Rio Culinary Adventure

Description:

Author: Lucy

Day 1 - Rio de Janeiro

Finding good value hotels in Rio can be hard work, especially if you want to make your base close to one of the fabulous Rio beaches. If you’re looking for a great location and can compromise a little on luxury, Arpoador Inn is one of very few beachside hotels that won’t break the bank. In a great location at Arpoador, the stretch of beach between Copacabana and Ipanema, Arpoador sits right by the sands on a pedestrianised road. Rooms with a beach view are pricier, but all rooms at this Rio hotel are good value. Handily for foodies, the hotel also has a very good seafood restaurant, Azul Marinho, with tables and chairs right on the beachfront. Once you’ve settled into the hotel, take a stroll up the beach to the well-heeled neighbourhood of Ipanema, and relax with a chilled coconut water at one of the numerous beach kiosks. Feeling peckish? Head a few blocks back to Rua Barao de Torre, where you’ll find New Natural, a snack bar and pay-by-weight restaurant offering excellent food made from fresh, natural ingredients. My advice is to grab one of their ‘pasteis’ (stuffed pastries) which have to be among the best in the city. Try the option with palmito (palm heart) and catupiry, a Brazilian soft, creamy cheese. From here, grab a bus to Centro and head for the bonde (tram station), where you can pick up the rattling tram that will take you up the hillside to Santa Teresa. This pretty, bohemian neighbourhood is full of great places to eat and drink, so grab a Bohemia beer (one of the best of the bottled beers) at one of the many bars before heading to Espirito Santa for some excellent dishes that make use of exotic ingredients, principally from the Amazon. It’s Friday night, so after dinner take a cab or bus down to the party neighbourhood of Lapa, grab a tasty fruit cocktail from one of the many street vendors, and then head to samba spot Carioca da Gema to dance the the night away (or just watch the locals shaking their funky stuff).


1

Arpoador Inn

Location:

view in google maps
Rua Francisco Otaviano 177
Ipanema
22080-040 Rio de Janeiro, BR

Phone:

+55 21 2523 0060


2

New Natural

Location:

view in google maps
Rua Barao de Torre 171, Ipanema
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Phone:

55 21 2287 0301


4

Bonde de Santa Teresa

Location:

view in google maps
Rua Professor Lélio Gama, 65
Centro
20031-080 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Phone:

+55 21 222 1003 / +55 21 242 2354


5

Santa Teresa

Location:

view in google maps
Ladeira de Santa Teresa
20241-140 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


6

Lapa Street Party

Location:

view in google maps
Rua da Lapa
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


7

Espirito Santa

Location:

view in google maps
Rua Almirante Alexandrino, 264
Santa Teresa
20241-260 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Phone:

55 21 2508 7095


8

Carioca da Gema

Location:

view in google maps
Avenida Mem de Sa 79, Centro
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Phone:

55 21 2221 0043

Day 2 - Rio de Janeiro

After breakfast with a beach view at the hotel, head down to Copacabana and hop on the Metro at Cantagalo station, jumping off at Cinelandia. Take a stroll round the busy square and browse the nearby shops (note that many close in the early afternoon on Saturdays). Once you’ve worked up an appetite, head for Confeitaria Colombo – Rio’s oldest coffee shop – for afternoon tea or just a coffee and a cake. Take the Metro back to Cantagalo, catch some afternoon sun on the beach at Copacabana, before heading back to the hotel to change for dinner. You’ll need to have reservations to eat at Le Pre-Catalan, but hotel staff should be happy to call up for you. Here you’ll find possibly the best French cuisine in the city. Prices aren’t cheap, and you’ll need to leave the shorts and flip flops at home, but the quality, service, and view over Copacabana beach make a meal here well worth the money and the effort. After dinner, take a cab or Metro to Copacabana and sample the great cocktail menu at Drinkeria Maldita, before heading to funky Bar Bukowski if you fancy a spot of dancing and mingling.


1

Confeitaria Colombo

Location:

view in google maps
Rua Gonçalves Dias, 32
Centro
20071-000 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Phone:

55 21 22322300


2

Le Pré-Catelan

Location:

view in google maps
Av. Atlântica, 4240
Sofitel Rio Palace
22079-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Phone:

55 21 25251232


3

Drinkeria Maldita

Location:

view in google maps
10 Rua Voluntários da Pátria
22270-010 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Phone:

55 21 2527 2456


4

Bar Bukowski

Location:

view in google maps
270 Rua Álvaro Ramos
22280-110 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Phone:

55 21 2244 7303

Day 3 - Rio de Janeiro

Nurse that Sunday morning hangover with breakfast at the hotel followed by a coconut water by the beach (coconut water really does work miracles for hangovers in Rio!) before checking out the handicrafts, clothes and assorted knick-knacks on offer at the famous Ipanema Feira Hype (Hippie Fair). If you’ve been smart enough to make reservations, take a cab or bus to the intimate Careme Bistro for a delicious lunch, before a spot of sunbathing in the afternoon. No trip to Brazil is complete without sampling the famous churrasco (grilled meat), and Porcao is the perfect place to do so. This upmarket chain restaurant serves excellent salads, pastas, seafood and sushi alongside as much meat as you can handle – waiters bring round different sizzling cuts to your table until you say ‘no more!’. You’ll be given a card with red for ‘no’ and green for ‘go’ sides – feel free to turn over onto the red side for a breather and then flip back onto green when you can handle more! After all that eating, you’ll probably not be up to much more than a deep sleep, so head back to the hotel to rest up after your culinary odyssey!


1

Ipanema Hippie Fair

Location:

view in google maps
Praca General Osorio, Ipanema,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


2

Carême

Location:

view in google maps
Rua Visconde de Caravelas, 113
Botafogo
22271-030 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Phone:

55 21 25372374


3

Porcão

Location:

view in google maps
Rua Barão da Torre, 218
22411-000 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Phone:

55 21 3389 8989

Contact   ·   Privacy   ·   Terms