A couple of nights ago, I had dinner in the food court of Botafogo Praia Shopping.
Normally, an event such of this wouldn’t be blog-worthy however the food court at Botafogo Praia Shopping is about eight floors up, has an open air balcony and stunning views across Botafogo beach and Pao de Acucar!
It was Rio Restaurant Week recently so I took the opportunity to sample a fancy restaurant or two.
Restaurant Week is something that I had heard of before in other countries and here the concept is the same. In its 8th year, Rio Restaurant Week allows people to dine at top shelf restaurants across the city for a fixed price. For the price, you typically receive a choice between two starters, mains and desserts.
And whilst I love the idea and was impressed variety of participating restaurants in Rio, my experience wasn’t the best.
I went to Real Astoria in Botafogo which is a beautiful place on the Botafogo harbour. It has an absolutely incredible view and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a unique setting to a restaurant in Rio.
Unfortunately, the food offered as part of the “deal” wasn’t the best. The starter was a ham sandwich cut into pieces, my main was a basic steak and vegetables and dessert was some soggy churros. And whilst it was all perfectly edible, it didn’t quite match the reputation and setting of he restaurant.
I am not completely deterred though and look forward to getting involved in Rio Restaurant Week again next year. Hopefully I will be able to give the next restaurant a better review.
Right by my house is a great Rio de Janeiro institution – the Astor Bar.
I can’t say that the food is particularly spectacular but the drinks menu and setting are second to none. Its got a real retro 1920s-1940s feel and the cocktail menu is extremely enticing. They also have a full gin menu which is not all that common in Rio.
I highly recommend – its top of the list for any visitors who come to town!
Just beware of the long wait on a Friday and Saturday night if you don’t make it there by the late afternoon. Week nights are typically not to bad, once I had to wait 45 minutes but usually I have been seated without delay.
Every blog about Rio, or any city for that matter, typically contains the author’s lists of the best places to eat out or go for a drink according to their experience and taste.
Well, before I give you my obligatory first installment of this, I must warn you… a food connoisseur I most definitely am not, and so my favourite places will rarely be based on the quality of the menu. What I do like is a good atmosphere and to feel like I am in a new country and city. Based on this, here is where I have enjoyed so far:
Ipanema
Sindicato do Chopp (Rua Farme de Amoedo, 83) – just typical Brazilian food (meat, beans and rice – who can complain!) but a really relaxed atmosphere and friendly wait staff. This is, so far, my favourite place to go in Ipanema on a Friday night after work, have a beer and fill up on some good food. Its not fancy, but neither am I!
Felice Caffe Bar (Rua Gomes Carneiro, 30) – probably the best food I have had since arriving in Rio; the menu is amazing – remind me of good restaurants in Melbourne so perhaps that is why I like it
Santa Teresa
I covered this is my previous blog and, generally I do not think you could go to a bad place in Santa Teresa if its atmosphere you are looking for. So far, I would recommend:
Bar do Mineiro (Rua Paschoal Carlos Magno, 99) – the place to go for feijoada but, if for nothing else, just go to try the pastel de feijao!
Armazem Sao Thiago (Rua Aurea, 26) – this is the type of bar that would become really trendy, cool and pretentious in any other city but here anyone can just go and order a drink in a real bohemian style boteca deep within the streets of Santa Teresa
Humaita
Cobal do Humaita (Rua Voluntários da Pátria) – at this open air collect of bars and restaurants you can take your pick really! I prefer the Espirito do Chopp which is more of a bar with a traditional Brazilian menu but there are plenty of other restaurants to choose from. All of them allow you to sit in the open air court yard under the lights and look up at Christ the Redeemer. The Tex Mex option Rota 66 has pretty good food I thought.
Urca
Bar Urca (Rua Cândido Gaffrée, 205) – the ultimate “bar with a view”, the idea is that you purchase your drink and pastels from their little hole in the wall type bar (boteco) and then enjoy the stunning view across the water and of the city from the waters edge. I think you can also sit upstairs and probably have a proper meal but the pastel de carne did me fine! I said I was no connoisseur! My boyfriend’s description: “Its people stood on the street drinking beer with a nice view”
Lapa
My favourite area so far for a night out and,so far my favourite location is:
Boteca da Garrafa (Avenida Mem de Sa, 77) – if you can get a table, stay all night! Like a lot of places in this area, once seated they will bring you drinks and tapas style food into the early morning if you’ll let them. So relaxed and I thought their Capri-vodkas were really good too
Pretty much everywhere
Beach bars – I would love one day to do a pub crawl along all of the beach bars from Leblon to Copacabana. Not sure how far I would actually get but these places are great! The beer is cheap, the fruit is fresh and there is always a real mix of people sitting out the front taking in the sun and watching the crowd go by. I love nothing more than taking on the waves for a couple of hours and then stopping by one of these bars on my way home. I wish I knew what the official name for these places was but here is a picture of what I am talking about below:
Belmote and Devassa – two chains of bars (botecos) in Zona Sul. I really like these bars as a good place for a drink after dinner or to watch sport in the afternoon. They both have English menus and some English speaking wait staff as I think they are quite popular for tourists as well as locals. Belmonte is really good for caiprinhas and capri-vodkas and Devassa brews its own line of beer
Via Sete and Gula Gula – two chains of restaurants in Zone Sul where the quality of food and drink is high. They are relatively expensive but not crazily so given the quality of food and setting. At Gula Gula try the grilled chicken and at Via Sete try the burgers. A little more upmarket than what I would normally be comfortable with but if I am meeting people or have friends or family in town its a nice place to take them. They also have English menus and staff.
