With the Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 events programme taking place in Brazil for the first time at the end of November, four prominent chefs from the wonderful host city of Rio de Janeiro share their favourite culinary recommendations for any time of the day and night
Wherever you look, Rio de Janeiro is a sunny, vibrant and stunning city. Surrounded by ocean and mountains, Brazil's second-largest city is a charming urban retreat and a bucket-list destination for travellers from all over the world. In recent years, its gastronomic fame has also grown, thanks to a new generation of chefs showing that casualness can go hand-in-hand with fresh produce and that even in a city where people spend most of their time wearing flip-flops, restaurants can offer high-end experiences. Rafael Tonon talks to four of the city's most renowned Carioca chefs to discover where they usually go to enjoy the best food experiences in their hometown.
MEET THE CHEFS
Thomas Troisgros
Photo credit: Tomás Rangel
Thomas Troisgros, the fourth generation of the mythical French gastronomic family, is in a new professional phase: the chef has just opened Toto, a restaurant that pays homage to Parisian 1990s bistronomy, and is set to open the fine-dining Oseille in the coming months. With other projects in the city (TT Burger, CT Boucherie and Le Blond), he explores Rio’s restaurants when he is not busy in his own kitchens.
Kátia Barbosa
Chef Kátia Barbosa barely leaves Tijuca, the neighbourhood in the north of the city where she lives and runs her restaurants: the sought-after Aconchego Carioca, Bar Kalango and Vendinha. Although most of the city's venues are in the south, she has shared not-to-miss addresses in this part of the city, which has recently undergone a significant dining renaissance.
Nathalie Passos
Photo credit: Rodrigo Azevedo
At Naturalie Bistro, chef Nathalie Passos serves vegetarian cuisine full of flavour with dishes such as her famous vegan feijoada, made with pumpkin, smoked tofu and bean steak. But the omnivorous chef also likes to explore the city with a focus on restaurants serving fresh, quality products.
Rafa Gomes
After working in fine-dining restaurants in New York, chef Rafa Gomes returned to Rio de Janeiro to open his own restaurant, Tiara, which matches the town's chic ambiance and informal atmosphere in the Leblon neighbourhood. But returning to live in his hometown also allowed him to explore new places to eat in the Cidade Maravilhosa (marvellous city).
FOR BREAKFAST
Empório Jardim
Rua Maria Quitéria, 62, Ipanema; Rua Guilhermina Guinle, 211, Botafogo; and Rua Visconde da Graça, 51, Jardim Botânico
emporiojardimrio.com.br
@emporiojardimrio
Whenever he can, chef Rafa Gomes has breakfast at Empório Jardim, a bakery-and-delicatessen hybrid with three branches in the city. “It’s that kind of complete breakfast, from all kinds of bread to tropical fruit juices, for those days when you don’t need to watch the clock. An array of fresh products of the highest quality – a real delight,” he says.
Dianna Bakery
Rua Dona Denfina, 14, Tijuca
@diannabakery
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Before going to work, chef Kátia Barbosa stops at Dianna Bakery, a small pastry shop and bakery in the Tijuca neighbourhood tucked into a house with a charming outdoor area. “There are a lot of sweet options, but I mainly go for the sandwiches and their fancy version of a croque madame,” she says. “Everything is very well done, with affordable prices, in an enjoyable environment.”
Dainer
Rua Real Grandeza, 193, Botafogo
@dainer.restaurante
One of the most sought-after eateries in the city right now is Dainer, a restaurant with an American diner atmosphere that serves eggs, pancakes, waffles and sandwiches. “It’s one of my favourite places in the city at the moment, I feel like I’m drinking coffee in a scene from Pulp Fiction,” says Nathalie Passos. “They have breakfast all day long and bottomless refills of brewed coffee, which is very interesting and unusual in Rio.”
