Food · Rio de Janeiro · Brazil
What to eat in Rio de Janeiro
The dishes, drinks and food experiences that define Rio de Janeiro, and where locals actually eat them.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Rafael Rabello de Barros, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Feijoada, Biscoito Globo and iced mate and Açaí bowl. Bars, hotels and samba schools serve all-you-can-eat feijoada on Saturdays, often with live samba. Lunch is the main meal, usually from noon to 2pm; dinner starts around 8pm and runs late at weekends.
Key facts
- Signature dish
- Feijoada
- Vegetarian-friendly picks
- 7
- Tipping
- Restaurants usually add a 10% service charge (serviço) to the bill, which is customary…
- Food experiences
- 4
12 foods to try
Dish
1.Feijoada
Black beans slow-cooked with salted and smoked pork cuts, served with rice, farofa (toasted cassava flour), sautéed collard greens, crackling and orange slices. It is Brazil's national dish and a long, heavy weekend lunch.
Where: Botecos and restaurants traditionally serve it on Saturdays, and in some places on Wednesdays; samba-school and hotel feijoadas with live music are a Saturday institution.
Snack · Vegetarian
2.Biscoito Globo and iced mate
Light, airy cassava-starch rings, sweet or salty, sold in paper bags since the 1950s and usually eaten with a cup of iced mate tea mixed with lemon. Together they are Rio's classic beach snack.
Where: From vendors walking every Zona Sul beach; bakeries and supermarkets also sell the biscuits.
Dessert · Vegetarian
3.Açaí bowl (Açaí na tigela)
Frozen açaí berry pulp blended thick and served in a bowl or cup, usually with banana and granola. In Rio it is eaten as a cold snack after the beach or the gym rather than as breakfast.
Where: Juice bars (casas de suco) on almost every Zona Sul corner, which also squeeze fresh juices from mango to cashew fruit.
Bakery · Vegetarian
4.Cheese bread (Pão de queijo)
Chewy balls of cheese bread made with cassava starch, naturally gluten-free, eaten warm with a coffee at breakfast or as an afternoon snack.
Where: Bakeries (padarias), juice bars and café counters across the city.
Street food
5.Coxinha
A teardrop-shaped croquette of shredded chicken, often with creamy catupiry cheese, in a dough shell that is breaded and fried. It is the most common salgado, or savoury snack, at any counter.
Where: Botecos, padarias and lanchonetes everywhere; Confeitaria Colombo serves a smarter version.
Street food
6.Pastel and sugarcane juice (Pastel com caldo de cana)
Thin, crisp fried pastry envelopes filled with cheese, minced beef or palm heart, traditionally paired with sugarcane juice pressed to order.
Where: Stalls at the weekly street markets (feiras livres) held in each neighbourhood, and pastelarias in Centro.
Dish
7.Picanha and churrasco
Picanha, the rump cap with its layer of fat, is the star of Brazilian barbecue, carved from skewers at your table in rodízio-style churrascarias alongside sausages, chicken hearts and grilled pineapple.
Where: Churrascarias in Copacabana, Botafogo and Barra; botecos serve cheaper picanha platters for sharing.
Snack
8.Salt-cod fritters (Bolinho de bacalhau)
Fritters of salt cod and potato from Portuguese tradition, crisp outside and soft within, served by the plate with a squeeze of lime and a cold chope.
Where: Old-school botecos in Centro, Botafogo and Leblon.
Drink · Vegetarian
9.Caipirinha
Cachaça, the Brazilian sugarcane spirit, muddled with lime and sugar over crushed ice. Variations swap the lime for passion fruit or strawberry, or the cachaça for vodka (caipiroska).
Where: Every bar and beach kiosk; bars with a cachaça list let you choose an aged or artisanal spirit.
Drink · Vegetarian
10.Draught beer (Chope)
Rio drinks its draught lager very cold with a thick head, in small glasses that waiters refill quickly so it never warms up in the heat.
