Karma-friendly Pizza Party
Pizza lovers and vegetarians, get ready to loosen your belts by quite a few notches. In the auspicious surrounds of Rio’s one and only Hare Krishna Temple, a ‘Pizza Festival’ is taking place on Saturday, October 18th. For R$25, hungry diners can wolf down as many slices as they like, and as there’s absolutely no meat or animal rennet on the menu, the only thing veggies need feel guilty about is the amount of calories involved!
This is the second ‘Hare-Pizza’ festival this year, and I can guarantee that these crisp-based, generously-topped pizzas will tempt even the most dedicated of carnivores. Among my favourites are the Parmesiana – heavily-laden with mozzeralla, tomato and aubergine; and Expect to find your your slices heavily-laden with toppings such as mozzerella, tomato sauce and aubergine; and the Palmito – with mozzeralla and delicious hearts of palm.
Those with a sweet tooth won’t be disappointed either – Brazilians are big fans of ‘dessert’ pizzas, and here you’ll have a chance to try a pizza topped with chocolate and/or banana.
The pizzas here are served ‘rodizio’-style; the waiters bring slices to your table and diners are free to accept or decline each slice. There’s no time limit, so feel free to dawdle a while and allow each slice to settle before moving on to the next. Don’t worry, if you decline a tasty-looking slice, the waiters will reappear with the same pizza later on!
With children up to 10-years-old paying half price, the pizza festival is a good bet for a family meal, and the temple itself is an interesting spot to browse around once you’ve finished eating. One word of warning, however, as the restaurant is located out of doors, rain could stop play. If the weather’s looking unfavourable, call ahead to check whether all is going ahead as planned – the number is 8777-4145, and hotel or hostel workers are usually happy to help if your Portuguese isn’t up to making the call.
Stomach rumbling? You’ll find the ‘Festival da Pizzas’ at
Centro de Cultura Védica e Bakti Yoga , Estrada da Barra da Tijuca 1990, Itanhangá, opposite the Itanhangá Golf Club.