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As one of the major centers of industry and commerce in Brazil, Curitiba has a wide variety of dining and lodging options that caters to hurried and demanding business travelers. The Santa Felicidade neighborhood has carved a name as the place to go for affordable restaurants that serve locally influenced Italian cuisine.
Recommended for those on a budget, Baviera is essentially a pizzeria, but the menu also includes Brazilian-style steak (thin-cut fillet, usually rare), grilled chicken, and hamburgers, with most dishes serving two. The restaurant, in the basement of an imposing house on a hillside, has an Italian cantina look, with wine barrels at the entrance, rustic wood furniture, and candlelighted tables.
One of the best-known establishments for Italian cuisine in Curitiba, Madalosso is also possibly the largest restaurant in Brazil: the hangarlike building seats 4,600 diners. The prix-fixe menu includes a huge selection of pastas and sauces, chicken dishes, and salads. The gnocchi and lasagna are particularly noteworthy. The restaurant keeps a large wine cellar, with many renowned Brazilian and international wines, as well as a house wine, made for the restaurant in the vineyards of Rio Grande do Sul.
The city's most popular German bar–restaurant, Schwarzwald has carved a name for itself with great draft beer, including some imported brands and local bocks (German-style dark beers). Highly recommended entrées are the house version of eisbein (pig's leg served with mashed potatoes), kassler (beef fillet with a cream sauce), and duck with red cabbage. The restaurant is somewhat small and packed with tables, but there's plenty of space on the sidewalk in front.
