30 editor picks across Brazil.
30 casual dining worth the trip across Brazil, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Brazil guides.
Aconchego Carioca in Praça da Bandeira is chef Kátia Barbosa's Northeastern-leaning boteco, birthplace of the bolinho de feijoada, in Rio de Janeiro.
OrderThe bolinho de feijoada with kale and pork crackling, and a lime batidinha.
TipCamarão do Gui took third place at Botecar 2025; the moqueca of peach-palm hearts suits vegetarians, and the beer list runs to about 50 labels.
Manioca JK is Helena Rizzo's casual room on the third floor of the JK Iguatemi mall in Sao Paulo, a plant-filled space serving dishes carried over from Mani.
OrderFish in banana leaf with plantain puree, butter-bean salad and Brazil nut farofa.
TipStart with the fish crudo with jabuticaba tiger's milk and crispy quinoa; the mall location means it opens seven days a week.
Adega Pérola lines a glass counter with more than 50 petiscos on Rua Siqueira Campos in Copacabana, a Rio de Janeiro bar founded by Madeirans in 1957.
OrderSardinhas em escabeche, polvo à vinagrete and provolone à milanesa from the glass counter.
TipGo with two or three friends so you can share several petiscos; the bar is closed on Sundays.
Bento Pizzeria Napoletana bakes Neapolitan pizzas on Rua Afonso Pena in Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, and ranked 11th in 50 Top Pizza Latin America 2026.
OrderThe Bento pizza: pomodoro pelati, fior di latte, house calabresa, gorgonzola and chilli oil.
TipThe room seats 55 and opens Tuesday to Sunday evenings only, from 18:00, so arrive early on weekends.
Bracarense pours chope and serves shrimp bolinhos and empadas on a Leblon corner in Rio de Janeiro, a botequim registered since 1961 with a weekday set lunch.
OrderThe shrimp and Catupiry bolinho from the warming cabinet, with a draught chope.
TipWeekday set lunch (almoço executivo) runs 11:00 to 15:00, Monday to Friday, when the corner is quieter than at night.
A Baianeira serves chef Manuelle Ferraz's Minas and Bahia borderland cooking two floors below MASP on Avenida Paulista, a sister to the Barra Funda room.
OrderThe pao de queijo starter and the baiao de dois with braised meat.
TipStart with the pao de queijo, a recipe the chef has cooked since she started out; daily specials run alongside the baiao de dois.
Hora Extra Bar Gourmet won Comida di Buteco 2026 in Rio de Janeiro and nationally with discostela, beef rib and watercress fritters on cassava cream.
OrderDiscostela: fritters of beef rib and watercress on cassava cream, the 2026 contest winner.
TipWeekdays it opens at 18:00 and weekends at 13:00, shut on Mondays; discostela was priced at R$40 for the contest, so confirm it is on the regular menu.
Ella Pizzaria bakes wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas in a casarão on Rua Pacheco Leão in Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, and now opens for weekend lunch.
OrderThe Lombo pizza: Canadian loin, smoked scamorza, crisp Parma and chilli jelly.
TipWeekend lunch runs 12:00 to 16:00 with the full menu, and the room seats 56, so the lunch slot is the easier time to get a table.
Maria e o Boi serves grills and baião de dois in a former painters' studio on Rua Maria Quitéria in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
OrderSlow-braised beef ribs with truffled cheese purée, or the sertão-style parmigiana with baião de dois.
TipPortions are generous and priced for sharing; the Michelin Guide says the house does not take bookings through it, so call the restaurant.
Bar da Frente serves Porquinho no Quimono and Fondue de Coxinha at its Praça da Bandeira house in Rio de Janeiro; it placed fifth in Botecar 2025.
OrderPorquinho no Quimono, a harumaki with pork rib and herb requeijão, and the Fondue de Coxinha.
TipThis is the Praça da Bandeira house; the Copacabana branch keeps its own hours, daily 11:00 to 23:00. This one is shut Monday and Tuesday.
