The 14 best restaurants in Rio de Janeiro

The influential Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking is hosting its 2024 event in Rio – indicative of the city’s importance in regional dining. While São Paulo, Lima and Buenos Aires have become powerful gastronomic powerhouses, Rio has a more cosmopolitan crowd of international visitors as well as a large group of wealthy residents. A key difference here is that setting – beach, terrace, cool neighbourhood – and vibe are as important to cariocas as fancy “cuisine”.

Brazilians – especially in the south – have traditionally been serious carnivores. Churrascarias (grill restaurants) are found everywhere as are (largely average) pizzerias. The simple but heavy beauty of a Friday feijoada (pork and black bean stew, with trimmings) is worth trying – just make sure you breakfast light on that day. The extensive coastline makes fresh seafood and sushi widely available. A new generation of chefs like Rafa Costa e Silva (Lasai) and Alberto Landgraf (Oteque) are rediscovering Brazil’s indigenous ingredients and conjuring creative modern dishes, while others, such as Nathalie Passos (Naturalie Bistrô), are doing wonders with vegetarian cuisine. 

• Centro/Norte
• Zona Sur: Beaches
• Zona Sur: Bay
• Jardim Botânico & Gávea

Aprazivel sits high up on the Santa Teresa hillside, and spreads out across a wonderfully rustic terrace that offers romantic nooks for couples and a crowd-pleasing setting for larger groups to dine in. On a balmy evening, request one of the tables outside or call ahead and hope that the group table, set in what can best be described as a tree house, is available. Order carefully, for while the lamb shank is excellent, the chicken galinhada (a stew with rice) is less enticing, but there are several good fish options – not least the seasonal moqueca (fish stew) and ‘carnival’ octopus with potatoes, olives, and aubergine – that rarely disappoint.

Contact: aprazivel.com.br
Reservations: Recommended
Price: £££
Best table: The ‘tree house’

The Hotel Santa Teresa’s exclusive hillside restaurant, Térèze, is comfortably the neighbourhood’s most upmarket dining experience. This being Rio, that doesn’t mean it isn’t also elegantly casual, the interior resplendent in burnt cement floors and reclaimed wood galore. Arrive at sunset for a drink on the terrace with a palm tree-framed view out towards Guanabara Bay, the heaving city below seemingly a million miles away. Portions are small, but that, along with a sturdy wallet, merely allows for more courses to be devoured. French dishes get a modern Brazilian twist, beautiful desserts dazzle the senses, and service is first class.

Contact: santateresahotelrio.com
Reservations: Recommended
Price: £££

Local celebrity chef Claude Troisgros caused quite a stir when he expanded onto Leblon’s famous gastro-strip Rua Dias Ferreira. Flipping the established Brazilian norm of all-you-can-eat meat houses on its head, CT Boucherie – under its attractive red and white awning – serves up a rodizio (an all-you-can-eat selection) of vegetables to accompany the 12 options of à la carte steaks. Stuffed tomatoes, cauliflower cheese and creamy potatoes are among the items on the ever-changing list of sides; if money is no object, the Kobe-style wagyu beef is a worthy treat. The juicy pork picanha also goes beautifully with the chimichurri sauce.

Contact: ctboucherie.com.br
Reservations: Recommended
Price: £££
Best table: Grab one of only a handful of outdoor tables 

The most stylish contemporary Japanese restaurant in town; the sharply-attired line patiently awaiting a table outside Sushi Leblon most nights of the week says it all. The quality of the service may never hit the heights of the food, so it is best to just sink back and let the experience wash over you. Start with a bowl of edamame and an ice-cold Bohemia beer to accompany a lengthy study of the extensive (English and Portuguese) menu. The simple salmon sashimi is out of this world, but more exotic combinations include sea urchin, snook and eel.

Contact: sushileblon.com
Reservations: Walk-ins only
Price: £££
Best table: Sit at the sushi bar for a closer slice of the action 

One of the original Rio juice bars. Lithe, bronzed figures have been propping up the counter at BIBI slurping açaí by the half-litre, surfboards leaning against the wall, for two decades. There have been a few makeovers in that time, but a constant at its heart remains a huge menu of fresh juice combos and inexpensive grilled sandwiches and burgers. For an instant tonic, order the vitamin C-packed acerola, caju and honey or refreshing orange and basil, while the Ovomaltine chocolate milkshake is a must-try. Açaí is served in thick, icy folds that climb up over the cup’s brim. BIBI Sucos opened in 1993 in Leblon; there are now 14 branches across the city.

Contact: bibisucos.com.br
Reservations: Walk-ins only
Price: £

There are several Balada Mix outlets across town, but the terrace of Ipanema’s refurbished villa is the only one worth hitting for a sun-filled, alfresco lunch. One block from the beach and one block from some of the most expensive shops in the city, it is invariably filled with Rio’s fit, perma-tanned tribe. Which accounts for the number of salads on the menu and an excellent shiitake and quinoa burger, but not for the fact that the rack of barbecue ribs falls over the sides of the plate and the steaks are huge. The weekend breakfast buffet is a must.

