My Top Restaurant Picks in Rio de Janeiro
I started my summer off with a two-week trip to Rio de Janeiro to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday. Rio has been one of the places that has been on my bucket list for a very long time, and I can definitely say that I will be returning. Everything about Brazil is so beautiful—the culture, the food, the people. It's definitely a trip I won't forget.
My boyfriend is very good at picking out the best restaurants, so in Brazil, we ate at the best of the best places. I wanted to share some of my favorite places that I ate at in Brazil. Many of them, I went back to more than once.
Breakfast:
Gringo Café
Something I did miss while in Brazil is a classic American breakfast. We found Gringo Café, which is located in Ipanema. They had some of the best American breakfast I have ever eaten. I would even say it's better than most of the American breakfast that I get in the United States. They had great coffee, pancakes, eggs, biscuits, bacon—you name it, they had the best and freshest food. Not only was their food good, but their staff was amazing and everyone was so welcoming.
BIBI Café
Another great breakfast spot was BIBI. They had traditional Brazilian açaí, which was so good. They also had more of a healthy breakfast option. I got the fruit bowl and an iced coffee, which was amazing. I loved this place for when I wanted a break from a heavy breakfast.
Lunch & Dinner
We predominantly ate at a lot of Asian restaurants while in Brazil. They were definitely the most highly rated cuisine there.
Kinjo
One night when we were super hungry, we ended up eating at Kinjo, which was an all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant. Everything there was so delicious. I will say that the portion sizes are super small, but it's all you can eat, so I just ordered more.
Boteco Boa Praça
One of our favorite spots was Boteco Boba Barca. Everything on the menu was so good. Their steak was amazing. They had a delicious broccoli rice, and their chicken and beef pastels were delicious. This was definitely a place that had a true authentic Brazilian menu. The only downside I would say was that you did have to pay a fee which was a little bit pricey, in my opinion.
Gurumé
Another one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. The restaurant was super cute inside. They had a really unique sushi menu. I tried a traditional Brazilian fish—I can't remember the name of it, but it was so good. I also tried a lot of salmon rolls which I usually wouldn't try back in the States, just because I don't trust our sushi as much.
Xian Rio
My all-time favorite restaurant. It was Asian cuisine. We probably went there three or four times—the food was that good. They had amazing and fresh sushi. Their portion sizes were amazing. The staff was so kind, and honestly, I would fly back there just to eat there. One of my favorite appetizers I got were oxtail dumplings. Everything about them was perfect. I also loved this restaurant because it had an amazing view and a rooftop.
My Honorable Mentions:
Terra Brazilis: Brazilian
Boteco Belmonte: Brazilian
Balcão: Middle Eastern Street Food
This is my extensive Brazil food guide. I did post my favorite restaurants I ate at in Brazil on TikTok, and a lot of people were upset that I didn't post a lot of Brazilian cuisine, but the restaurants that I ate at were the most highly rated in that area. As for certain traditional Brazilian food spots, I don't know where locals traditionally go, but I'm definitely planning to explore more authentic cuisine on my next visit!