Where: Traditional botecos in Leblon, Botafogo and Centro, where waiters keep a running tally on a paper slip.
Snack · Vegetarian
11.Grilled coalho cheese (Queijo coalho)
Squeaky northeastern cheese grilled on a stick over a portable charcoal burner, sometimes dusted with oregano or drizzled with sugarcane molasses.
Where: Sold by vendors walking the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Barra.
Dessert · Vegetarian
12.Brigadeiro
Soft fudge balls of condensed milk, cocoa and butter rolled in chocolate sprinkles, a fixture at every Brazilian birthday party.
Where: Bakeries, cafés and specialist brigadeiro shops across the Zona Sul.
Food experiences
Saturday feijoada
Bars, hotels and samba schools serve all-you-can-eat feijoada on Saturdays, often with live samba. It is a long, social lunch rather than a quick meal, so leave the afternoon free.
Por quilo lunch
Pay-by-weight buffets are the standard weekday lunch for working Cariocas: fill a plate from salads, rice, beans and grilled meats and pay by the gram. They are good value and easy for vegetarians.
Boteco evening
Neighbourhood bars with metal tables on the pavement serve chope, petiscos (snacks) and bolinhos late into the night. At Bar Urca, people take their drinks to the seawall facing Botafogo Bay.
Feira de São Cristóvão
The Northeastern Traditions Centre in São Cristóvão is a huge covered fair of stalls serving carne de sol, tapioca and baião de dois, with forró music and dancing at weekends.
Quick bites and street food
- Biscoito Globo and iced mate — From vendors walking every Zona Sul beach; bakeries and supermarkets also sell the biscuits.
- Cheese bread — Bakeries (padarias), juice bars and café counters across the city.
- Coxinha — Botecos, padarias and lanchonetes everywhere; Confeitaria Colombo serves a smarter version.
- Pastel and sugarcane juice — Stalls at the weekly street markets (feiras livres) held in each neighbourhood, and pastelarias in Centro.
- Salt-cod fritters — Old-school botecos in Centro, Botafogo and Leblon.
- Grilled coalho cheese — Sold by vendors walking the beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Barra.
Vegetarian options
Of the 12 foods in this guide, 7 are usually vegetarian: Biscoito Globo and iced mate, Açaí bowl, Cheese bread, Caipirinha, Draught beer, Grilled coalho cheese and Brigadeiro. Check preparation with staff, as stocks and fats vary.
Eating out: tips and etiquette
- Lunch is the main meal, usually from noon to 2pm; dinner starts around 8pm and runs late at weekends.
- Many dishes are portioned for two people (serve dois); ask before ordering one each.
- A 10% service charge is normally added to the bill, so check before leaving extra.
- Beach kiosks and most vendors take cards, but carry small notes for snacks on the sand.
- Tap water is rarely served; order mineral water still (sem gás) or sparkling (com gás).
Tipping
Restaurants usually add a 10% service charge (serviço) to the bill, which is customary but optional. Tipping taxis and beach vendors is not expected, though rounding up is appreciated.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bom dia | Good morning |
| Obrigado / Obrigada | Thank you (said by a man / a woman) |
| Tudo bem? | How's it going? |
| A conta, por favor | The bill, please |
| Quanto custa? | How much is it? |
| Com licença | Excuse me (to pass) |
Questions travellers ask
+What food is Rio de Janeiro famous for?
Feijoada, Biscoito Globo and iced mate, Açaí bowl and Cheese bread. Black beans slow-cooked with salted and smoked pork cuts, served with rice, farofa (toasted cassava flour), sautéed collard greens, crackling and orange slices.
+Is Rio de Janeiro good for vegetarians?
Several local staples are meat-free, including Biscoito Globo and iced mate, Açaí bowl and Cheese bread.
+Do you tip in restaurants in Rio de Janeiro?
Restaurants usually add a 10% service charge (serviço) to the bill, which is customary but optional. Tipping taxis and beach vendors is not expected, though rounding up is appreciated.