After a few days of Brazilian food, we decided to have some French food for a change. We found this…read moreplace off the busy street of Av.Rio Branco. Unfortunately, this place is only open for lunch so if we are here for dinner, you are out of luck. The moment we walked in, everything is screaming French. From the old photos on the wall, to even the smallest details such as the olive oil bottle. The wine list also consists many French wines from Bordeaux to Loire. It is not a big restaurant by any measure. We were lucky that there were an open spot. We were told by the server that you often need make reservations in advance. The menu is pretty simple (see picture): fixed course with fish and muscles as main, vegetable with cheese as starter, and top it off with crème brulee, lemon sorbet as desert. We were also offered complementary cauliflower soup as a mise en bouche (pre-starter). The food was simple but very well made. From the jam to the fish fillet and to the lemon sorbet, everything reminds us of the summer of south France. And there is the cheese... We had goat cheese and Reblochon. They were amazing. Given we travel to France quite often and had our fair share of cheeses, we know a good piece of cheese when we taste one, and yes they were legit! The service was also great. The server was here to explain every single dish and what ingredients went into the dish. Overall, we really enjoyed our lunch here and lastly, we had a chance to meet the chef who is also very friendly.

The restaurant serves only one meal a day. Located on a…read morenon-descript street in the downtown this bistro is a small restaurant with amazing food. Because of its size I would recommend that anyone makes a reservation before heading there. Once the hard part is done with , you are seated promptly in a small dining room fronting an open. They have a menu a la carte but I recommend the 3 course lunch special l From the lovely amuse bouche soup, to the three appetizers, through the entree, followed by three desserts there was not a misstep; all amazing dishes accompanied by the excellent service, and a chef (Master Chef David Jobert) who enjjoys himself and his clientele. This is not 3 hour extravaganza but an hour and a quarter of fine dining at an incredibly reasonable price.

They bring the meat to your table, Ross so you can pick out what you want. The side never ends and…read moreit's some of the best mashed potatoes I've ever had in my life like cream.

It's insane that i haven't reviewed this place until just now, as I've been here 5 times now and…read moreabsolutely love this place! The steaks here are insane, however my favorite is certainly the Picania - This is a cut you can't get in the US (at least not outside of Brazilian restaurants or butchers) but it's just perfect. They do serve a number of sides, the applesauce one, the carrots, the mashed potatoes, and the risotto were my favorites. In fact i think i asked for 3+ servings of the risotto. For dessert they also had Chocolate Mousse - So good! I REALLY hope this place makes it, i'll be back every time i'm in Brazil

Excellent French restaurant on upscale Rua Garcia d'Avila in Ipanema…read more Stopped by for lunch and ordered off of their 3 course executive menu for a reasonable $R 42. Started off with a delicious tuna tartine, followed that up with rigatoni for the main course, and finished it off with a white chocolate mousse with a hint of lemon. Very attentive staff and beautiful ambiance. The place was packed when I arrived at 1:30PM on a Friday afternoon....good spot.

Very good restaurant, food was delicious. Atmosphere was balanced and silent not loud. Service was…read moreincredible.

This was a delightful and very upscale French dining experience at the Sheraton hotel in Rio…read more Reservations are a must and can be made on the hotel's website or through the concierge. They have only two seating times - 7:30pm or 8:30pm. The interior is gorgeous and extremely upscale, and since it's on the top floor the view is great. Our server was extremely kind and helpful and spoke enough English to manage the dining experience. He made us several excellent Caipirinhas - a classic Brazilian cocktail. The bread (not complimentary but we had to try it) was delicious and extremely fresh and came with several accompaniments. We also tried the grilled shrimp starter which was delicious and beautifully presented. A complimentary oyster amuse bouche was also presented. I do not generally like oysters, but this was really good. Extremely fresh with no seafood or briny taste at all. A pineapple palate cleanser was also offered during the meal and was wonderful and refreshing. I chose the beef and lamb Bourguignon entree. This was beautifully presented with some pieces of sliced lamb and a "mini beef Bourguignon" in a small pot which was absolutely delicious. Beef Bourguignon is complicated to make, but they did an amazing job here. We had the dessert sampler as well. Three miniature versions of their most popular desserts. My favorite was the apple tatin which featured fresh apples and a wonderful flakey shell. Perfect! Best of all, I was stunned at how inexpensive this meal was compared with what a comparable quality French restaurant such as Joel Robuchon might cost in the US. Truly an incredible value, and I highly recommend it!

