27 Best Shopping in Ipanema and Leblon, Rio de Janeiro

The interior of this intimate chocolate shop is almost as exquisite as their hand-crafted chocolate bars. Produced by the Aquims, one of Rio's leading gourmet families, whose mission is to show the world what chocolate can really taste like when cultivated with care and free from over-production and too much sugar. In addition to chocolate bars, there are delectable brownies and gifts wrapped in evocative jungle packaging.

Ask the staff for tasters before you buy.

A good place to find high-quality modern and contemporary paintings and sculptures, this gallery, which ships items abroad for customers, also sells photographs that can be made to size.

Upmarket swimwear store Lenny sells sophisticated, exquisitely cut pieces in a range of sizes, and lots of fashionable beach accessories. Prices are high, but the bikinis are particularly creative.

Tiny Toca do Vinicius bills itself as a "cultural space and bossa nova salon," and indeed the shop feels like more than just a place of business. Bossa nova aficionados from around the world gather here, and if you're one of them, there's a good chance you'll leave with the email address of at least one new pal. You'll also find sheet music, T-shirts, CDs, and books on music, including a few in English. One Sunday a month the shop hosts an intimate bossa nova concert.

The charming liquor store Garrafeira sells a wide range of cachaça, including excellent versions from Minas Gerais State.

You can buy close to 100 brands of cachaça here. The bar serves amazing caipirinhas and other cachaça-based drinks.

For fashion-forward designs, visit Alessa. Pay special attention to Alessa's fabulously fun underwear, which makes for great presents.

One of Rio's top names in jewelry, this is the perfect place to pick up an elegant gift. The on-site gemstone museum is open weekdays between 10 and 6 and Saturday between 9 and 2 for free guided tours that can be booked online.

A favorite among local fashionistas, Animale carries casual wear and formal wear that's both sophisticated and sexy. If you want to make an impression in Rio's social scene, head here for slinky dresses, chic cover-ups, and showstopping shoes and accessories.

Its large selection of books in English has made this bookstore popular with expats and vacationers. There's also a CD section. The cozy Café Severino, in the back, has coffee, pastries, salads, crepes, and sandwiches.

The "Coffee Store" chain has several branches in Rio, including ones in Ipanema and Leblon where you can enjoy a cappuccino or espresso and a pastry at the café before browsing the coffees and coffee-making devices for sale.

Alcindo Silva Filho, better known as Cidinho, opened Bumbum in 1979 after deciding to create the smallest (and by some accounts, the sexiest) bikinis in town. Bumbum remains a solid beachwear brand, and today sells slightly more modest styles as well as the trademark teeny bikinis.

Fun colors and bold patterns make Farm popular with cariocas. It's a great place to find feminine dresses and cute tops that epitomise Rio's fun-loving beach style.

The drugstore Farma Life has a wide selection of beauty products.

The colorful handicrafts street fair takes place on Sunday between 9 am and 7 pm. Shop for high-quality jewelry, hand-painted dresses, paintings, wood carvings, leather bags and sandals, rag dolls, knickknacks, furniture, and samba percussion instruments, among many other items. It's fun to browse here even if you're not looking to buy anything.

The store's namesake designer, who has five shops in Rio, creates great gold and silver jewelry and works with semiprecious stones. Check out the wonderful bangles featuring the famous Copacabana or Ipanema sidewalk pattern.

Come here for killer bikinis as well as T-shirts, tanks, colorful beach bags, and beachwear for kids.

The shops of one of Brazil's most gifted and acclaimed designers sell his colorful Rio-inspired bags and accessories at affordable prices. There are two additional locations in Copacabana.

The award-winning designers at H.Stern create distinctive contemporary pieces—the inventory runs to about 300,000 items. The shops downstairs sell more affordable pieces and folkloric items. Around the corner at the company's world headquarters, you can see exhibits of rare stones and watch craftspeople transform rough stones into sparkling jewels.

The Ipanema Havaianas store carries the fun and funky flip-flops in all colors, styles, and sizes, for men, women, and kids. The range is staggering, from classic Brazil-flag designs to limited-edition gem-encrusted versions. The prices start at R$28 and creep over R$100. Alongside the legendary flops, the store also sells canvas deck shoes and sturdier sandals, as well as opinion-dividing "flip flop socks." Don't miss their brightly colored plastic wallets—a clever solution to protect your loose change and phone from sand at the beach. Other locations around town include one in Centro.

A classic Brazilian clothing store selling tasteful, well-made pieces, Richards was originally just for men but now also carries women's clothing and children's wear. It's the place to go for good-quality linen clothing.

Visit Sobral for chunky, colorful resin jewelry, accessories, and decorative items, including its signature multicolored replicas of the Christ statue. Reclaimed materials are used to make the store's funky goods, and its owners invest in social projects such as jewelry-making classes for young people in disadvantaged communities.

You'll find a large selection of reasonably priced shoes, bags, and accessories at Via Mia.

Branches of this upscale supermarket can be found throughout Rio's South Zone, and they're good places to pick up deli goods, coffee, chocolate, and fresh fruit and vegetables. The promotional prices displayed usually apply only to those holding Zona Sul loyalty cards.