Rio de Janeiro has a great many restuarants, from the classy, expensive establishments where you can expect perfect service, exquisite cuisine and wines to the tiny neighborhood places where the menu is smaller, as are the prices. The cuisine ranges from typically Brazilian, with its focus on seafood, vegetables and produce to the international, churrascaria steakhouses and Asian/Pacific. The restaurants listed here are highly recommended, popular and reservations are always a good idea.
For meat lovers, this churrascaria overlooking Leme Beach offers more than 30 different grilled meat dishes. There is also a superb salad bar with colorful, tasty vegetable combinations as well as a great selection of fish. Right next door is Marius Crustáceos, a seafood palace. Always crowded, reservations are a good idea.
Choose from many different cuts of beef, pork, mutton and chicken served on spits directly at your table at this Ipanema barbecue restaurant popular with celebrities. Seafood and salads are also offered.
3. Satyricon - Seafood
Ipanema restaurant famous for its superb seafood grilled and served with memorable sauces. Beware of the couvert—excellent, but almost a meal by itself. The wine list is good, the tiramisu is one of the best around, and on Saturdays there is a seafood buffet. The restaurant is large, pleasant and always full, and is one of the preferred places of artists, businessmen and politicians. Valet parking is provided.
4. Madame Butterfly - Asian/Pacific
Madame Butterfly is a must for Japanese food lovers, and was elected best in its category by gourmet specialists. The food here is superb, and the highlights are the fish with shimeji mushrooms in ginger and sake sauce, the many different types of sushi and rolls with unusual shapesPresidents, writers, actors, poets have dined here since 1874. The decor and menu are simple and traditional, with steaks and seafood most popular.
Part of the Copacabana Palace Hotel, the restaurant has a high ceiling, crystal chandeliers and candlelight that provides a romantic touch with cosmopolitan dining.
7. Zazá Bistrô Tropical - Tropical Asian/Pacific
A block from Ipanema beach, the bistro mixes Thai, tropics and international cuisine for a mysterious, romantic effect.8. Quadrifoglio - Italian
With an excellent menu and wine list, this small restaurant in the Jardim Botânico district is a great choice for a romantic evening.9. Siri Mole e Companhia - Seafood
Serving classic Brazilian cuisine to a mostly young adult crowd, and very popular with celebrities, this restaurant in Copacabana has a happy, party atmosphere.10. Garcia e Rodrigues
In Leblon, with an everchanging menu, this combination delicatessen, wine cellar, cookbook kitchen wares shop, the cuisine is a mix of American, European and Japanese styles, perfect for a brunch, lunch or dinner.