Contact: baladamixrestaurante.com.br
Reservations: Recommended
Price: ££

Lasai is the work of a daring Brazilian-American couple with enough confidence to offer only one sitting per table per night. The beautiful colonial property was gutted and renovated to produce an airy setting in which to get acquainted with a sensational 13-course tasting menu. Start upstairs in the rooftop bar and let the staff create a cocktail to suit your tastes before deciding which of the two menus you are prepared to tackle. Fresh ingredients and a dash of culinary magic from chef Rafa elevate simple dishes such as red snapper with beetroot to the heavens.

Contact: lasai.com.br
Reservations: Recommended
Price: £££

This Michelin two-starred temple of gastronomy has high ceilings and an industrial feel, with bare brick walls and large round tables – an assertive not very Rio style to remind cariocas they should expect something different here. Chef Alberto Landgraf offers an eight-course tasting menu that varies according to the seasons with some dishes substituted daily. Recent highlights have included oyster, brazil nut milk and green apple, baroa (a local root) with raw mushroom, and roast onion, sea urchin and mussel cream. Dishes look beautiful and minimalist and are designed to accent single flavours. 

Contact: oteque.com
Reservations: Recommended
Price: £££
Best table: The six-seat chef’s table – at which everyone faces forward – has great views of the open kitchen.

Trained at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York, the young (but experienced) chef Nathalie Passos has raised the bar in Rio – and perhaps Brazil  when it comes to meat-free dining. Her à la carte menu changes according to the availability of local organic products but a few favourites are almost always listed: the banana moqueca, vegan feijoada and carrot cake with cocoa sauce are classics. Located in a lovely Botafogo house this is a sublime little lunch-stop.

Contact: 0055 21 2227 1021
Opening times: Mon-Sat 11.30am-4pm
Reservations: recommended
Price: £

Who would have thought that in the land of pão na chapa – small baguettes toasted and slathered in salty butter – a bakery could open on a Botafogo side street and cause a complete baking revolution in the process? The Slow Bakery has blown up into a veritable bun fight for the goodies that emerge from the oven at 9am and 2pm. Their sourdough is the king, the first of its kind to be sold in Rio and taken away in droves, but it’s also turned into delicious sandwiches served up in the laid-back café, along with excellent coffee.

Contact: theslowbakery.com.br
Price: £

After one visit, the mere memory of Plage Café’s incredible setting is enough to get the mind racing with plans of when to go back. Brunch or drinks? Healthy salad or indulgent cakes? Really, the details are irrelevant, because once you settle into the grandeur of Parque Lage’s stylish little indie eatery all bets are off. Perched on the rainforest edge with Corcovado thrusting upwards behind it, tables surround the open-air, Italian-inspired central pool in this superb café-meets-bistro-meets-bar. You can’t go wrong with the huge “deluxe brunch” – omelettes with salad, pastries, fresh orange juice, coffee, cold cuts, fruit salad, and french bread – or almighty burgers.

Contact: plagecafe.com.br
Reservations: Recommended
Price: £

Rio’s love affair with pizza shows no sign of abating, so it is unfortunate that there are only a handful of Italian restaurants up to the task of delivering something worthy of the adoration. At cosy, contemporary Ella, such is the confidence in their doughy discs that you get a pot of crusts and the house tomato sauce as an opener (best taken alongside a rich and creamy burrata). The pizza menu is refreshingly compact, too, keeping to the classics with the odd twist; the “Cello” deploys tangy scamorza cheese and caramelised onion, and the “Embutido” couples artisanal sausage and fennel pickles with aplomb. Throw in an inventive cocktail menu and Ella has rightly become one of the hottest tables in town.

Contact: ellapizzaria.com.br
Reservations: Not necessary
Price: ££

South America’s premier cattle-rustlers Rubaiyat opened their first restaurant outside of São Paulo in 2014, and what a place they’ve chosen to make their Rio name. It’s inside the grounds of the ever-atmospheric Jockey Club, with tables spreading out on a terrace overlooking the race track. The beef hails from the Rubaiyat farm in Mato Grosso, and despite a bounteous Oyster Bar, it can be hard to look beyond the spectacularly juicy Queen Beef steak. Plus, with over 800 wines on offer, the perfect liquid accompaniment is never too far away.

Contact: rubaiyat.com.br
Reservations: Recommended
Price: £££

Emporio Jardim has found its way into the hearts of Rio’s brunch lovers with the simple charm of a welcoming indoor/outdoor space, great service and a superb array of breads, such as the grain-laden Pão do Jardim and sourdough baguette. Moroccan-style eggs are perfectly poached in a rich tomato sauce, and the traditional tapioca comes filled with salmon and cream cheese – both are great accompanied with a detox juice or Sweet Mary, the house take on the classic cocktail. Emporio Jardim reinvents itself after dark with a drinks menu that includes bellinis, Aperol Spritz and a refreshing gin, green tea and tonic combination.

Contact: emporiojardimrio.com.br
Reservations: Recommended
Price: ££

Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller’s taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.