Dona Donzília Gomes runs Bar da Portuguesa, a Ramos botequim on Rua Custódio Nunes in Rio de Janeiro known for bolinho de bacalhau and aipim croquettes.
OrderBolinho de bacalhau, the fritada de bacalhau or camarão, and the aipim croquette with carne seca.
TipIt placed second at Botecar 2025 with a trio of cod bolinhos stuffed with whole shrimp; it is shut on Mondays.
Brasserie Victória has served Lebanese food since Dona Victoria opened it on Rua 25 de Marco in 1947; now on Avenida JK in Sao Paulo, it is still family-run.
OrderThe kaftas, open or folded sfihas, kibe, labneh with pitta, and the nut-filled atayef pancakes.
TipFor a quick bite, the take-away counter runs until 21:00 Tuesday to Sunday; the nut-filled atayef make the best finish in the dining room.
Bar Urca sells pastéis and empadas de camarão from a counter on Rua Cândido Gaffrée in Urca, Rio de Janeiro, to eat on the Guanabara Bay wall opposite.
OrderEmpada de camarão or siri, bolinho de bacalhau with Serra da Estrela cheese, fried sardines.
TipOrder at the counter and carry the plates across the street to the mureta for the bay view; the bar opens at 09:00.
Bar do Momo, a Tijuca botequim on Rua General Espírito Santo Cardoso in Rio de Janeiro, is known for its bolinho de arroz with calabresa and cheese.
OrderBolinho de arroz with calabresa and cheese, or the 'entre o torresmo e a moela' on sweet-potato purée.
TipFeijoada runs from Friday to Sunday; the bar is shut on Tuesdays, and Sunday service ends at 18:00.
Cachambeer is a Cachambi botequim on Rua Cachambi in Rio de Janeiro, open since 2002 and known for costela no bafo and a Patrimônio Cultural Carioca title.
OrderCostela no bafo, then the Infarto Completo or the Filezão Metido a Besta to share.
TipIt is closed on Mondays, opens only from 17:00 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and stops serving at 18:00 on Sundays.
Shihoma Pasta Fresca is Marcio Shihomatsu's fresh-pasta counter in Sao Paulo's Vila Madalena, drawing a queue since it moved on from home delivery.
OrderThe tortelli di gamberi, thin pasta filled with fresh pink prawns and butter, on the menu since opening.
TipCompact room with an open kitchen so you can watch the pasta being rolled; arrive early, there is usually a line at the door.
Kotori is chef Thiago Banares' single-menu Japanese room in Sao Paulo's Pinheiros district, built around yoshoku-style Western-Asian dishes.
OrderThe Eryngii mushroom dish with chicken broth and tucupi, and the rabanada de shokupan for dessert.
TipThere is one set menu rather than an a la carte list; a sake or cocktail flight is worth pairing with the courses.
Vinheria Percussi has run as a family Italian wine room in Sao Paulo since opening as a wine shop back in 1985, now led by chef Silvia Percussi.
OrderThe tonnarelli alla carbonara, the beef ossobuco, and the tiramisu served on a platter at the table.
TipThe cellar holds a 300-strong wine list; ask sommelier Lamberto Percussi for a pairing before ordering the pasta.
Academia da Cachaça pours cachaça and serves feijoada on Rua Conde de Bernadotte in Leblon, a Rio de Janeiro bar-restaurant open since 1985.
OrderThe house feijoada, served with rice, collards, bacon, farofa and orange.
TipLive chorinho plays every Thursday from 19:00 to 22:00, and the Leblon house takes reservations through its website.
Velho Adonis is a Portuguese boteco in Benfica, in Rio de Janeiro's Zona Norte, pouring chope with a head beside bolinho de bacalhau and sardinhas ao forno.
OrderBolinho de bacalhau, sardinhas ao forno and the Maladrinho de 70 rice dish for four.