I really thought this was a Joel Robuchon and it even compared to a Robuchon restaurant ! The…read moreambiance is absolutely lovely and the attention to detail is gorgeous. You have a view of the ocean below and what a surprise they even had fireworks going off above the city! Couldn't have been more perfect. We had the secret Eduardo and he was fantastic! Super professional and very polite and inviting. All the food was exceptional from the bread, shrimp appetizer, oyster amuse bouche, to the steaks and desserts. I never eat lamb or oysters and this was my first oyster and it was actually quite nice. The highlight got me was the tasting dessert with Apple Tatin, pistachio flakey dessert and chocolate hazelnuts. We even get a parting gift of chocolates to go. Looking forward to going back soon!

The restaurant is one of the best in Rio de Janeiro. If you are familiar with NYC iconic Pastis -…read morethe vibe is same, but only the vibe. The food at Le Blond is outstanding. The Fish potato purée and bananas is the perfect combination of savory and sweet. The baroa potato purée is creamy and filling, and the caramelized bananas! My partner had the gnocchi, also at great dish. Will definitely return again.

We found this restaurant through trip advisor. The food was really good. Ordering the 3 course meal…read moreis worthwhile. I had the vegetarian soup which was spinach and very tasty, although a bit starchy in consistency. The vegetarian entree on the menu was cheese ravioli with Gorgonzola cream sauce and toasted almonds. Absolutely yummy! An unusually large portion of ravioli for lunch. It will last another 1-2 meals. Also don't forget to order caipirinhas and their fresh home made bread. Dessert was vanilla gelato. Generally a pretty great find in centro. Tip: make sure to double check your order with them because only 1 person speaks a bit of English. When you ask questions about the other dishes for example, they sometimes assume that's the order.

Le Vin is one of the few French Bistros in Rio de Janeiro. And as such, not a half bad one…read more My regular order there, aside the devilishly divine couvert of fresh bread, butter and paté, is Moules à la Creme et Frites that go down well with a bottle of Chilean Carménère. Controversial, I know. Aside of my usual mussles fix, other traditional frenchies are also palatable - steak tartare, boeuf bourguignon and confit de canard are pleasant and extremely filling. Also on offer are fresh oysters which, strangely enough, are a bit of a rarity in these hoods. The decor is slightly lacking character and could do with a few more cosy and snug touches to really complete the French Bistro style experience. Prices are above average, but mostly worth the splurge.

Outstanding new French bistro off the beaten path in Leblon. Same owner of Iraja in Botafogo, chef…read moresuperstar and Rio Chef of the Year in 2014, Pedro de Artagao...WOW. Ordered the 4 course meal at $R 125 (about $40 US--a steal at this price)...started off with couvert which contained homemade bread, THE best butter I have ever had in my entire life, and pork pate....for the appetizer, selected the steak tartare with salad that was out of this world...the main entree was a chicken dish in a champagne sauce with rigatoni served in a pan with a rich white gruyere sauce that almost had me wetting my pants it was so good....for dessert, I selected a pistachio/chocolate mousse that was equally great. Place only seats 24 people so I advise getting here early and having your physical before eating here as your cholesterol level and dining experience will rise. I have eaten at a number of Jean-George's restos in the US and this place is as good.

Cute bistro in a very nice neighborhood, Leblon. The food was outstanding, creative, the place is…read moresmall and the staff slow but the food is excellent! Lindo bistro en un hermoso barrio, Leblon. La comida fue impresionante, creativa, el lugar es chiquito y el personal fue lento en su atención pero la comida es excelente!