FOR LUNCH
Pura Brasa
Rua Barão da Torre, 248, Ipanema
@purabrasa.rio
Pura Brasa, in Ipanema, has become a favourite among the locals for post-beach chilling or a casual lunch during the week. It’s a Carioca-style steakhouse serving roasted chicken (galeto), meat and much more. "The meat cuts are premium, and the side dishes are great," says chef Rafa Gomes. Thomas Troisgros is also a regular and recommends the grilled chicken with crispy skin and the chicken heart skewer – a Brazilian favourite – which is “served perfectly”.
Babbo Osteria
Barão da Torre, 632, Ipanema
@babboosteria
Babbo Osteria, a restaurant focusing on pasta by Swiss-born chef Elia Schramm, is a popular choice in the city thanks to its well-executed dishes with an Italian accent. "The pasta is great; the dishes seek the simplicity of Italian cuisine and have a lot of flavour. I always order the beef ragout pappardelle or the rigatoni with sausage", says chef Thomas Troisgros. Nathalie Passos highlights the fact that the restaurant is close to the beach. "You can have lunch in flip-flops with your feet covered in sand next to someone wearing a suit for a business meeting. A 100% Rio experience," she says.
Trégua
Rua das Laranjeiras, 371 C, Laranjeiras
@tregua.cozinha
On the streets of the quiet Laranjeiras neighbourhood is Trégua, one of Kátia Barbosa's favourite restaurants for lunch. Couple Ana Souza and Victor Lima run this casual place with a bistronomy-inflected menu and the best ingredients arriving fresh to their kitchen daily. "They make very technical but unpretentious cuisine: there is detailed attention to the products and a welcoming atmosphere," she says.
FOR DINNER AND COCKTAILS
Lasai
Largo dos Leões 35, Humaitá
lasai.com.br
@restaurantelasai
Lasai, chef Rafa Costa e Silva's award-winning restaurant, is a bucket-list destination for any food lover visiting Rio de Janeiro. The 2.0 version of the venue – now located in a smaller and more intimate building and serving only ten diners per service – still focuses on vegetable-forward dishes, cooked chiefly with ingredients the chef grows on his two nearby farms. “It’s the best tasting menu restaurant in Rio without a shadow of a doubt. There is a lot of cooking technique applied to vegetables at their peak,” says chef Thomas Troisgros.
Katz-sū
Von Martius, 325 - Loja / F/G - Jardim Botânico
@katz_su
Troisgros also recommends the new Katz-sū, an Asian-inspired gastrobar run by New York-born chef Bruno Katz in the verdant Jardim Botânico neighbourhood. It has a Japanese izakaya feel (with perfectly chilled beer, a trademark of Japan’s originals), but the recipes also take inspiration from Thailand and Korea. With whitewashed brick walls and LED lights, the restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere and the menu includes plenty of creative recipes. "I always try to vary and taste new things, but I can't help but order the chicken wings or the pork belly bun," says Troisgros.
Liz Cocktails and Co.
Rua Dias Ferreira, 679A, Leblon
lizcocktails.com
@lizcocktails
If the idea is to "raise the bar", chef Nathalie Passos suggests Liz Cocktails and Co., a charming venue by award-winning bartender Tai Barbin. On the most famous street in the Leblon neighbourhood, this small and hip bar with a casual setting serves simple (but not simplistic) cocktails. "Barbin is very knowledgeable and came up with an unconventional cocktail list, full of influences from all corners of the world, mixing classics with signature creations," she says.
Tin Tin Botequim
Rua Dias Ferreira, 135 (loja A), Leblon
@tintinbotequim
Boteco culture is a thing in Rio: no-frills, anonymous, interchangeable bars usually serving good cheap food and cold beers, more than enough for diners to gather at these Brazilian versions of dive bars. Of course, a boteco also has its place on this list. Tin Tin Botequim, in the bohemian neighbourhood of Leblon, is not to be missed. "Great food, icy beer, relaxed atmosphere and a cocktail menu for all tastes. It's a bar with a truly Carioca soul," says chef Rafa Gomes, who is also one of the restaurant’s partners.
Miss last year's ceremony? Watch the highlights here:
The list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, will be announced on Tuesday 28th November from Rio de Janeiro. To stay up to date with the latest news, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube, and sign up to our newsletter
