Eating out in Rio - Moqueca Caixaba

Moqueca caixaba – spicy seafood stew…

Eating out in Rio is fun at the best of times, from snacking at the botequims on the street corners to fine dining at the likes of Espirito Santo, there’s something to tickle your tastebuds wherever you look. We do have to admit, however, that once you move beyond streetside snacks or the vast buffets of the por quilo restaurants (per kilo places where you pay by the weight of your plate…) eating out in Rio (or anywhere in Brazil, for that matter) isn’t always the cheapest activity.

So that means that the annual Rio Restaurant Week is always an event to be eagerly awaited. Basically you get a selection of Rio’s top restaurants (ok, and a few average ones as well) offering special set menus at fixed prices for the duration of the festival. Lunches are priced at R$39.90 (that’s around £10.50) and Dinners at R$49.90 (about £13) – that’s very good indeed for a three-course meal at these establishments, and pretty good full-stop for eating out in Rio. OK, so you’re not going to get a full a la carte menu at these prices, but so long as you’re not a picky eater you’re pretty much guaranteed some great food at prices that aren’t to be sniffed at…

For example, just look at this menu from La Cigale: starter of either beetroot carpaccio with a coriander vinaigrette, or crab with a lemon and pepper jus; main course of either beer-basted flank steak with a cheese risotto or a spicy seafood stew with cashew rice; then desert of coconut candies with sugared orange peel to seal the deal… That kind of meal would usually set you back easily twice that at a place like La Cigale, so if you’re eating out in Rio this week you can consider yourself a happy camper!

The full list of restaurants is as follows:

Zona Sul (Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon)
00
Arab
Armazém Devassa
Barracuda
Barzin
Brigite´s
Café do Alto
Casa da Suiça
D.R.I
Don Camillo
Escobar
Charleston Bubble
Espírito Santa
Gabiano Al Mare
Garden
Gueisha Hi-tech
Grand Cru
Gutessen
Ix Bristro
Ki
La Cigale
La Forneria
La Finestra
Manekineko Humaitá
Manekineko Ipanema
Manekineko Leblon
Margutta
Felice
Nan Thai
Nik Sushi
Nomangue
O Árabe da Gávea
Opium
Prado
Quadrifoglio
Real Astoria
Restô
Restaurante Q
Marinado
Mekong
Uno
Risata
Salitre
SkyLab
Sobrenatural
Terzetto Café
Prima Bruschetteria
Santa Satisfação
Yalla Bistrô
Zozô
Fennel
Mira!

 

Centro

Bistrô Ouvidor
Brasserie Ameno
Cais do Oriente
Cristóvão Bistrô
Filet e Folhas Up
Kimochii Sushi Lounge
Manekineko
Mangue Seco
Rancho Inn
Rio Scenarium
Santo Scenarium

 

Barra da Tijuca

Enotria por Joaquim Koeter
Sawasdee Bistrô
Hollandaise
Johnnie Pepper
Le Vin
Manekineko
Mensateria
Padano
Pe´ahi
Piccola Itália
Quadrifoglio Caffè – Barra
Salitre
Tizziano
Uva & Vinho
Zuka

You can find more details at www.restaurantweek.com.br (though sadly not in English) or you can just ask us, of course! If there’s one thing we’re always happy to talk about, it’s restaurants… You have until the 30th of March to enjoy eating out in Rio at bargain prices, so please do get ready, on your marks… and Bom Proveito!

 

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