a great experience…read more Went for lunch and the food was amazing. There is so much to choose from. The salad bar was huge and with everything looking so good it was hard not to taste a bit of everything. The service was excellent. The staff was always making sure that I had what I liked. My favorite cut of beef was the skirt steak. It had a great flavor and was very tender. I would return.