On this trip, I noticed that about 25% of the restaurants that I visited will not take Visa credit cards. Some of my comments maybe long-winded but several hombres wanted my opinion on other restaurants in Rio besides the local churrascarias. There is ample information on churrascarias in Rio, so, I won't be discussing Marius, Porcao Rio's, etc....


Esplanada Grill - Steak and Barbecue
Rua Barão da Torre, 600 Ipanema Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22411-003 - 22390569
Open Hours: Midday-4 pm, 7pm-late Mon-Thu; midday-late Fri-Sun
Price: Approximately 75 reals per person (depends on wine selection)

Comments: I had the best steak on this trip at Esplanada Grill. The meal starts off with a great tossed salad. It was by far the best salad I had in Rio. The restaurant has a terrific wine list.

Capricciosa Pizza Cuisine: Pizzeria
Rua Vinícius de Moraes, 134 Ipanema Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22411-010 - 25210627
Open Hours: 6pm-late daily
Price: 50 reals per person

Comments: Pizza in Rio is served and prepared differently when compared to the U.S. The pizza at this restaurant had a thin crust and some tomato sauce. However, the toppings for your pizza are not distributed symetrically. For instance, if you order a bacon and ham pizza, you will have 3-6 long strips of bacon and a couple large pieces of ham on your pizza. Some hombres enjoyed pizza while others did not care for it. However, everyone agreed the lasagna and ravioli dishes were terrific.

Satyricon - Amazing Seafood
Rua Barão da Torre,192 (Ipanema) Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22411-000 - 2521 0627
Open Hours: 6pm-2am Mon; noon-2am Tue-Sat; noon-midnight Sun
Price: 100-150 reals per person (depends on wine)

Comments: This is my favorite restaurant in Rio. They are only two 5 stars restaurant in Rio and this is one of them. Everyone at dinner enjoyed their meal except for one hombre. That particular hombre decided to order steak at the best seafood restaurant in the city (I won't give out his handle). Almost everyone at the dinner table ordered Lobster Thermidor and enjoyed it.

Zazá Bistrô Tropical - Asian/Pacific
Rua Joana Angelica, 40 Ipanema Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22420-030 - 22479102
Open Hours: 7pm-1.30am Mon-Fri; 5pm-2am Sat; 5pm-0.30am Sun
Price: 50 reals per person

Comments: The dishes at this restaurant are unusual for Rio. The restaurant has a mixture of Asian cusine with a Brazilian twist. If you have a sudden urge for very spicy food than I would recommend the Chicken Curry or Samosa's. This is a great "date" restaurant and it is always packed. They do not take reservations after 9:00 PM. The type of music playing were Bossa Nova, Jazz, etc... The atmosphere of Zaza reminds me of some of the restaurants I ate at in New Orleans.

ROTA 66 - Mexican Food
Rua Voluntários da Pátria, 448/Lj. 8 A -Cobal do Humaitá - Botafogo
Tel.: (21) 2286-8487
Price: 30 reals per person

Comments: The fajitas, burritos, and nachos were terrific. The restaurant is inexpensive and it is located within a food court. I had one of my most entertaining meals at this restaurant. The seating for this restaurant was outdoors and we were surround by beautiful non-GP brasileiras. The restaurant was playing a lot of classic Rock N' Roll tunes. We met a couple of Brazilians who also enjoyed classic rock. Then, we all started singing classic tunes loudly. I am certain that everyone was laughing with or at us. This went on for about 2 hours.

Milano DOC - Italian/Seafood restaurant
Rua Gomes Carneiro, 132 - Ipanema
Tel.: (21) 2522-0303
Horário: 2ª a 5ª, das 18h à 1h30, 6ª, sáb e dom., do meio-dia ao último cliente
Cartão de Crédito: Todos
Price: 60 reals per person

Comments: This restaurant rivals Satyricon for seafood at half the cost. It is in my top 5 list of restaurants to eat at in Rio. The lobsters, shrimp, pasta were terrific.

La Trattoria - Italian cuisine
Rua Fernando Mendes, 7-A - Copacabana
Tel: 255 3319
Price: 35 reals per person

Comments: The italian dishes at this restaurant are delicious. The pasta dishes, lasagna, etc... were very tasty. Also, this restaurant is inexpensive.

