Rio de Janeiro is one of the most enticing destinations in South America; it’s also the city that has stolen my heart many times. But with its beautiful beaches, friendly people and surprising restaurants, I’m sure it would steal your heart too.
Rio obviously never gets particularly cold, but it’s probably best to go there between November and March. When I first went to Rio three decades ago, the place had a lot of economic problems, like inflation and currency devaluation, that also fomented chaos on the streets. Everyone warned us to be careful while walking outside; we took the advice to heart and generally steered clear of the streets. Years later, I decided to go to Rio with my daughter as we were planning to go; however, I learned that one of my university friends had since moved there, settling down after marrying a Brazilian woman. Now the owner of a tourism agency, he related his lovely story of how he ended up in Brazil. My friend told his family that he wanted to go on holiday to South America after graduation. His family gave his assent and off he went. But when the time came to return, he found he just couldn’t. “A couple of weeks aren’t enough for Brazil, and besides, this place is really cheap,” he said to himself. “I could stay here another month with the money you gave me.” My friend duly asked for a bit more time from his family. But when the time came to leave again, he again found that he just couldn’t bring himself to return. This time, he decided to stay for good. He eventually got married and established his own business. He also explained the “danger” of staying too long: “If you stay here for a week, you end up deciding to come here again. If you stay here for two weeks, you’ll come here every year. And if you stay here for three weeks, you never go back again.” Truer words have never been spoken! It was wonderful to go back to Rio after 20 years.
Everything has changed: You can safely walk in the streets, and the people are cheerful and more prosperous. At the hotel, they told us to avoid walking in the street with our mobile phones in our hands, but I couldn’t see anyone on the street without a phone in their hand. Despite the long flight, Rio de Janeiro has enchanted me once again, meaning I’m sure to return once again. Ultimately, we headed to Rio in February, which allowed us to enjoy the 35-degree weather, the sea and, of course, some delicious meals.
Thanks to our summer holiday, we managed to arrive back in the Northern Hemisphere fresh for spring! One of the most beautiful things of Rio is, of course, the food and the restaurants. So allow me to run the rule over 10 restaurants and two hotels in Rio – organized, as always, alphabetically. And if you happen to visit them yourself, don’t hesitate to drop a line.
CIPRIANI
Rio boasts two luxury hotels, one of which is the Copacabana Palace, which is located in a historical building across from the famous beach of the same name. The hotel’s restaurant, meanwhile, is the Cipriani, which is like a lot of Ciprianis around the world. The restaurant, which can sit between 80 and 100, serves Italian cuisine that uses local fresh vegetables and fish. People generally want to have meat when they go to Brazil, but eating vegetables, fish, or pasta is another good option. But while the fare is good, Cipriani’s wine selection is fairly limited.
Still, if you’re staying at the Copacabana, I highly recommend you give the Cipriani a try. But even if you’re not staying at the hotel, this is still a great chance to dine at a beautiful restaurant.
ESPLANADA GRILL
Esplanada Grill is surrounded by a number of fancy boutiques, offering you a chance to people-watch as the more elegant of Rio’s women stop by for a break after a bout of shopping. Intent on not gaining weight, most of these women opt merely for some salad and water, but there’s no stopping the assorted businessmen at the grill from digging into meat and fresh fish. Esplanada also has great garnitures and pasta.
Because of the Brazilian population’s multicultural roots, it’s possible to find European traces in the country’s cuisine. One thing that was really surprising to me, however, was Brazilians’ ability to endlessly pack away so much meat and fish. In truth, you hardly enjoy the taste of food after you get full, yet they’re used to – and, indeed, enjoy – consuming vast quantities of meat and fish at a late hour. If you want to go to all the restaurants I’ve listed here, you’d need to stay in Rio for at least a week. If you have far less time, at least make your way to Satyricon, Esplanada and Rio de Canerio.
FASANO
The Fasano is the best hotel in Ipanema. The place also has a lovely fish restaurant serving small-portioned dishes and pasta for lunch and dinner. Fasano has a separate bar, which helps give it a bit of the atmosphere of a nightclub. Now, they might be used to big portions of meat in South America, but as tourists, it’s probably best to skip such a huge smorgasbord. If you have a big lunch, it’s probably better to go light on dinner or vice versa (especially as they have their evening meals at 11 p.m., a time when I’m usually getting ready to sleep). Accordingly, lunches are a far more suitable alternative, starting at 2 p.m. and continuing until 5. You can get your daily amount of calories between these hours, allowing you to skip a big dinner in favor of a light bite instead.
MARIUS
Marius is a famous restaurant in Rio that, like Fogo de Chão, also uses the green/red-card system. Instead of meat, however,they will keep serving you a vast array of fish and seafood until you flip your card to the red side. Marius has a wide- ranging dessert menu as well. The price for a meat-based meal at Marius is about 200 TL, while it’s about 300 TL for a fish meal, although wine is not included, so the cost may be a bit higher depending on the quality of the wine you choose
SATYRICON
The fish restaurant Satyricon is my favorite restaurant in Rio. The restaurant’s system took me back to my childhood and Urcan Restaurant in Sarıyer, where you would choose a fresh fish for your meal before enjoying a green salad as you waited for your meal. When a group of four of us went to Satyricon, we chose a big fish that was big enough for six people, along with a crayfish for each of us. Before the fish came, we enjoyed a salad, as well as a few starters. Then came the special part: the fish served as a whole. We topped everything off with a dessert. But perhaps the best part about Satyricon is its broad wine menu; as for us, we chose a good Chilean wine, even ordering a second bottle.
RIO DE CENARIO
Rio de Cenario is actually a dance studio, meaning music and dance provide an accompanying soundtrack at this restaurant, which is located inside a century-old, high-ceilinged building. An orchestra featuring a group of eight to ten, including two women soloists, takes the stage between 9 and 11 p.m. You can spend the night dancing in a wonderful historical building; we, for one, had hours of enjoyment in the company of French champagne.
SUDBRACK
Sudbrack is a boutique fusion restaurant that was established by Roberta Sudbrack, a person who evidently enjoys cooking. Sudbrack has worked in top restaurants overseas; upon her return to Brazil, she applied the techniques she learned to Brazilian cuisine. The restaurant seats 40 people on two stories, while there are 10 staff, most of whom are women, who work in the kitchen on the top floor. Sudbrack brings six or seven different portions from its gastronomical menu. While there, my daughter and I went for fish. If they ever get around to awarding a Michelin star to a Brazilian restaurant, Sudbrack will be the first to get it. The prices might be a bit on the high side, but the wine selection is remarkable. Note, however, that the place isn’t really suited for lunch as it’s usually quite empty at that time.