After dinner in Botafogo, we tried to milk as much as could as the last night out and headed to Bar…read moredo Horto for a nightcap. We sat in the warm night under some cool looking colored lamps before turning in for the night. There is an English menu that you can order off of, and while we were full from eating, it was nice to sit outside and enjoy the warm night. We didn't stay for very long, but enjoyed being around locals and the few drinks we had.

This is a go-to place for us in Rio. For those visiting Zona Sul, it's still pretty close to…read moreLeblon, but has a completely different and more quiet, intimate feel. Outdoor dining, and live music on many nights add to the good vibe. For food, while a solid standard is of course the carne de sol and yuca, those that like The bolinhos de bacalhau should order that, and I'm sure the rest of the menu is solid too. I especially like the red wine they sell for R$48 per bottle (find that in the US!). You may want to ask for an ice bucket even for the red to get it down to serving temperature in the 50s... Make it here for one night and you won't regret it!

Well I test tried this italian (? I put a questionmark here because they offer quite a few…read morebrasilian choices too) restaurant with an italian classic, spaghetti bolognese and I have to say it passed with flying colours. The pasta was great (it takes an effort to find pasta in Brasil which is NOT overcooked), the sauce very tasty. The price was also quite acceptable, 38 reais for the pasta, although obviously not an every day choice for lunch (unless you're loaded of course). The only real minus of the place is that it's quite noisy, but that's down to the boisterous brasilian lunch crowd.

I read about this place from other yelpers but never had a chance to venture out this way. Jardim…read moreBotânico neighborhood seems to have some very hip restaurants and bars that I would like to explore aside from the few Michelin rated ones we've tried. I love the atmosphere of this place, high on the second floor, after ascending a bright red welcoming staircase, it opens to a rooftop terrace with clear roofing in case it rains. The view is awesome and on clear day you can apparently see Cristo. The ceiling or open air above is strung with soft outdoor bulbs and the whole place seems like another world. We saw plenty of romantic couples and also large groups of friends, so it's accommodating to both types. The drinks were fantastic, made with good creativity. I tried a whiskey based drink with strawberry and lime and it was easy to drink but packed a lot of punch. The Pisco sour was also made with a delicate egg white foamed on the top, though not as good as the ones in Peru or Chile. The honey jack had just a touch of truffle oil which made it sweet and savory. The burger with Gorgonzola was quite good as well, and came with a side of crispy potato wedges. The teriyaki seared salmon was beautifully presented on a slate and had dollops of a creamy wasabi that paired fantastically with the sweet teriyaki. Lastly I tried the cheesecake which I was surprised to find deconstructed. It came on a plate as a melted mound of cheese cake mush with a strip of strawberry jelly and topped with a sprinkle of graham cracker crust. The flavor was quite good but I would have preferred a more solid cheesecake with a lot more crust. Overall, the food was fairly good, the atmosphere was dynamic and the sky was perfect. Good for a night out with friends or on a date. Just plan it for a non-rainy day!

I had about 20 people in town for my wedding and decided to do a dinner at Bar Sobe with everyone…read more They were really accommodating and made it easy to host my group. The ambiance is awesome. It kind of feels like you are outside since there is just a transparent tent over the top. I think during the summer, they take the tent down so you actually are inside/outside. You can see the Christ through the little cutouts in the wall. They've got cute hanging lights and it is very colorful and bright. The service was also really great. They were very patient with my group of gringos who asked for many substitutions and other funny things that Americans do, haha. I ordered the salmon with wasabi mayo and pineapple teriyaki with ginger chips. The price was very fair at about R$26. I wasn't very hungry so that was enough. If you are hungry, you will need more food. I also got a whiskey sour, which was good! The only difficult part was that each person had to remember what they ordered and they tallied it up in the end. It would have been easier if each person could have gotten a number.