267 Best Restaurants in Brazil

You may be surprised at the quality and authenticity of the Northern Italian cuisine at this small restaurant in Porto Alegre. Among many excellent choices are garganelli (a variety of pasta from Emilia-Romagna) with salmon in wine sauce and fettuccine nere (fettuccine with a black tinge of squid ink) with caviar sauce. A house novelty is the Italian-gaúcho risotto, made with sun-dried meat, tomatoes, and squash. The decor is sober, with candlelit tables and cream drapes covering most of the walls.

A lantern-lit tropical garden filled with exotic plants, monkeys, and birds is the spectacular setting for this family restaurant serving pan-Brazilian dishes and an exciting selection of Brazilian wines. The owner and chef, Ana Castilha, hails from Minas Gerais but received her formal training at New York City's French Culinary Institute. Call ahead to reserve, as weekends are reliably packed.

One of the specialties at this charming German restaurant and choperia in the heart of town is sauerkraut garni (sour cabbage with German sausages). The typical dish serves two and is almost as popular as Baden-Baden's cold draft beer from the attached brewery.

Run by the brothers Felipe and Thiago Schaedler, this restaurant specializes in top-notch regional Amazon cuisine. Fresh fish from the Amazon rivers reigns supreme here—you can't go wrong with the grilled tambaqui fish ribs served with tucupi farofa (palm heart fruit manioc flour). For dessert, try the banana cake drizzled with molasses. Popular with locals, the place fills up on weekends. Check the restaurant's website before going for English descriptions of their main dishes, as no menus in English are available in the restaurant, and most staff speak only Portuguese.

This restaurant's name comes from one of the most traditional Italian neighborhoods in São Paulo, and no one argues that Bráz doesn't have the right. Each of the nearly 20 varieties of pies is delicious, from the traditional margherita to the house specialty, pizza Bráz, with tomato sauce, zucchini, and mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Located by João Zelante Square in what was once a department store, Café Boteco incorporates elements of the traditional Brazilian boteco (dive bar) in some of its recipes and decor, but the comparisons end there: smartly dressed, friendly waiters serve excellent picanha (rump steak) and costelinha com polenta (pork ribs with polenta chips), as well as salad and pasta dishes with a local twist. The owners also run a small shop next door selling souvenirs, fine wines, and cold cuts.

A Parisian-like café and restaurant in an 18th-century building, this beautiful establishment serves delicious sandwiches, soups, and pastries, as well as full entrées. It's especially appealing on a rainy day to sip a cup of coffee or a glass of wine here to the accompaniment of a good novel. The happy hour bar downstairs, Escadabaixo, is the town's most popular hangout for wealthier ouropretanos and tourists. Escadacima is a small shop within the restaurant with a good selection of local and imported wine and beer.

A large and welcoming restaurant above a jewelry store, Casa do Ouvidor has won numerous awards for regional dishes such as tutu, feijão tropeiro, and frango com quiabo. The portions are generous. Since the restaurant's opening in 1972, it has hosted former President of France François Mitterand, actor Richard Dreyfuss, author John Updike, and many other luminaries. Try to sit by the windows, which look out on the street below and save room for the homemade sweets.

Get your fill of the Pantanal's fish varieties at this restaurant run on a fixed-price rodizío system. Couples may want to try the caldo de piranhã (piranha stew)—it is reputed to have aphrodisiac properties.

On the second floor of the Marina Ponta da Areia complex, this restaurant has a grand view of the Lagoa da Conceição, with surrounding green hills as the backdrop. The fare, carefully created by chef Fedoca, a diver himself, includes a wide variety of seafood and pasta options. Fedoca's moqueca (a fish, shrimp, octopus, and mussel stew), inspired by the famed Bahian dish, is the house specialty, as are the lobster dishes.

Twelve waiters, each with a different cut of beef, chicken, or goat, scurry around this large, sparkling clean restaurant. As if the delectable meats weren't enough, tables are also stocked with side dishes, including manioc root, pickled vegetables, and caramelized bananas. You can eat as much as you like for a fixed price of R$90 per person.

