32 Best Restaurants in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A lantern-lit tropical garden filled with exotic plants, monkeys, and birds is the spectacular setting for this family restaurant serving pan-Brazilian dishes and an exciting selection of Brazilian wines. The owner and chef, Ana Castilha, hails from Minas Gerais but received her formal training at New York City's French Culinary Institute. Call ahead to reserve, as weekends are reliably packed.

The post-beach hangout of choice for neighborhood locals since 1956, Jobi serves good coffee, super-chilled draft beer, and lip-smackingly delicious seafood. The restaurant is so small and unassuming, it's only after you step inside and see the many awards hanging on the walls that you realize just how special Jobi is.

Claude Troisgros, of the celebrated Michelin-starred Troisgros family of France, runs something of an empire of upscale restaurants in Rio, and this is his original and most celebrated venture. Troisgros creates the menu together with his equally talented son Thomas, applying nouvelle-cooking techniques to meals with all-Brazilian ingredients; three course or five- or seven-course tasting menus with and without wine pairings are available.

A tank of snapping lobsters and a fish counter where you can pick your catch-of-the-day ensures you'll get some of the best seafood in town. And white tablecloths, off-the-boat-fresh fish, and excellent service ensure the quality of the experience is worth the price tag.

The best spot for city-center people-watching, this vast pavement boteco overlooking the Biblioteco Nacional and the Theatro Municipal has been a Carioca institution since it opened in 1921. Waitstaffers in bright yellow waistcoats and bow ties flit among the bustling tables delivering reasonably priced Brazilian dishes and ice-cold draft beer to a local after-work crowd. Don't confuse Amerelinho with the adjoining bar, Vermelhino—both have yellow roof canopies and yellow plastic chairs, but Amerelinho serves superior food.

A neighborhood favorite for more than three decades, this informal tavern in the heart of Santa Teresa serves Northeastern cuisine in more than ample portions. Expect a meat-focused menu with various fried side dishes and an informal atmosphere, with friendly, laid-back service attracting a predominantly Brazilian clientele.

While you can dine indoors in this relaxed spot, make like the locals and enjoy a snack alfresco, propped against the harbor wall across the street: the sea wall doubles as a makeshift table, and waiters run to and fro delivering orders of ice-cold beer and deep-fried salgadinhos (seafood snacks). You'll have a stunning backdrop to your light meal—the panorama takes in bobbing boats, framed by a clear view of Christ the Redeemer.

A nice place to stop after a long day at Barra Beach, this popular steak house serves more than 30 cuts of top-quality meat. Choose from the menu or go whole hog with the impressive all-you-can-eat rodizio buffet, which includes seafood, sushi, and colorful, fresh salads in addition to the succulent grilled cuts; there is a vegetarian option.

Rio fairly bursts with pizza places, but this upmarket chain's Ipanema branch emerges at the top of the list. Wood-fired, thin-crust pizzas are made with imported Italian flour, and the toppings—from wild mushrooms and handmade buffalo mozzarella to wafer-thin Parma ham and fresh tuna—are of the highest quality; there are branches in Jardim Botânico, Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, and the beach resort of Búzios.

Restaurants traditionally serve feijoada, Brazil's savory national dish, on Saturday, but here the huge pots of the substantial stew simmer every day; it's a great option for groups or when you are particularly hungry. The menu also features options such as baked chicken, shrimp in coconut milk, grilled trout, and filet mignon, and the caipirinhas are made not only with lime but also with tangerine, passion fruit, pineapple, strawberry, or kiwi.

The city's most celebrated chef—Claude Troisgros—has changed the face of the all-you-can-eat churrascaria with this chic bistro. Unlike at traditional rodizios, where waiters deliver cut after cut of meat, here they dash from table to table with steaming plates of roasted palm hearts, stuffed tomatoes, creamy mashed potatoes, and other meat-free sides to accompany meaty mains like the substantial prime rib or the more accessibly priced house burger.

A world away from the touristy restaurants that line Copacabana's beachfront, this refined Italian restaurant is easily overlooked but well worth seeking out. The menu celebrates Italy's diverse regional cuisines, including wonderful homemade pastas, quality meats, and delicious desserts. The knowledgeable staff can advise you about appropriate wine pairings—helpful, as the list is extensive.

This up-market churrascaria is famed for the quality of its grilled meats, which are served in a sleek wooden dining room on a quiet tree-lined street in Ipanema. All the grilled dishes come with fried palm hearts, seasoned rice, and a choice of fried, baked, or sautéed potatoes.

Owned by the Italian Fasano chain, this award-strewn and beautifully appointed restaurant is frequently cited as the best Italian in Rio, although quality like this comes at a cost. The high-ceilinged, wooden-floor building exhibits the clean, contemporary design that is the Fasano hallmark and the menu contains wonderful pastas and risottos, as well as excellent fish and meat dishes; a second Rio branch operates in Barra da Tijuca.

A block from Ipanema Beach, Margutta has a reputation for outstanding Mediterranean-style seafood, such as shrimp panfried in olive oil, white wine, and garlic; and lobster baked with butter and saffron rice. There's a handful of vegetarian options including mixed-vegetable risotto with truffle oil.

Blink and you could miss this hip Botafogo eatery housed in a tiny white colonial building and furnished entirely with pieces from the 1950s to the 1970s. The French–Brazilian owners have created a relaxed, casual dining space where they prepare hearty portions of tasty comfort food and award-winning cocktails that draw a bohemian crowd.

While rising star Felipe Bronze has long been known for his avant-garde Brazilian tasting menus, his approach has found a welcomed simplicity since he moved fine-dining restaurant Oro from its Jardim Botanico location to Leblon in 2016. The menu, which changes every 45 days at this light-filled open-floor-plan restaurant, features a series of small, elaborately prepared dishes, including a tiny burger made of duck confit and foie-gras powder and served with guava "ketchup."

Traditional Spanish seafood casseroles are a strong suit at this small restaurant on a shady street, which has been attracting locals for more than 70 years; the waiters, clad in white suits, add to the nostalgic 70's atmosphere. A line snakes around the block at peak hours, but it's worth the wait to find a table: the food, served in generous portions big enough to share, is terrific.

Bringing the concept of Italian stuzzichini (tapas-style small plates of food for sharing), Stuzzi has evolved into a star of Leblon's Rua Dias Ferreira foodie strip. It's the perfect late-night spot for a light dinner or snacks while sipping from the array of expertly shaken cocktails.