2 Best Restaurants in Salvador, Salvador and the Bahia Coast

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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.

La Taperia

$$$ | Rio Vermelho Fodor's Choice
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a Spanish restaurant in Brazil that matches the outstanding food and cocktails served at this vibrant bar-restaurant overlooking the bay in Rio Vermelho and packed with locals every night of the week. Located in a converted town house, tables are scattered through a series of small rooms, styled with vintage Spanish prints on exposed-brick walls. While the most sought-after spot is out on the terrace, if you are in a hurry, opt for one of the stools along the bar and tuck into the delectable menu, featuring inventive salads, fresh seafood, and world-class paella. While the extensive wine list offers Spanish classics, don’t miss the expertly prepared cocktails, such as the jabuticaba caipiroska (a vodka caipirinha made with native jabuticaba fruit).
Spanish Fodor's Choice $$$ Dinner
Rua da Paciencia 251, Salvador, 41950–010, Brazil
071-3334–6871
Restaurant Details
Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch.

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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.