KEY2

Best restaurants in Rio de Janeiro

Counters, dining rooms and neighbourhood favourites, chosen for the way they actually eat — not for how loudly they market.

Aprazivel
KEY2 Pick

Brazilian • $$$

Aprazivel

A treehouse-like Santa Teresa restaurant with jungle-facing terraces and a menu built on regional Brazilian classics.

Best for: Date Night

Lasai
KEY2 Pick

Contemporary Brazilian • $$$$

Lasai

A Michelin-starred Botafogo townhouse growing much of its own produce for a short, seasonal tasting menu.

Best for: Special Occasion

Oro
KEY2 Pick

Contemporary Brazilian • $$$$

Oro

Felipe Bronze's tasting-menu flagship in Ipanema, reworking Brazilian ingredients into technical fine dining.

Best for: Special Occasion

Academia da Cachaca

Brazilian • $$

Academia da Cachaca

A Leblon institution pairing Brazilian small plates with one of the city's biggest cachaça lists.

Best for: Group Dinner

Bar do Mineiro

Botequim • $

Bar do Mineiro

A Santa Teresa neighbourhood institution for feijoada and cold chopp beer, packed with locals on weekends.

Best for: Casual Dinner

Cipriani

Italian • $$$$

Cipriani

The Copacabana Palace's beachfront Italian dining room, a longstanding lunch spot for the see-and-be-seen crowd.

Best for: Special Occasion

Confeitaria Colombo

Historic Cafe • $$

Confeitaria Colombo

A Belle Epoque tearoom in the city centre, unchanged since 1894, famous for its jointed pastel de nata and mirrored dining room.

Best for: Sightseeing Lunch

Ferro e Farinha

Pizzeria • $$

Ferro e Farinha

A tiny, wood-fired Santa Teresa pizzeria with no reservations and a queue that starts before it opens.

Best for: Casual Dinner

Garota de Ipanema

Botequim • $$

Garota de Ipanema

The bar that inspired "The Girl from Ipanema," still serving cold beer and grilled classics a block from the beach.

Best for: Casual Dinner

Zaza Bistro Tropical

Fusion • $$$

Zaza Bistro Tropical

An eclectic, colourfully decorated Ipanema house mixing Asian and Brazilian flavours on a candlelit back patio.

Best for: Date Night

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