So that is it for recommendations part one. My list of places that I am keen to visit is probably about three times as long as what I have just been through here so I am pretty confident I will soon have a part two and three!
Like I said, I am really not that fussy when it comes to food so if that is your thing, I apologise if you do not have quite the experience at these places you were looking for!
But, as far as enjoying a great night out in Rio, I do not think you can wrong with the places above.
Catching up on some older posts now and I wanted to share a place I went to for dinner a few weeks ago.
Cobal do Humaita is a giant outdoor eating area in Humaita with a variety of restaurants to choose from.
I ate at one of the traditional restaurants – meat, beans, chips and rice – but there also seemed to be a Tex Mex, pizza, vegetarian and bakery option. It had a really relaxed feel despite being super busy. Best of all it had a beautiful sight line straight up to the Christ the Redeemer statue all lit up.
I honestly have eaten like a king since arriving in Rio. Mainly due to the absolutely genius concept of weigh and pay buffets. These buffets typically serve a combination of italian, grilled meat, seafood, sushi, pies, baked items, salad, vegetables, curries, stir fries and/or desserts. Oh, and of course beans and rice… everywhere has beans and rice! You can basically fill your plate with whatever takes your fancy, weigh your plate, take down this incredible feast and then pay on your way out.
One of the advantages for a foreigner is that it is a great way to learn your Portuguese foods as most places place labels above the food and you can actually then see what everything is as opposed to ordering from a menu. The quality of food obviously varies depending on the restaurant but more often than not I have found it great and the price doesn’t break the bank.
Each lunch time I find myself drawn to a particular buffet restaurant near my office which has a fresh salad buffet and amazing grilled meats section amongst other things. Typically I will fill my plate with filet mignon cooked to order or freshly grilled salmon or white fish, add beans, rice and salad and pay no more than R$16. I would be lucky to get a pre-packaged sandwich for that price in London. It does mean that I am often too full to eat another big meal when I get home so often will just have a snack or a sandwich. But I am getting used to that and it is certainly a healthier way to eat.
On Friday, I was given my permanent meal voucher/card which will be loaded with credit from last month and then each month in advance from now on.
I remember when negotiating my contract, the meal voucher amount was something that was in there but I didn’t quite understand. Turns out, it is quite the nifty bonus as basically you are able to use the card at a variety of food outlets for lunch and/or dinner each day. It is not a crazy amount of money but it is certainly enough to make a difference.
I asked my boss the origins of the system and how prevalent it was at other companies. Apparently, it originated in the hospitality industry as a means for staff to “purchase” the in-house food they were eating on their dinner breaks. From there, it expanded into other industries as an alternative for a company needing to provide a canteen.
Last night was my first night out in the central area of Rio (e.g. away from Zona Sul). I met a few friends at a bar called Bar Brasil (catchy title) on Avenida Mem de Sa in Lapa.
Being on this street was like being on another planet, it was amazing. The most incredible old buildings with cut-out huge floor to ceiling windows so that the bar and accompanying tables and chairs seem to fill the street. There was samba music coming from every bar and club and people everywhere.
I went straight from work which was clearly an early time to start the evening. It wasn’t until about 10-11pm that everywhere really filled up and the music got going. I guess it then goes on into the morning.
I’d liken it to a Shoreditch in London, Smith Street in Melbourne and Long Street in Cape Town… but like all of those on steroids. I took a handful of photos but none do the street justice. I highly recommend!
Futebol, the beach, meat and Caipirinhas were pretty much the limit of my Brazilian knowledge before moving here and, since arriving, I have had the chance to test each of them out in decent sized doses. However, it has been the Caipirinhas I have sampled the most, and, if there was any doubt of that, it was certainly buried last night as we celebrated St Paddy’s day over one or two or three or quite a lot actually!
Before you think I have Cachaca running through my veins, I should preface this with the fact that I have only actually had a handful of the signature Caipirinha with Cachaca. Cachaca is a strong spirit… incredibly strong… and it tastes and smells very much like Tequilla. I think the general warning is that any more than three authentic Caipirinhas and you can say good bye to your night.
Actually, what I am more of a fan of is the vodka version, or the Caipivodcas. Simply, they are the same as a Caipirinha however the Cachaca is swapped for your choice of vodka. These are lovely and, so long as you wait for some of the ice to melt, are no way as lethal as the Cachaca version.
I sampled some yummy Caipivodca (or Caipiroska) yesterday at Belmonte in Leblon. The first couple of sips were a bit deadly but once that ice melt they were so refreshing and tasty.
Rio... One Last Adventure 