Best Restaurants in Rio
Written and reviewed by Lotte — Rio local, founder & editor of PlanRio · How we research · First published · Last reviewed
A citywide shortlist by neighbourhood and dining style, with the local context to choose a place that fits your day.
Quick answer — where should I eat in Rio?
Start with the neighbourhood you will already be in. Ipanema and Copacabana combine beachfront plans with formal and casual dining; Botafogo and Humaitá offer botecos, bakeries and destination meals; Santa Teresa is a hillside evening out. For a two-Michelin-star meal, book Oro in Leblon or Lasai in Botafogo (moving to Ipanema in December 2026); for one star, Oseille is in Ipanema and Oteque in Humaitá. Check each venue's current menu, address and booking details.
Rio's restaurant scene is spread across a large coastal city, so the best choice is often the one that fits your route. A meal in Copacabana is not a quick detour from Santa Teresa, and a restaurant described as “Botafogo” may actually be in neighbouring Humaitá. Use the neighbourhood headings below to group dinner with the rest of your day.
Look beyond formal restaurants too: a boteco is a bar serving snacks and everyday dishes, a padaria is a neighbourhood bakery, and a quilo restaurant lets you build a plate from a self-service buffet. These formats give a useful cross-section of local eating without needing to book every meal.
Eating in Rio at a glance
| Brazilian dishes | Feijoada · churrasco · moqueca · pão de queijo |
| Casual formats | Botecos · padarias · self-service and per-kilo restaurants |
| Tasting menus | Two stars: Oro · Lasai. One star: Oseille · Oteque · Mee · San Omakase |
| Plan around | The exact neighbourhood, current menu and reservation terms |
| Check the bill | Ask what a listed service charge includes |
Brazilian dishes to look for
Feijoada
Black beans cooked with pork and sausages, often served with rice, farofa, orange and greens. Restaurants differ on their service days, so check the menu.
Churrasco
Brazilian barbecue ranges from rodízio service with rotating cuts to à-la-carte grills where you choose a portion and sides.
Açaí na tigela
Açaí served as a bowl or smoothie, often with fruit and crunchy toppings. Ask about sweeteners and toppings if you are avoiding particular ingredients.
Moqueca
A Brazilian seafood stew with regional variations; Bahian versions commonly use dendê palm oil and coconut milk.
Pastel
A thin, fried pastry found at street markets and snack counters. Feira fillings and preparation are worth asking about if you have dietary needs.
Pão de queijo
A chewy cheese bread made with cassava starch. It contains dairy and may be prepared in a kitchen with other allergens.
Ipanema
Area guideCombine beach access with a dense mix of Brazilian, Japanese and European menus. Oseille is listed with one Michelin star in the 2026 guide.
Oseille
French-Brazilian tasting menuA seasonal tasting-menu restaurant and one-star Michelin pick for a planned special-occasion dinner.
Gurumê
Contemporary JapaneseA broad Japanese menu with sushi and cooked dishes at its Ipanema branch.
Casa da Feijoada
Brazilian · feijoadaA dedicated option for Rio's black-bean-and-pork stew, served beyond the Saturday-only convention.
Gero
ItalianA polished sit-down meal at Hotel Fasano on Avenida Vieira Souto.
Copacabana
Area guideThe beachfront hotel district mixes formal hotel dining, churrascarias and casual sandwich counters. Check the exact block and current service before setting out.
Mee
Pan-Asian · one Michelin starInside Copacabana Palace, Mee offers a pan-Asian menu and is included in Michelin's current one-star selection.
Churrascaria Palace
Brazilian · rodízioA long-running Copacabana churrascaria, established in 1951.
Marius Degustare
Meat and seafoodA theatrical, destination-style meal on Avenida Atlântica; check the current menu and total before booking.
Cervantes
Sandwiches and casual diningA long-standing sandwich stop known for savoury fillings paired with fruit.
Leblon
Area guideLeblon's restaurants range from Japanese omakase to long-running neighbourhood dining, and since Oro's move to Avenida General San Martin it is also home to one of Rio's two two-star restaurants.
Oro
Contemporary Brazilian · two Michelin starsChef Felipe Bronze's restaurant, now at Avenida General San Martin 889 in Leblon (it was previously in Jardim Botânico), holds two Michelin stars in the 2026 guide. Book well ahead for the tasting menu.
San Omakase
Japanese · one Michelin starAn intimate omakase counter; check the current seating and menu details when reserving.
Sushi Leblon
JapaneseA long-running Japanese restaurant on Rua Dias Ferreira, with sushi and cooked options.