TipThe bar is closed on Mondays and shuts at 19:00 on Sundays, so plan lunch or an early evening visit.
Capricciosa Pizza D.O.C. serves pizza on Rua Maria Angélica in Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro, and placed 20th in 50 Top Pizza Latin America in 2026.
OrderThe capricciosa pizza: tomato, ham, artichoke, mushrooms, bacon and egg.
TipThe operator lists a second house on Rua Vinícius de Moraes in Ipanema; this entry is the Jardim Botânico one, open evenings only.
Petisqueira Martinho cooks seafood on Praia do Jequiá in Ribeira, on Ilha do Governador in Rio de Janeiro, and placed fourth in Botecar 2025.
OrderBolinho de bacalhau, casquinha de siri and camarão crocante from the petiscos list.
TipThe menu has an executive lunch section; the house is shut on Mondays and closes at 17:00 on Tuesdays and Sundays.
Piccola Fattoria bakes wood-fired Neapolitan pizza on Rua Professora Luiza Nogueira Gonçalves in Recreio, Rio de Janeiro; a 2026 50 Top Pizza pick.
OrderThe Caprese pizza with buffalo mozzarella and olive pesto; banana and Ovomaltine for dessert.
TipIt opens Tuesday to Sunday evenings only; the address is Bloco 02, Loja 115, in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes complex, so check the unit.
Casa do Sardo serves Sardinian cooking in São Cristóvão, away from the beach, from chef-owner Silvio Podda, who opened it in 2012, in Rio de Janeiro.
OrderAgnello alla Vernaccia, lamb cooked in wine, with mushroom or red onion risotto.
TipThe house is in São Cristóvão, well away from the beach districts; it closes on Mondays and at 16:00 on Sundays.
Dois de Fevereiro serves Bahian-leaning lunches by chef João Diamante on Rua Sacadura Cabral in Saúde, near Largo da Prainha, in Rio de Janeiro.
OrderLunch plates such as sun-dried beef with Afro-Brazilian gremolata, or the shrimp bobó.
TipSaturday is the only evening, with service until 22:00; in April the house joins the São Jorge feijoada circuit at Largo da Prainha.
Bar do Bode Cheiroso has served sardinha frita, roast pernil and torresmo on Rua General Canabarro in Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, since 1945, a heritage bar.
OrderTorresmo de tira, which the house calls its barrinha de cereal, with roast pernil and fried sardines.
TipDishes of the day are listed on the board; cozido is served on Wednesdays, and dobradinha and feijoada are also house specialities.
Restaurante Salete has served empadas and shrimp risotto on Rua Afonso Pena in Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, since 1957, in a kitchen with Spanish influence.
OrderEmpadas with chicken, palm heart or shrimp, then the shrimp risotto, sized for two or three.
TipWeekend and holiday service ends at 20:00, and the room is shut on Mondays; the risotto portion feeds two or three.
Bicol Korean Cuisine is a Liberdade barbecue room in Sao Paulo run by the same Korean family across three generations of tabletop grilling meals.
OrderA table-grill Samguiopsar or Garbi sharing set with banchan, or the bibimbap and Korean fried chicken.
TipTables have their own grill for cooking cuts to order; good for groups who want to share several banchan-style dishes.
Nova Capela is a Lapa bar-restaurant on Avenida Mem de Sá in Rio de Janeiro, known for roast kid with broccoli rice and draught chope until 02:00 on weekends.
OrderRoast kid (cabrito assado) with broccoli rice, roast potatoes and toasted garlic.
TipThe house stays open until 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, so it suits a late meal after a night in Lapa.
Adega D'Ouro has served cod in many forms beside Vicente de Carvalho metro station in Rio de Janeiro, a Portuguese house now run by its third generation.
OrderBacalhau à moda da casa: fried cod with boiled potatoes, tomato, palm heart, onion and olives.
TipThe full cod dish is sized for up to five people, so order it for a group and start with the bolinho de bacalhau.
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