8 Best Restaurants in The Amazon, Brazil

Run by the brothers Felipe and Thiago Schaedler, this restaurant specializes in top-notch regional Amazon cuisine. Fresh fish from the Amazon rivers reigns supreme here—you can't go wrong with the grilled tambaqui fish ribs served with tucupi farofa (palm heart fruit manioc flour). For dessert, try the banana cake drizzled with molasses. Popular with locals, the place fills up on weekends. Check the restaurant's website before going for English descriptions of their main dishes, as no menus in English are available in the restaurant, and most staff speak only Portuguese.

Regional cuisine, prepared to exacting specifications, has earned Lá em Casa its stellar reputation and made it a favorite of the locals. Consider trying Belém's premier dish, pato no tucupi (duck in a yellow manioc–herb sauce served with the mildly intoxicating jambu leaf). Crabs on the half-shell covered with farofa (finely ground manioc fried in margarine) is another good choice, as is açaí sorbet for dessert. Sitting on the patio overlooking the river and fringed by tropical vines and bromeliads, you feel as if you're dining in the middle of the forest.

In the Casa das Onze Janelas, the Boteca das Onze has thick stone-and-mortar walls stylishly adorned with antique instruments. The full bar has a complete drink menu with one of the largest selections of wines in the city. The patio has a view of the garden and river. A house favorite is the seafood platter for two. The all-you-can-eat lunch buffet is a good deal, and includes dessert but not drinks. The sunset happy hour is one of the most happening in town, usually with live music.

To shake up the conservative cuisine scene on Macapá, the Salvador-born owner of Cantinho Baiano began cooking specialties from Bahia State. These dishes, especially the seafood moqueca (fried fish in vegetable, coconut milk, and dendê oil), are not to be missed. The excellent river view, soft music, and colorfully clad waiters add to the ambience.

The green awning and red-and-white-check tablecloths are hints that this restaurant serves authentic Italian cuisine. Pasta dishes are delicious, especially the lasagna fiorentina (with a marinara and ground-beef sauce). A buffet is also available every day for lunch.

Excellent sandwiches and a self-service buffet keep the Mistura Brasileira hopping. Try the beef fillet sandwich or the lasagna. The restaurant is housed in a hotel of the same name.

Ice-cold beers served in buckets, fruit caipirinhas, and pastéis de pato (deep-fried duck pastries) served with postcard-perfect views of the bay are why locals love Palafita. Palafita has music on weekend evenings. During the sunset happy hour, it is a great spot to mingle with locals.

Two blocks up from the plaza on Rua Antônio Augustinho Lobato is Restaurante Tribal. Quiet, clean, and friendly, it has excellent home-style grilled meat and grilled fish, and it's inexpensive.