A quiet and cozi place in a beautiful spot in Buzios We…read morewere 14 and Joel, the owner, found a way to settle everybody within the small space We had a cod fritters (bolinho de bacalhau) with moules frites (mexilhão com fritas) for start It was followed by a superb grilled octopus (polvo a lagareira) with potatoes We finished with a grilled cod and veggies Portuguese sweets, coffee and a bagaceira - a spirit made from grape marc This was one of the best meal I had in Buzios

Best meal I´ve had while in Brazil (and I´ve had some great food!). Try the pork ribs prepared in…read morePortuguese style and you won´t be disappointed. Quite possibly the best ribs I´ve had. The staff are wonderful and the atmosphere reflects the care they put into the dining experience. If you visit Buzios (and you should!) you must eat at Cais de Gaia.

We walked twenty minutes in the rain to dine at this restaurant. It was worth the effort because…read morewe enjoyed the food very much. We ordered (1) House style grilled cod and (2) Fish Moqueca. This is like a stew; fish simmered with tomatoes, onion and garlic. Served with white rice and toasted cassava flour. We also ordered bread since it is not complimentary. The bread is served with butter and olives. The service was excellent. Although we had a language barrier, Google translate on my cell phone was a great help. Since we had ordered two dishes to share the waiter portion out the meal for us. That was a nice touch. Everything was delicious.

This review was for our visit back on December 18th, 2023…read more Arrived around 8PM (only a short walk from our hotel). It's a relatively small spot, and we ended up waiting about 30 minutes. Well worth the wait, though on the pricier side of restaurants. Great, great service and language wasn't much of a barrier. We ended up ordering more than we had planned because the food was tasty! Definitely try the fried cod balls, baked cod, house style sea bass, and of course the egg tarts!!

Spent a few weeks in Brazil and made a commitment to explore the best restaurants the towns or…read morecities we visited had to offer. Of the many restaurants we sampled in our two week vacation that took us to 4 cities, Antiquarius was the finest of the bunch. Alcohol: we sampled several caiperinhas. This is a Brazilian drink made with the alcohol base of cochasa (made from sugarcane). We tried caipirinhas at just about every restaurant we visited. The lychee caipirinhas here were unbelievable and in a league of their own. My girlfriend normally has a few sips of anything I get. After trying this, she had three of her own. I had the crusted white fish. She had some sort of seafood medley. Huge portions, and a week later, we are still arguing over which one was better. Had the privilege of meeting the owner Carlos. A prince of a man. I loved Rio, but am left thinking more about the food I experienced than I am anything else. Obrigado

Formal to dress casual dining and a gem of a restaurant. The service was great and i really enjoyed…read morethe duck. My friends had the Cod and loved it. Besides being a great place to dine, there is a nice bar area overlooking street that was quaint and inviting.

Street parking, this place is across the street of the Copacabana boardwalk so there are no private…read morefree parking spots here, I would not drive here but if you must, try to park in the small streets around and not at the main avenue where the restaurant is located. from your table you can see the sea and the beach it is a pretty sweet view. Great service, the waiter did not behave like we needed to keep ordering to keep the table. He let us be and come around every so often to see for more drinks orders. I was very happy that they left us alone and let us hang out and take our time. I always like places like that cause over Time my friends and I will spend more and not having the feeling of being rushed is pretty nice. Outside sidewalk sitting, they have tables at the sidewalk where they have plenty of covers so you are able to sit outside even if it is raining. Home made spicy sauce that is worth the try for sure. But not for the faint of heart. it is a strong sauce so make sure to try very little before tossing the sauce over all the food. Strawberry ginger caipirinha - nice and strong, there was plenty of strawberries in there and we even got to choose if we wanted cachaca or vodka in it. Yuca and cheese balls - strong yucca taste however the cheese is also present on the taste. This is a more acquired taste for sure but none the less very tasty and above all filling appetizer. Crab pastel- amazed, the amount of filling is very satisfying. They come out fresh! You can drop lime on it and just enjoy it's amazing an pastel. Cod croquette- if you are a cod lover this is a must, although ironically I had to add some salt to it, none the less it was pretty tasty! With the olive oil and their home made spicy oil this is going to take your cod love a whole another level. It is a pretty name appetizer and as expected fried to order and super fresh. Dog friendly, you can have your best friend with you with no issues. at the end they charge your card with a mobile machine so you get charged right then and there no need for them to take the card inside and wait till it back, super convenient. I would love to go back there. I had a great time, the next day while walking the street the waiter even recognized us and said hello!!!

This meal hit the spot! The food was perfectly season and the portions were hearty. I'd recommend…read moreit as a good stop along Copacabana. Also staff was very friendly and took time to understand our Portañol order.

