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!

A branch of the more famous restaurant located in the same street…read more This is sort of a Grocery store with a Restaurant. They sell frozen pasta (the same that they serve in the Restaurant), good quality cheeses, craft beers, wines (good selection), butter, milk, house-made breads, etc... very good indeed Together with the Grocery store there is a small restaurant. The menu has good options: breakfast, salads, pizzas, sandwiches, desserts, appetizers... all looking good, by the way! Nice wooden tables give a cozy touch to this place. We've ordered two pizzas (individual, around R$ 30): one with buffalo mozzarella and pepperoni, and the other with buffalo mozzarella, rocket and "Himalayan salt"... Despite the part of saying that Himalayan salt is actually a topping for the Pizza (is like putting "flour" in the description), they were both pretty good. The pepperoni was thicker than we use to like, but the taste was awesome. The dough was light, as we like! In the overall, the pizza is still behind Ferro e Farinha nearby (Andrade Pertence), but it is a solid choice. This place earn many points because of the overall picture: great Grocery store, many wine options, very very cute place, friendly waiter (the Uruguaian guy), and a very good amount of options. Also, not as expensive as similar places more to the southern part of Rio. I'm definitely coming back to try more of their menu! Ps: they said that their brigadeiro is the best one in the world lol But we didn't tried!