Amir: Arab or Mediterranean food
Rua Ronald de Carvalho, 55C (1 block from Balcony)
Tel: 2275-5596
Price: 40 reals per person

Comments: This restaurant is extremely busy at night and I highly recommend to go to this restaurant at 8:30 PM or earlier. Some hombres usually have lunch here. We had to wait more than one hour to be seated after 9:00 PM. The hummus, kebabs, pita were delicious. The serving sizes are large.

Pampa Oceano - Seafood
Rua Duvivier, 21, Copacabana
Tel: 2541-4147
Price: $60 reals per person

Comments: This is another seafood restaurant with a churrascaria style. The seafood here is delicious. Grilled lobster tails were very tasty. If you prefer a specific type of seafood, just tell the waiter/host and you will be served that all night. I had my most entertaining dinner at this restaurant. We were having a late meal at Oceano and were the last customers in the restaurant. The restaurant is upscale and has a nice decor. We were discussing Funk music with the matrodi and showing him some songs on a burned CD. The matrodi took our CD and placed it in the CD player at the restaurant. All of the waiters, cooks, were laughing hysterically. We were listening to funk music with the rest of our meal.

(Message edited by howard69stern on September 08, 2004)

Thanks for writing the reviews...that was some good food we had!

Thanks! Great addition for us foodies. I plan to check a few out later this month.

Thanks! It was really great to have sampled some of these excellent restaurants with you. Great times. I'll always remember the singing at Rota 66.

This is good reporting have copied it for reference on my upcoming trip. Thanks

The meal at Satyricon was great. Glad I was one of the lucky ones who had the lobster. The guy who ordered the steak (shall remain nameless) at a seafood restaurant should know better. Oh well, at least he can run fast.....he he!

Amir was great also even if the wait sucked.

CYA soon

These were some of the high end restaurants that I went to during Carnaval.

D'Amici - Italian
Rua Antonio Vieira, 18B Leme
Tel.: (21) 2541-4477
Price: 100+ reals per person (depends on your wine selection)

Comments: This Italian restaurant has one of the larger wine lists that I have seen in Rio. It is always packed and I recommend calling for a reservation after 9:00 PM. The Lamb and Lasagna dishes are excellent.

Carême - French
Rua Visconde de Caravelas, 113 D - Botafogo
Tel.: (21) 2537 - 2274
Price: $150+ reals per person (3 course meal)

Comments: This is a small restaurant in Botafogo with less than a dozen tables. It is a great place to have a romantic dinner. I highly recommend the 10 course tasting menu for appetizers and the lamb dish for your prato principal.

Gero - Italian
Rua Anibal de Mendonça, 157
Tel.: (21) 2239-8158
Price: $250+ reals per person (3 course meal)

Comments: All of the pasta dishes were outstanding. I went to this restaurant with a couple of brazilian friends. I was impressed with the service and the food selection.

Copa Palace - Outdoor restaurant by the swimming pool
Avenida Atlântica 1702
Tel.: ??
Price: $70 reals per person (3 course meal)

Comments: This is a very romantic outdoor restaurant by the Copa palace. I recommend the shrimp appetizer with mango chutney, spaghetti bolognese, and the lamb dishes. There is one particular hombre on this board that always gives me a difficult time when I order the spaghetti bolognese (Hint: he drinks a lot of Miolo). The breakfast served in the morning is outstanding.

I'll add a couple to this:

Azumi - Japanese, great for sushi. As someone who lived in Japan for a couple of years, I find this one the most authentic japanese restaurant in Rio. In Viveiros de Castro, Copacabana. $$$$

Miss Tanaka - Jardim Botanico, nouveau Japanese. I loved the place others have not. Interesting dish is a slightly seared tuna (maguro) powdered with a curry with pomegranate, mango, and soy sauce accents. $$$$. On Pacheco Leao.

Quadrofoglio - Jardim Botanico - Excellent italian (if memory serves me correctly). JJ Seabra.

Bar Luiz - Portuguese cuisine. Well known (legendary) choperia and restaurant in the downtown. Rua da Carioca. $$

Siri - Excellent local seafood place in Vila Isabel. Rua das Artistas. $$

Petisco da Vila - Brazilian. The appetizers, choppe and ambience makes this place. One of the true landmarks of Vila Isabel. All the pagodeiros and sambistas hang out here (samba musicians) I think the street is 28th of September. $$

Opus - Sandwich shop on Goncalves Dias in the centro. Near 4x4. Best sandwiches in Rio (IMHO better than cervantes). Always get sandwiches with the molho. $

Cervantes - Sandwich shop in Copacabana (Barata Ribeiro and Prado Junior. All sandwiches comes with Pineapple!! $

Thanks for all the restaurants. However, I thought Bar Luiz served German food.

