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With nearly a thousand restaurants, Rio's dining choices are broad, from low-key Middle Eastern cafés to elegant contemporary eateries with award-winning kitchens and first-class service. The succulent offerings in the churrascarias (restaurants specializing in grilled meats) can be mesmerizing for meat lovers—especially the places that serve rodízio-style (grilled meat on skewers is continually brought to your table—until you can eat no more). Hotel restaurants often serve the national dish, feijoada (a hearty stew of black beans and pork), on Saturday—sometimes on Friday, too. Wash it down with a chopp (the local draft beer; pronounced "shop") or a caipirinha (sugarcane rum, lime, and sugar).
Located in the Santa Teresa MGallery Hotel, the restaurant offers an international menu with a touch of Brazilian cuisine. Chef Luanna Malheiros brings to the menu all her experience in several French and Brazilian restaurants. Classical recipes like steak au poivre are recreated to include Brazilian ingredients such as national fish, and French dessert techniques are used in sweets made with açaí, cupuaçu, and banana.
The post-beach hangout of choice for neighborhood locals since 1956, Jobi serves good coffee, super-chilled draft beer, and lip-smackingly delicious seafood. The restaurant is so small and unassuming, it's only after you step inside and see the many awards hanging on the walls that you realize just how special Jobi is.
The beach club located at Posto 6 on Copacabana beach brings a bit of the Mediterranean atmosphere to Rio de Janeiro. Locals and visitors can enjoy the space that offers all meals, from breakfast to post-beach drinks. The highlights are the drinks that reinvent classics with Brazilian elements and dishes with fish and seafood.
Located a stone’s throw from Rio’s Botanical Gardens, this cozy bakery is a great pit stop for lazy brunches, light lunches, or afternoon snacks pre- or post-stroll through the gardens. French owners are behind the buttery croissants, homemade breads, fresh juices, delicious cakes, organic coffee, and sophisticated sandwiches.
Cat lovers and coffee lovers will find their meeting point here. Tiny Cat Café has food and drinks on its menu that are reminiscent of feline friends. For digital nomads, the café offers good Wi-Fi.