When Claude Troisgros arrived in Brazil in 1979 it seems hard to believe he had plans to build an…read moreempire, but forty years later the legendary Chef and his son, Thomas, now own six Restaurants plus a catering Atelier, the most famous of which has been called Olympe since 2005. Originally opened in 1983, then as Restaurant Claude Troisgros before a name change honoring the Chef's late-Mother, it is at Rua Custódio Serrão 62 that guests will find a brick house holding one Michelin Star, the interior dimly let and intimate with staff that exudes professionalism. Offering both a la carte and tasting menus, the latter carte blanche save for allergies and intolerances, it is immediately upon seating at linen-clad tables that a Wine List is presented, several French bottles at fair prices popular amongst others while the lack of non-alcoholic options and Cocktails was surprising. Built on Brazilian Ingredients, but steeped in French elegance, it is with Bread service that most tables begin their evening, a duet of crisp Tapioca and cheesy Baguette each delicious with or without imported Butter while a follow-up Amuse of Foie Gras delivered a delicious balance of flavors in one bite. Drawing inspiration from the main menu, but not replicating any of its plates across seven courses to follow, dish one consisted of hand-cut Wagyu draped in Pork Fat with sweet and savory accoutrements, each bite a little different than that prior, though all were rich in a way that continued on with Butter-poached Slipper Lobster, local Mushrooms and Asparagus. Undeniably French cooking, though global influences are frequent, course three presented unsealed Ravioli with Potatoes and Yogurt in the middle, the addition of Balsamic and Pine Nuts creating something far greater than thus sum of its parts while Seabass with Beans and Fennel was perfectly cooked but otherwise fairly basic. Only seating four tables on this particularly rainy evening, service thus hovering at times, it was not long before a 63 Egg was offered beneath Farofa and Cauliflower, a tableside pour of peerless Bordelaise bringing otherwise common Ingredients up a notch just as fermented Manioc Root Juice did a slice of Domestic Ribeye with Pommes Aligot and a Tapioca crisp. Eschewing Troisgros famous Passionfruit Souffle Pancake for Dessert, a Parfait of Chocolate and Ginger served in its place, dinner came to a conclusion with four Mignardises, the R$475 price not a bad value but overall lacking the excitement of other Michelin-starred South American Restaurants.

We were told this was a top 50 restaurant in Rio and had a Michelin star, so we saved it for a…read morespecial occasion. Laided for French chef Claude Troigros' ingenuity, it combines French cuisine with Brazilian flavor. On a remote street in Jardim Botanical, closer to lagoa, you can find this modern, romantic, quaint restaurant, quite quiet at 7:30pm but nearly a full house by 8:30pm. Service was as expected for a place of this class, someone to greet us as we got out of a cab, a hostess to acknowledge the only reservation for that time, a table distinctly reserved by a solid polish rock sitting in the corner of the table, staff to refill water glasses and replace silverware for the next course, wine properly presented and poured at intervals (if you ordered a bottle), someone to call a taxi before we finished our dessert, etc. Although professional, it definitely helps to know how to communicate in Portuguese because I think English would be quite limiting. We ordered the chef's selection or confiança menu which included 6 small dishes and a dessert. We also ordered the Zacapa mojitos since we recently traveled to Guatemala and a French red wine (they had only a few by the glass) for drinks. We finished with green tea which came with four small dessert bites. They also offer a la carte and a creative menu (pick 4 from their menu) and a chef's pairing (dishes with wine selection paired). The dishes were all had excellent presentation and unique flavors and creativity. We started with a frothy mushroom soup which was simple but excellent. The first dish was a sashimi piece of tuna with a beet paste and topped with crunchy quinoa. It had exquisite taste and texture. The second dish was squid- the tentacles fried and body seared with a sweet spicy sauce. The third dish was lobster Ina buttery vanilla sauce (almost dessert like) over a bed of overly salted potato crisps. The fourth dish was another white mild fish with crispy skin in a bouillon broth and honey picked carrots. It was cooked well but lacked the inventive flavors of the previous dishes. The fifth dish was presented like linguini but was a cooked vegetable with a cheese sauce and grated Parmesan. The last dish was a shredded beef roll with topped dried meat. The beef had the consistency of a soft pâté and for me was not appetizing. Perhaps they showcased their best dishes first but flavor seemed to decline as the menu progressed. The meat dish was my least favorite and I was unable to finish it. Dessert was a lovely display of ripe berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries) on a bed of chocolate crumble with a raspberry sauce and scoop of ice cream, flecked in gold foil. I ordered a cup of tea since they do not have espresso and it came with a slate of four petit dessert bites. A roasted coconut covered soft marshmallow, a layer cake topped with salted caramel (my favorite), a Madeleine, and chocolate covered cornflakes. The meal was as expected in price, since they are transparent with their menus online which lists prices so one can plan ahead. Overall, a nice place to get a fancy meal. We would like to try some of their other dishes.