3 Best Restaurants in Salvador, Salvador and the Bahia Coast

Background Illustration for Restaurants

You can easily find restaurants serving Bahian specialties in most neighborhoods. Pelourinho and Barra, full of bars and sidewalk cafés, are good places to start. There is also a selection of interesting restaurants in bohemian Rio Vermelho and a slew of places along Orla, the beachfront drive beginning around Jardim de Alah. The regional cuisine leans toward seafood, but some meat dishes should be tried. And, like anywhere else in Brazil, there are churrascarias for beef lovers. One main course often serves two; ask about portions when you order. Beware that regional food is normally spicy and hot.

Paraíso Tropical

$$$$ | Cabula Fodor's Choice

Ask locals and longtime expats alike what not to miss in Salvador and the response you get will be unanimous: Paraíso Tropical. In a tropical garden in the suburb of Cabula, a 20-minute taxi ride from the Historic Center, this relaxed, gourmet spot treats patrons to Bahian classics with a twist. Chef Beto reinvents heavy dishes like moqueca and bobo using natural dendê fruit rather than oil, combined with rare tropical fruits sourced from more than 6,000 square meters of native Mata Atlântica forest. Everything is cooked in agua de coco instead of water to increase the nutritional value of the dishes. Go with friends and go hungry, for while the siri catado (Bahia soft-shell crab), salada duca (mango, baby coconut, and cashew salad), and Beto's special moqueca stand out, you'll want to try everything.

Bargaço

$$$$ | Armação

Delicious Bahian dishes of fresh seafood are served at this longtime favorite, where the ample portions are great for sharing and the alfresco setting provides a convivial vibe for a family celebration. Pata de caranguejo (vinegary crab claws) is hearty and may do more than take the edge off your appetite for the requisite moqueca de camarão (with shrimp) or moqueca de siri mole (with soft-shell crab); try the cocada(coconut confections) for dessert, if you have room.

Boi Preto

$$$$ | Armação

For a set price this top-quality, all-you-can-eat Brazilian churrascaria serves a selection of meat cooked to perfection and a generous choice of sides. A flurry of white-coated waiters appear at your table to carve different options of meat straight onto your plate rodizio style, so try not to fill up on the steaming pao de quiejo (cheese balls), salads, sushi, and seafood from the accompanying buffet—and also know that the best cuts are usually brought toward the end of the meal. Drinks and dessert are charged separately.

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