Whether you're looking for fine dining or a relaxed bite by the beach, the restaurants of Rio de Janeiro's Zona Sul are sure to whet your appetite.
The beautiful Zona Sul (South Zone) of the city is home to the bulk of Rio tourist attractions, and Zona Sul restaurants cater to both tourists and the wealthy locals who live here.
Leblon, Ipanema and Jardim Botanico all offer clusters of excellent restaurants, while Botafogo has some interesting smaller spots.
Zona Sul restaurants offer the very best in international cuisine, with Olympe and Le Pre-Catalan offering fine French food, while Madame Butterfly serves some of the best Japanese food in Rio.
While travelers with a healthy travel budget can dine like kings at Rio de Janeiro Zona Sul restaurants, there are plenty of options for those of us who have to be a little more restrained on the spending front.
Bistro 66 offers quality French food at a very fair price; Miam Miam in Botafogo has wonderfully kooky decor, good comfort food and an excellent cocktail list; Carretao offers an affordable meat feast; while Vegetariano Social Clube is an inexpensive and very tasty option for vegetarians and vegans.
Choosing just 10 top Zona Sul, Rio de Janeiro restaurants is no easy task, but we've managed to compile a list with something to appeal to all tastes and budgets.
Rua Custódio Serrão, 62
Jardim Botânico
Top-notch French food...
Av. Atlântica, 4240
Sofitel Rio Palace
Rio's finest French food?...
Avenida Alexandrino Ferreira 66
Jardim Botânico
Gourmet dining, affordable pricing...
Rua Barão da Torre, 218
All the meat you can eat...
Rua Cde Bernadotte, 26
Lifeline for Vegetarians...
Rua Joana Angélica, 40
Ipanema
Tasty Thai bistro near the beach...
Rua Barão da Torre, 472
Ipanema
Superior Japanese food in Ipanema...
Rua General Goes Monteiro 34
Botafogo
Style and substance...
Avenida Vieira Souto, 110
Ipanema
Bar and barbeque right by the beach...