LAGuy, You may be right! I get my restaurant mixed up all the time. For portuguese food there is a restaurant a couple of blocks from 4x4. Adega de .... that is excellent.

HowardStern,

Great seeing you during your last trip. Great idea to update some of the restaurants. I'll add a couple of my favorites.

Antiquarius - Leblon. I don't remember the address, but when I think of high end restaurants, this is definitely one of the more exclusive restaurants in Rio. The menu is from a Portuguese chef and virtually everything on the menu is expensive and excellent. Main entrees are between R$50-100.

Gero - Couple things to add is that they have a dress code. No shorts. This restaurant is very popular, so either show up before 8 pm or make reservations.

Wild Kangaroo - They just opened up a new restaurant with an Australian theme in Ipanema. I went there and was very pleasantly surprised by the food. Entrees run between R$20-50, and they were all good quality. I had the fettucine with shrimp and chicken and it was outstanding. The decor is very contemporary and there was a line to get in. There were tons of great looking women in the place too. Upstairs is a nice bar area.

Are Antiquarius and Gero sisters of correspondingly named restaurants in Sao Paulo? Antiquarius and Gero in SP are two of my favorites there.

I had some friends of mine in town and I decided to show them the town by visiting many of the nicer restaurants in town. Here's a rundown of the restaurants.

Terzetto
http://www.terzetto.com.br/

This is my personal favorite restaurant. It is italian food and very well prepared. Located in Ipanema at the square that also houses Shenanigans and Carretão. They have a huge menu and they have an kitchen with glass windows so you can see your meal being prepared. All the dishes have a special taste and the menu is huge so you can keep going back and not eat the same thing. Whatever you like, there is something that you will like at Terzetto. They have an excellent appetizer which is mushrooms with a blue cheese sauce which is particularly memorable. The service is always fantastic, and if you want to substitute or something special, and they will always try and accomodate you.

The Office
http://www.guiadasemana.com.br/detail.asp?/NOITE/RIO_DE_JANEIRO/&a=1&ID=8&cd_place=21678&cd_city=36

I know the owner pretty well and I wanted to pop in to see how things were going on a Sunday. This place is rocking by 7 pm for the 4 pm east coast games. There had to be over a 100 people and there were people leaving because they could not see their game. It was a big night since New England was playing Pittsburgh. If you want sports, this is the place to go. That said, the food and service are not very good. Maybe it was because they were so busy, but I could not even finish my meal, and that was after waiting a long time.

Pecado
http://allaboutrio.com/resto/pecado/index.htm

This place has some of the most innovative dishes in Rio de Janeiro. They have a fish with passion fruit sauce that is different and noteable. Many of their dishes are delicious, although their menu is limited compared to Terzetto. This used to be my favorite restaurant but the service can be very slow and not very accomodating. It's certainly worth a try if you are looking for something different and tasty. Just be prepared to wait a while.


Porção
http://www.porcao.com.br/br/unidades/ipanema/default.asp

I am not even sure why I am writing about this place since everyone has already been there a hundred times. My friends liked it quite a bit since they had never been to a churrascaria. The buffet was also great, but to be honest, it is not even my favorite churrascaria.

Olympe
http://www.artedagastronomia.com.br/cidades/riodejaneiro/restaurantes/olympe/historia.asp

This is generally considered to be the best restaurant in Rio, and not coincidentally it is the most expensive. If you like great food, but are on a budget, this is not the place for you. The food is awesome. Stuff that you have never tasted before. They have a menu item called the chef's suggestion. It is 5-6 plates including desert for R$160. It is well worth the price. Each plate is well prepared and unbelievable.

Carretão
http://www.carretao.com.br/casa.php

This is my favorite churrascaria. They have a larger assortment of meats that they bring to your table. Their buffet is not quite as elaborate as Porção, but it is certainly comparable. But you're there for the meat anyhow, and they have more types of lamb and also wild boar. All worth trying.

