Eat well in Rio de Janeiro without overpaying: the locals'-budget edition.
Eat well in Rio de Janeiro for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Leiteria Mineira is the last leiteria in Rio de Janeiro, serving mingau, coalhada and arroz doce plus a changing lunch menu on Rua da Ajuda in Centro.
TryMingau, creme de maizena, coalhada and arroz doce, plus lunch portions that change each day
Pavão Azul serves pataniscas, shrimp risotto and home-style plates with rice and beans near Copacabana beach, on Rua Hilário de Gouveia, Rio de Janeiro.
TryPatanisca (cod fritter), or a bife with rice, beans, farofa and fries
Casa Clipper sells pernil sandwiches and chope from 08:00 to 23:30 on Rua Carlos Góis in Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, a heritage bar open since 1945.
TrySanduíche de pernil, with a draught chope
Geneal Leblon sells hot dogs of toasted bread, sausage and house sauce on Avenida Ataulfo de Paiva, Rio de Janeiro, from a chain that began with street carts.
TryCachorro-quente: toasted bread, sausage and the house sauce
Tapí Leblon fills tapioca crêpes with carne seca, brie or smoked salmon on Avenida Ataulfo de Paiva in Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, from 08:00 to 22:00.
TryTapí Baião: tapioca with carne seca, creamy requeijão and biquinho pepper
Bibi Sucos Leblon serves fresh juices, açaí and sandwiches on Avenida Ataulfo de Paiva in Rio de Janeiro, daily from 08:30 to 23:30, at the first Bibi.
TryFresh juices, including the house cocoa and strawberry blend, and açaí
Opus has sold pernil sandwiches on pão francês from a bar on Rua Gonçalves Dias in Centro, Rio de Janeiro, since 1968, with very cold chope for the afternoon.
TrySanduíche de pernil assado with cheese on pão francês
Casa Paladino sells sandwiches and omelettes with fillings the customer picks, on Rua Uruguaiana in Centro, Rio de Janeiro, inside a grocery open since 1906.
TrySanduíche triplo on pão francês, with egg, ham and cheese
Restaurante Adriano serves home-style lunches of fish, chicken and beef with rice and beans on Rua Real Grandeza in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, until 16:00.
TryFilé de peixe à milanesa with roast potatoes and broccoli rice
Casa Porto serves petiscos and a daily plate on the upper floor of a sobrado at Largo da Prainha in Saúde, Rio de Janeiro, with a picadinho carioca at R$48.
TryPicadinho carioca, the plate of the day
Rotisseria Sírio Libaneza sells esfihas, kibbeh and Arab sweets from a small hall in Galeria Condor at Largo do Machado, Rio de Janeiro, closed on Sundays.
TryEsfiha with meat, cheese or greens, and the ricotta kibbeh
Siri Tijuca is a seafood house on Rua dos Artistas in Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro, open since 1963, with pratos-feitos under R$30 and a siri pastel at R$8.90.
TryFilé de peixe with rice and pirão
Angu do Gomes, born from street carts in 1955, serves angu with offal, ground beef or chicken and corn at R$34.90 at Largo da Prainha, Rio de Janeiro.
TryAngu with beef offal, or with ground beef and olives, sausage, or chicken and corn
Baixela is a Copacabana botequim near Posto 6 in Rio de Janeiro, second in O Globo's 2025 best-PF ranking, with a chicken parmigiana plate for R$42.
TryFrango à parmegiana: boned chicken thigh with melted cheese, rice, and purê or fries
Esquimó, founded in 1962 on Travessa do Ouvidor, serves a PF plate with three sides, a refresco and pudding in the Beco das Sardinhas, Centro, Rio de Janeiro.
TryPF: bife à milanesa, fígado acebolado or hamburguesa acebolada, with three sides, refresco and pudim
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