CT Boucherie
Grilled cuts and sidesChoose a cut; the rotating sides arrive in a rodízio-style sequence. It is not an unlimited skewer churrascaria.
Botafogo and nearby Humaitá
Area guidePlan by street: some destinations commonly grouped with Botafogo are actually in neighbouring Humaitá. Check the full address when choosing a route.
Lasai
Contemporary Brazilian · two Michelin starsRafa Costa e Silva's tasting-menu restaurant holds two Michelin stars in the 2026 guide. It is due to move to the Sofitel in Ipanema in December 2026, so check the address on your booking confirmation.
Oteque
Contemporary tasting menu · one Michelin starA seasonal seafood-led tasting menu at Rua Conde de Irajá in Humaitá, beside the Botafogo dining area.
Adega da Velha
Northeastern Brazilian botecoA Botafogo bar known for dishes such as baião de dois, carne seca and queijo coalho.
Miam Miam
Contemporary comfort foodA sit-down restaurant in a Botafogo house, useful for a relaxed meal.
Meza Bar
Small plates and cocktailsA drinks-and-sharing-plates option in neighbouring Humaitá.
Santa Teresa
Area guideHillside restaurants and botecos make this a worthwhile meal destination, but add travel time and check your return route before dinner.
Explore our focused Santa Teresa restaurant guide for more venue detail and practical planning advice.
Aprazível
BrazilianA garden restaurant known for its hillside setting and Brazilian cooking.
Bar do Mineiro
Food from Minas GeraisA casual Santa Teresa institution for Mineiro dishes and boteco staples.
Build a Rio food day around variety
Our own perfect Rio food day looks like this: a pão na chapa and a pingado (milky coffee) standing at a padaria counter, a coconut on the beach, a per-kilo lunch near wherever we are sightseeing, a pastel and a chopp at a boteco around 18:00, and only then a proper dinner, late, the way Cariocas eat. On Saturday we swap lunch for feijoada. We save a tasting menu for one night of the trip and spend the rest of the food budget on botecos, which is where Rio really eats.
Build a Rio food day around variety rather than a string of reservations. A bakery breakfast can be light and flexible, while a per-kilo lunch lets you choose your own mix from the buffet. A beach snack has a different purpose from a sit-down meal, so do not count it as a full lunch unless that works for your appetite. For dinner, choose either a planned tasting menu or a casual boteco rather than putting two long meals on one schedule. The neighbourhood sections above help you move from broad dish ideas to a specific area.
If you reserve a tasting menu, ask how the service is structured and how much time to leave for dinner. Tell the restaurant about dietary needs before the booking is final, especially when the menu follows a fixed sequence. A group that wants to share dishes should check whether the menu is designed for the table or ordered by individual plates. Feijoada service days vary by restaurant, so confirm the current menu instead of planning around a citywide rule. For moqueca or seafood, ask about ingredients and portion format if anyone in the group has allergies.
Cluster meals with the places you are already visiting so the restaurant becomes part of the day rather than a separate transfer. Keep one flexible option in mind in case a reservation time or current service changes. A neighbourhood guide can help explain the area, while the restaurant's own channel is the final check for menu and booking details. When several people have different budgets, agree on meal format before choosing a specific venue. Use this citywide page as a starting map, then follow the cuisine and area links for the kind of meal you actually want.
Michelin recognition changes by edition. For the current selection, check the Michelin Guide's Rio listings.
Plan a food experience in Rio
Guided Rio food tour
Compare this guided food experience with a self-guided meal; review the route, language and meeting point before booking.
Brazilian cooking class
A hands-on way to explore Brazilian cooking. Check the current menu, venue, language and available dates.
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Frequently asked questions
Are restaurants expensive in Rio?
There is no useful single average: a counter-service lunch, a churrascaria and a tasting menu have different formats, and menus change. Compare current menus for the areas and meal styles you are considering, and check whether drinks or service charges are included.
What are per-kilo restaurants?
A per-kilo (or self-service) restaurant lets you choose food from a buffet and pay according to the weight of your plate. The selection and billing rules vary, so ask how it works before serving yourself.
Do I need to tip in Rio restaurants?
Check the bill for any service charge and ask staff if you are unsure what it covers. Whether to add anything beyond a listed charge depends on the restaurant and your experience.
When should I book a table?
For tasting menus, hotel restaurants, larger groups or a specific weekend date, check the restaurant's own reservation channel. Walk-in service and wait times vary by venue and day.
Where should I eat if I have dietary restrictions?
Use the restaurant's current menu as a starting point and contact the venue directly about ingredients and cross-contact. A dish description alone may not answer an allergy question.
Keep planning
Keep planning
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