Espirito Santa
Ok, let's cut to the chase first - Espirito Santa isn't cheap. On a recent visit here, a two course meal with wine clocked up at an eye-watering R$150. Ouch. However, if you feel like splashing out for a special occasion, this Santa Teresa restaurant is well worth the high price tag. The service is excellent, the ambience relaxed and the team of chefs make good use of fresh ingredients. Head here on a warm evening and take a seat at one of the tables on the outdoor terrace, the views of Santa Teresa's mansion houses provide the perfect backdrop to a delicious meal. Served here is pan-Brazilian food with an emphasis on the Amazon - ingredients such as palm hearts and Amazonian 'power berry' acai feature strongly on the menu. Refreshingly, there are plenty of options for vegetarians too - such as pumpkin puree covered with mixed vegetables and topped with grilled cheese. We started with the mixed 'couvert' (hors douvres) - an interesing array of light bites that included sliced fresh palm heart, cubed queijo coalho (a semi-hard Brazilian cheese), acai chutney, mango pickle, and spinach pesto.
The fish and meat dishes here are reputedly very good, but my dining partner and I both chose vegetarian options - the afore-mentioned pureed pumpkin dish, and a hearty bowlful of shredded palm heart covered in a cheese sauce. Both were beautifully presented, and tasted as good as they looked.
The wine list is decent but not outstanding - we chose a bottle of very good Brazilian wine, which was perhaps a little overpriced at R$40.
Espirito Santa is located at Rua Almirante Alexandrino 264, Santa Teresa. Reservations aren't strictly required but are a good idea on weekend evenings. Don't head here on Tuesdays - you'll find the place closed.
To reserve online, visit the website at www.espiritosanta.com.br
Porcão Rio's - the ultimate Brazilian barbeque
For carnivores visiting Rio, a trip to one of the city’s many excellent ‘churrascarias’ – barbeque restaurants – is an absolute must. For the ultimate decadant experience you’ll want to visit a restaurant where the meat is served ‘rodizio’ style – waiters bring cut after dripping cut to your table, until you finally buckle.
Obviously, the quality of the meat varies considerably from place to place, and you can expect to pay a premium for superior cuts. Widely regarded as offering the best churrascaria experience in the city, Porcão is a Carioca chain that has proved so succesful that it has now opened up a branch in the United States, as well as several affiliates across Brazil.
Here you pay a set price of around R$65 (prices vary slightly according to location), for an all-you-can-eat feast of salads, pastas, sushis, cheeses, breads…not to mention the legendary barbequed meat. The name means 'big pig', but don't let that put you off. You can dismiss any ideas you may have of the ‘all you can eat’ experience as being a low-class affair, Porcão is a top-of-the-range restaurant, where the clientele is smartly dressed, service is excellent, and the food quality is impeccable. Don’t be tempted to fill up too early – the very best cuts are brought round later in the evening. To preserve your appetite, you should feel free to make use of the double-sided card given to you on arrival. Red for ‘stop’ on one side, green for ‘keep feeding me!’, the card can be flipped over throughout the night as your appetite dictates.
The branch in Ipanema is the most popular with tourists due to its handy location, but it’s well worth taking a taxi or Metro out to Flamengo, where the dining experience is enhanced by a spectacular view of Guanabara Bay and Sugar Loaf mountain.
As though to emphasise the idea that this is the ultimate Carioca churrascaria, this branch alone is named Porcão Rio’s (the others are simply named Porcão) and the price here is a few reais higher than the other Rio branches.
Be aware that drinks and desserts are extra – although, it must be said, if you still have room for dessert after all that meat then you must have some kind of superhuman appetite!
Porcao Rio’s is located at Avenida Infante Dom Henrique< aterro do Flamengo. You can call the restaurant on (21) 3389 8989, or visit the website at www.porcao.com.br
New Natural
Although vegetarians in Rio can have a pretty tough time of it, if you know where to look there are actually quite a few spots to enjoy a tasty meat-free meal.One such place is New Natural, in Ipanema. Situated right next door to 'Hostel Alley' - the strip of backpacker havens on Rua Barao da Torre, this restaurant and snack bar is open for lunch, breakfast and dinner.
Although it's not exclusively vegetarian - you'll find some chicken and fish dishes too - there are plenty of soya dishes, vegetable soups, salads, quiches and numerous other treats for food-deprived veggies.