Often cited as one of the best restaurants in Búzios, French-inspired Cigalon is an elegant establishment with a veranda overlooking the beach. Though the waiters are bow-tied and the tables covered with crisp linens and lighted by flickering candles, the place still has an unpretentious feel.

Lovers of seafood should look no further than this elegant spot overlooking the beach, which serves prawns in all imaginable forms. Its popularity has reached such heights that there are now 12 Coco Bambus across Brazil. Start with the giant king prawns encrusted in coconut and served with mango chutney, and then follow that up with grilled lobster with Sicilian lemon risotto. Portions are often big enough for two. The spacious restaurant has a number of different areas for dining, from the ample open-air terrace to an air-conditioned salon

At the turn of the 20th century, the belle epoque structure that houses Colombo Confectionery was Rio's preeminent café, the site of elaborate balls, afternoon teas for upper-class senhoras, and a center of political intrigue and gossip. Now, visitors stop for arguably the most atmospheric coffee, melt-in-the-mouth sweet treats, and tasty salgados (savory snacks) in town while admiring the elaborate, Old-World interiors—enormous jacaranda-framed mirrors from Belgium, stained glass from France, and tiles from Portugal are among the art nouveau decor's highlights.

During and after the Saturday crafts and antiques fair in Praça Benedito Calixto, it may take an hour to get a table at this homey restaurant. Among the shareable, traditional mineiro (from Minas Gerais State) dishes are the mandioca com carne de sol (cassava with salted meat) appetizer and the tutu (pork loin with beans, pasta, cabbage, and rice) entrée.

Patrons of the Estalagem rave about the feijão tropeiro and frango ao molho pardo, just two of the Brazilian dishes prepared by friendly chef Beth, who often makes time to come and greet diners. Although the restaurant is small, the atmosphere is elegant. Light music and an attentive staff make this an appealing place to dine.

This busy little cantina is well-loved for both its cuisine as well as its location on an unforgettable restaurant-lined strip of Rua Avanhandava, where you may find yourself admiring the cobblestones on the street as you wait for a table. The menu has many terrific pasta options, such as the cannelloni with palm hearts and a four-cheese sauce.

This is the place for regional cuisine, especially grilled and stewed fish dishes. The standout here is the picanha na chapa (grilled rump steak), but the moqueca de pintado (a local fish stew) is also recommended.

One of the most popular fine-dining options in town, this churrascaria (steak house) is one of the best of its kind. The sleek ambience of this spacious restaurant adds to the allure. It's famous for its rodízio service, in which waiters bring various types of meat on the spit to your table, where they'll carve off as much as you like. The prix-fixe meal includes a large and varied salad bar, but it's the beef that draws the crowds.

Porto Alegre's best-known restaurant has been in business at the same spot, steps from city hall at the Mercado Público, since 1889. The walls are covered with Portuguese tiles, antiques, and period photographs exalting those early days. The restaurant is a popular happy-hour spot for politicians and businesspeople. The menu varies daily from beef to fish dishes. One of the highlights is the large Brazilian grey mullet stuffed with shrimp (served Friday and Saturday).

The post-beach hangout of choice for neighborhood locals since 1956, Jobi serves good coffee, super-chilled draft beer, and lip-smackingly delicious seafood. The restaurant is so small and unassuming, it's only after you step inside and see the many awards hanging on the walls that you realize just how special Jobi is.

Arguably the best Japanese restaurant in a town famous for them, Jun Sakamoto stands out for serving fish of the highest quality and for employing the most skillful of sushi chefs to slice them. You're best served if you let the waiters wearing futuristic earpieces guide you through the menu based on what's freshest the day you visit.

Contemporary cuisine, attentive service, and a luxurious, secret-garden charm help Kaá maintain its status as one of São Paulo's leading fine-dining establishments. The crayfish au gratin in endive cream is a top choice among the appetizers; appealing entrées include rack of lamb ribs and beer-cooked duck.

Contemporary Japanese plates with international influences are the draw at Kinoshita, where foie gras might accompany a Kobe beef hamburger or truffles might enliven salmon roe and shellfish. The freshness of the ingredients available on any given day determines the fare of chef Tsuyoshi Murakami, one of São Paulo's culinary superstars.