Our favorite dinner in Rio! We loved the food, service, and market/restaurant layout of this…read morerestaurant. We had the trio cod appetizer which came with a sausage item that was absolutely delicious. The cod fritters/ball were fine but not amazing. We then ordered the pulpo & baked cod. Both were excellent! The baked cod was a huge portion and luckily we hadn't ordered more food and were able to finish it. Highly recommend!

On our fifth and final night in Rio, we decided to have dinner at a Portuguese restaurant called…read moreMercearia da Praça. It's a beautiful store/restaurant that specializes in Portuguese wines and foods. The interior is modern and classy, and the service was hands down the best we experienced in all of Rio. I ordered the Portuguese-style Filet Mignon, while my partner went with the seafood skewers. We also shared a bottle of red wine. Everything was absolutely excellent. The filet came with a rich Portuguese-style sauce or gravy and a side of house-made fries--such a great combination. This place was a perfect way to end our trip, and I highly recommend visiting this wonderful spot if you're in Ipanema!

The best Brazillian food I had during my trip to Rio. Walked in and this place was packed with…read morelocals. It had a good charm about it. We were seated and ordered the cod fish ball which was delicious and the brazillian lamb with broccoli rice and potatoes - this dish was the highlight meal of our entire 10 day trip. The lamb is baked for 8-10 hrs and then deep fried to give it the perfect texture and bring out all the flavors that are balanced by the broccoli rice and garlic potatoes. We also tried their Colorado beer and it paired very well with the meal. Service was quick and if I would return to Brazil, i would definitely stop by here again without a doubt. Highly recommend this gem of a place.

Yelp Review 2025 #204:…read more Nova Capela is one of Rio's oldest restaurants. It's located in the Lapa neighborhood. They serve traditional Brazilian food. This restaurant can get pretty busy in the afternoon to evening so, the best strategy is to come here as soon as they open. When I went, it seemed like the diners were locals and a few tourists. I looked up this restaurant before coming here so I can narrow down what I wanted to try. Fish or chicken filet with broccoli rice was the plan. But that's not what I ended up getting! Octopus: I love octopus so, I had to get it. Tender, perfectly cooked. Not heavily seasoned so you can fully enjoy its natural flavor. 4/5 Bolinho Bacalhau: When in Brazil or Portugal, you have to get bacalhau. Salted cod fritter without being salty. You get some crunch while the inside is soft without being dry. 4/5 Just the right amount of food so I can try more than one dish. Satisfying lunch. This is a very homey small casual restaurant. Service was good. Just wave somebody over if you need something. You must try this place!

I'm throwing a 5 star down on this after just one bolinho de bacalhau! Best I've had in Brazil…read more Pure heaven in your mouth with no condiments required....though they had a nice local sriracha. :) I'll update this on the next visit...but they do have a nice extensive menu with Bacalhau in pretty much everything. Also, they have a couple of pastels on the menu that are each about as big as your head....we didn't try them but it's probably a great deal. We also had the Pão Atisinal: so simple and basic yet so good! Toasted to perfection light loaf with some delectable linguiça inside!

If you are a foreigner or tourist, I recommend you go to Gaja d'Oro instead…read more Much better food, better service, similar Portuguese high end menu and in a far superior location. Rancho Portuguese is directly across from a well lit gas station on a double lane highway. I used to come to Rancho Portuguese often. Been more than 10 times. But sadly one day I realized they prefer Brazilian clientele and hate serving foreigners or gringos. You experience these sort of ignorant Cariocas here and there when you spend a lot of time in Rio. So after waiting over an hour for food and watching my glass sit empty for 20 minutes while also observing him attentively serve every Brazilian, seeing their food arrive, etc....I asked to cancel my order. Instead of apologizing or even making an attempt to fix the problem, his cocky response was to smile broadly, give me a sarcastic thumbs up, insult me ​​in Portuguese while thinking I don't understand him, and mockingly wave at me as I walked out of the restaurant. So now I go to Gaja D'Oro. It is in a beautiful building by the beach, offers much better service, a similar high end Portuguese menu, and I have never been offended to my face after being a loyal customer who spent more than 500 reals per person every time I went.

I'm on a business trip, and wanted a Portuguese dining experience, whooo pearl Sid we get it right,…read moreservice was once in a lifetime experience, as the staff serves and keeps your plates full. The grilled squid with rice was second to none, great selection of bread, and the olives were delicious, be mindful of the pits. Great ambience, and you can sit and relax and enjoy your dining experience. Let me not forget the amazing lemon cake which was soaked in a lemon syrup, not to sweet and just delicious.