Summary

My friends' favorite restaurant by far was Olympe. Next came Terzetto, and then Porção and Carretão. Pecado was next due the poor service, and bringin up the rear was The Office.

(Message edited by bluestraveller on December 04, 2006)

Does Carretao serve lamb and how's parking? Thanks.

There are at least three Carretaos - one in Ipanama (Shenanigans is on the second floor above it), one on Siqueira Campos in the middle of Copa and one on Ronald de Cavalho in Lido. I agree with BT, it's my favorite spot, although the salad/appetizer/side item selection is much smaller than Porcao. However, I think the beef is better and that's the main reason I go to a churrascaria.

Ask for the baby beefs - grilled tri-tip, excellent stuff.

I've been to the one on Siqueira Campos 3-4 times, after all. They don't have lamb (lamb chops and rack of lamb), which is one of the reasons I like Porcao Rio and Porcao Ipanema. Of course, parking is no problem at Porcao Rio.

Soccer,

I only have experience at Carretão Ipanema. Unlike Porção, Carretão is always busy. There are some advantages to this if you don't have to wait for a table:

1. Since they are more busy, it takes them less time to go through a skewer of meat, and the meat tends to be fresher and hotter.

2. Since they are busy, it is much more important to get you done with your meal. Usually, when a guy asks if you want some meat, explain to him the meat that you want and in a few minutes the meat will appear. You get what you want, and you are out of there faster.

Agreed BT. We always ask for a plate of baby beefs and a plate of picanha medium rare, and some roasted mozzeralla. All appear quickly and are excellent.

may i ad oasis,dont know tha name of the street its between rio branco and r.uruguyana. the second mall after cafeteira colombo.good place to start a terma run

BT, good and timely post. The last trips I've ended up eating on the hoof mainly at lanchonetes and galetos barely making it to churrascarias. Your post has given me a couple of ideas for some decent scoff on my NYE trip.

I agree with your assessment re Carretão. I stopped going to Porcao 4 or 5 years ago in favour of Carretão. I usually go to the one on Rua Ronaldo de Carvalho. Main reasons

1) The meat taste better. It's a bit of an intangible factor but it just tasted nicer. Your subsequent post may explain why.
2) Prefer the style of serving at the table rather than the walk to the buffet.
3) It was cheaper and much better value.
4) Prefer the smaller, cosier seating.

I don't believe they serve lamb there but IME the lamb in Brasil isn't particularly good. I can eat superb Irish or Welsh lamb at home so when I'm in Brasil I go for the beef, and chicken hearts of course.

(Message edited by Ardgneas on December 06, 2006)

It's three years later and let's resurrect this thread. There's a new Thai/Vietnamese restaurant in Leblon called Sawasdee Bistro on 571 Dias Ferreira. It's been open for about 9 months and it's always crowded around 10 pm. The appetizers are all pretty good.

Down the street is a little tapas restaurant that has been open for 4 months called Venga. This place is always packed and usually a line to get in. Most of the tapas are very interesting and a lot of fun with a group of people to eat, drink and talk. There's a fun vibe because it is alway so packed. The address is around 113 Dias Ferreira.

BT-

¡Venga! is at R. Dias Ferreiras, 113B. I read a few local reviews that said while the tapas are good, the service is almost always pretty lousy and the prices are ridiculous for what you get. One person I spoke with said he had some sangria and a couple of small plates, paid R$80, and left hungry. What did you think about the value of the place?

I have been there 3 times and I always felt the service was pretty good. The last time, we had to change tables since more people were joining us and they did everything to get us a table quicker.

It is on the pricey side no doubt, but in my view, the goal of a restaurant is to be expensive and have a line out front. That is the way to maximize profits.

When I was in rio back in March I tried Olympe in Jardim Botanico and thought it was really really good -- (pricey but damn good)


http://www.claudetroisgros.com.br/olympe_ing.htm

"It is on the pricey side no doubt, but in my view, the goal of a restaurant is to be expensive and have a line out front. That is the way to maximize profits."

Agreed...but I'm not a restaurant. I'm a diner, so my goals are different--getting very good food while not overpaying. The lines may indicate they're not overpaying, but new restaurants featuring something new and different in Ipanema/Leblon always seem to do well initially. Tapas places are not common in Rio, so we'll have to see if the popularity lasts.