I am LONG overdue for a review on this place. I have been going here for over a year now and it is…read morejust wonderful. Since Brazil doesn't really have the same 'coffee shop' culture as the US, I had trouble working from home the first year that I lived here. FINALLY, I found Grão & Cia where they have free wifi, great coffee, nice people and a quiet upstairs to work where you are undistracted. Sometimes I literally work here for 6-8 hours so luckily they have snacks like nuts, cheeses and gluten free breads and granola bars. It is full of artisan snacks and craft beers and great wines. I bought this farofa that is so good! It comes in a fancy glass jar and has rosemary, Brazil nuts, basil and some other spices. I coated a piece of dourado (I think that is Mahi Mahi) with it and baked it and it turned out so yummy! The manager is really helpful. He is always getting new snacks in and has picked up on the types of things I like so every time I go in, he suggests new products. He also speaks English. Though, now I am fluent enough and we speak in Portuguese. The ONLY downfall of this place is that they literally play the same CD of 12 tracks over and over and over and over. In the year that I have gone there, it has NEVER changed. Thus, I bring headphones and play my own music.

It is very "Ipanema". A fusion of high quality gourmet products, a great selection of wines and…read morebeers and an addition of a very special food truck every Saturday, offering a mouthwatering pork sandwich. That is the time that I like most. The ambience is great with few outside tables and people gathering to talk, eat, drink and have fun. A very positive atmosphere. The sandwich itself costs 20 reais and it is delicious (ask for the "special" sauce). You can buy special beers or wine by the glass from the store. But it is not cheap after all: one imported beer and one sandwich (or a glass of wine) will end up around $50.

One of the things on my Rio Shopping list was a bottle of Cachaça. Even though this is mainly a…read morewine store, they carried an entire shelf full. I had no idea which one to get, so I asked the sales woman for a recommendation. She asked whether it was to make Caipirinha and quickly pointed out a $10 bottle. Sold. No idea whether this was a good price or brand, we'll just have to wait and see!

Good selection of wine by the bottle and by the glass. Mostly from South America and a couple from…read moreAustralia, France, Italy, and Portugual. A delicious but small food menu, offering small sharing and tapas style plates to try and sober up with after your third bottle of wine. The setting is ambient with a NYC small bar layout and decor. Great place to chill out and enjoy a rare glass of wine in Rio.

A good restaurant in a great setting -- beautiful views of Leme Beach from this relaxing patio. We…read moreenjoyed our meal and the courteous service.

It was entirely by chance that I found Canastra, and I'm VERY glad I did! It turned out to be an…read moreentirely delightful venue :-) The wine list is compact, with some exceptionally priced, very nice bottles on it. They even have several good by-the-glass options. Their menu is tapas-style, with a number of small sharing plates; it contains dishes like goats cheese with onion marmalade, marinated octopus, paté de campagne, and burrata of buffalo mozzarella. All the dishes on the menu are accompanied by delicious warm baguette, and the prices are all extremely reasonable ((R$19 - R$25 each). Our server was very friendly and attentive; we left quite satisfied and very full :-) Tip: If you're a fan of oysters, then Tuesday is a great night to come to Canastra! On Tuesdays they have reasonable priced raw oysters that you can order by the half dozen :-)