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.

Surprisingly tasty Arabic food in Rio! We had starters of stuffed cabbage, stuffed grape leaves and…read morefalafel. All of the starters were quite tasty. Our mains included chicken skewers, schwarma plates and gyros. Each main dish was massive and could most certainly have fed two people. All of the dishes were flavorful and left us wishing we could finish the giant portions. Service was efficient and ambiance was warm and welcoming. Highly recommend.

We ordered the arabe mista that comes with kafta (ground beef) and steak tips for 2 people…read more Everything was full of flavor. It comes with rice mixed with lentils and tabbouleh (R$60ish). We ordered the roasted kibe for R$8 and it was DELICIOUS! There are tables on the street if you're just in for apps and drinks and tables inside for dinner. Highly recommend it!

I was skeptical when my gf said she would be taking me to the best esfiha restaurant and insisted…read morethat the Copacabana hole-in-the-wall also had the best chopps. If you don't know what either is, an esfiha is an Middle-Eastern bread triangle with anything from cheese, chicken, meat or spinach fillings. Chopp = draft beer. So in we walk to Faraj and little did I know that I'd return many, many more times to cure cravings of their expertly homemade bready triangles. The no frills restaurant is modest, but the flavor is so there. I swear the chopps get me tipster than any other (maybe it's due to the near-frozen temperatures). I recommend ordering the esfihas that have recently arrived from the kitchen (hot and tasty) and if you get the kibe, ask for them to fry it fresh.

Unexpected surprise! French food for the win in Brazil. EVERYTHING was superb. The onion soup,…read morefocaccia bread and escargot were top winners. Such a delightful place and menu.

We went at lunch time. Location is hard: tiny and dark…read morestreet, no public parking, no vallet parking and, worse, not public transportation close enough. There was only one waiter serving about 7 tables and she was undoubtedly overwhelmed, having a hard time to take our orders: she would ask what we wanted and turn her face to the others customers forcing us to repeat order, at least, 3 times. Ridiculously distracted, but very gentle, which nowadays is a plus in Rio de Janeiro! We opt for the "menu executivo": very decent options, a perfect combination of flavors, satisfying sized dishes for excellent price - cocktail + 2 starters + 2 entrees+ 2 desserts + 2 coffees = around 120 reais. But one only gets this at lunch: regular menu value double in price. The building is beautiful and the decor is simple and sophisticated.

Chef Daniel Pinho made a very well balanced menu working primarily on the taste from his…read moreexperiences in Thai, French and Brazilian cuisine. The very cool atmosphere on Rio's planetarium pilotis is a perfect mix for this charming, unmissable bistro.