The main restaurant serves food 'por kilo' - you load your plate up with any items you fancy, the plate is weighed, and you pay accordingly. Tip - por kilo places in Ipanema, New Natural included, are pretty pricey. If you're watching the pennies, head here for a light lunch rather than huge meal or you could end up blowing your budget!
Food from the main restaurant can be eaten in or taken away, and there's also a stand up snack bar and health-food store attached. Here you can pick up absolutely delicious wholemeal pasteis (pastries), oven-baked and filled with a choice of delicious, wholesome ingredients. My favourite is the palmito (palm-heart) with catupiry cheese - personally I think this has to be the best pastel in the whole of Rio.
Bar do Mineiro vs Bar do Gomez
I'm probably running the risk of a public flogging by saying this, but I think Bar do Mineiro, Santa Teresa's most celebrated bar, is vastly overrated.It's very much an institution up here in arty, bohemian Santa (as the locals like to call the place), and attracts vast hordes of the neighbourhood's most fashionable every night of the week.
The trouble is, as a foreigner it's a little difficult to see the appeal. The white tiled walls and black and white photographs of Brazilian musicians are pleasant enough, but the harsh lighting does little to encourage a relaxed drinking atmosphere. Drinks are somewhat overpriced, as is the food, which is not a patch on the much-cheaper meals served down the road at Bar do Arnaudo. Service is functional but nothing more.
In addition, the chairs are uncomfortable and there's little leg room under the tables - if more than a couple of people are sitting there you'll spend the whole evening apologising for kicking your friends' legs.
To my mind, there are far superior drinking spots in Santa Teresa, the most obvious being Bar do Gomez. Here, drinks are cheaper, the atmosphere is relaxed, service is friendly and the place is packed with all kinds of eccentric characters (half of whom are working behind the bar). The food's good here too, and there's a covered space outside for drinking your beers on the street when things get crowded indoors. However, Rio locals tend to define themselves by where they socialise - whether it's a particular spot ('Posto') on Ipanema beach, or a particular bar in Santa Teresa. It seems that, by affiliating themselves with Bar do Mineiro, locals like to think they are making the statement that they are fashionable, arty, and politically conscious. Personally, I'd rather drink in comfort among the assorted eccentrics in Bar do Gomez, who care very little about what social labels are attached to them.
Miam Miam, Botafogo
Botafogo, an unassuming Zona Sul suburb, is increasingly developing a reputation as one of Rio's best neighbourhoods for interesting nightlife and dining options. Clubs such as Casa da Matriz and Bukowski are attracting hordes of fashionable 20 and 30-somethings, and restaurants such as the excellent Miam Miam are providing a refreshing alternative to the starched collars and extortionate prices of areas such as Ipanema, Leblon and Jardim Botanico.
Housed in a cute little white colonial building on Rua General Goés (about 10 minutes' walk from Botafogo metro station), Miam Miam is easy to miss - the name is simply etched in tiny letters on the front window. The French/Brazilian owners describe the restaurant's cuisine as 'comfort food', and you can expect hearty portions of indulgent dishes such as an amazing risotto of wild mushroom, with wild rice. There's an interesting take on the Bahian dish Moqueca (seafood stew) as well - here it almost resembles a curry.
As Miam Miam is only small, you'd be advised to make recommendations even on weeknights (it's open from 19.30-00.30 Tue-Fri, and until 01.30 on Saturdays). There are a couple of tables and chairs outside for al-fresco dining, but you'll want to take a peek inside too - the entire place has been kitted out with original pieces from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Even the toilets are a masterclass in kitsch design! The background music is a break from the norm, too. The owners asked several local DJs to compile CDs featuring the music they listen to at home, and the result is a mixed bag of jazz, bossa nova, tropicalia and samba.
In a city where many of the restaurants suffer from an overly formal atmosphere, it is refreshing to be greeted here by waitstaff with untucked shirts, jeans and piercings. Unsurprisingly, there's no dress code here for diners either, and 'relaxed chic' is the general look among the clientele.
Despite the casual attire, this is no student hangout - the restuarant is popular with food lovers of all ages. Prices are on the high side for Botafogo - around R$30 for a main, and R$5 for a small beer - but modest in comparison to what you'd pay for food of a similar quality in Leblon.