Chef Roberta Sudbrack, a former Latin America's Best Female Chef award winner is always mentioned…read moreas one of the top chefs in Rio and her restaurant is considered among the best in the city. They don't take reservations so I decided to try my luck by showing up at opening on a Wednesday. The is no signage so I actually walked past it before realizing my error. Inside is a cozy little restaurant and the staff is very welcoming. There are menus in English which is useful for reading the descriptions of each dish. There was so much that piqued my interest and I wanted to try but alas I was dining alone this time and had no one to share with so I had to limit my choices. I really wanted to try the homemade bread with the homemade butter but I thought it might be too much so I settled on the "Organic cauliflower cooked in a clay oven" with tahini hummus, a Sud's classic. 5/5 The cauliflower was perfectly charred and the hummus was good. Another hard decision was trying to decide on what main course I wanted. There was the brisket, filet, pork tenderloin, Angus ribs, and slow roasted duck all seemed like good choices but I ended up going with the "Slowly roasted lamb in our clay oven" with roasted potatoes, carrots and organic leaves. 5/5 The first couple of bites it didn't have a strong lamb taste to it, but then there it was very subtle along with all of the seasoning used. I'm not a fan of greens but they were OK along with the roasted potatoes and carrots which were so well done. So finally the last difficult decision of the night was dessert. There were so many great sounding desserts that you knew dessert wasn't some afterthought. But I am a chocoholic at heart so when a dish is named ad described like this on a menu I have no choice but to order it. "Wet chocolate cake, the legend! | Chef's Sudbrack signature | sour cream and hot chocolate sauce | This one doesn't even need to be explained, it's legend!" I know why this is legendary I'm still thinking about it all this time later. It has to be one of the top 3 pieces of chocolate cake I've ever eaten. The cake was great but then you have a hot chocolate sauce to add on top and it is life changing!?! I don't want to sound hyperbolic but a 10/5. This was an higher priced meal, but the food, quality, experience, and service make it worth it. Plus a meal as good as this would cost double back home. I would love to come back sometime for another visit so I can try more. I would even come back just for the cake.

Fantastic meal, probably the best one I have had on my 11 visits to Rio…read more Started out ordering the homemade baked bread which was absolutely delicious (the dough and outstanding crust), especially when paired with the rich butter from Minas Gerais which has outstanding flavor and texture more similar to a fine cheese.. For the main course I ordered the highly recommended filet, cooked a perfect medium rare, that comes with bearnaise sauce on the side and delicious Sudbrack fries. Washed the food down with a good glass of red house wine and finished this great meal with 2 outstanding desserts that my friend and I shared--the chocolate cake with gelato (looks like a brownie but remarkably light) and a lemon merengue tart. All this great food came to R$300 each (roughly $62 US per person as of this writing at 4.9 R$ to USD)--a bargain compared to what I would pay for a comparable meal in Miami at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro--just as good but nearly half the price!!....BTW, they do sell loafs of their bread to take home. Run, don't walk, here...or take Uber. Muito bom!

Nice, healthy food option in Leblon featuring breakfast and brunch items along with fruit…read morejuices/smoothies, açaí bowls, salads, sandwiches, and healthy entrees and snacks. I call Nusa the "Pura Vida (a popular healthy food chain out of Miami) of Brasil". I came for lunch and ordered the grilled chicken which came with a small salad, beans and white rice along with a delicious strawberry and watermelon smoothie. Everything was very good and a very reasonable R$ 73 ($14US), including service tip, as of this post.

Highly acclaimed cafe and chocolatier in Leblon at the corner of Av. Ataulfo de Paiva and Rua…read moreRainha Guilhermina. Chocolates are locally sourced from Brazil and are perfect for consumption in the store with an espresso or for buying and handing out as gifts in boxes or sealed cans. Many come with nuts and/or unique fruits, such as jabuticaba (similar taste to a black cherry). Delicious and high quality. They also have another section of the store where they sell home accessories.

Really cute café in the centro area with actual espresso drinks along with drip coffee. There's…read moresome interesting items on the menu, including a waffle which is made of pão de queijo dough. Good place to come and get some work done too, saw several people with laptops. They also have a bunch of desserts which are more Brazilian style cakes without a lot of frosting but have a nice homemade taste.

Rua Maria Quinteria contained many of the restaurants I bookmarked to checkout during my stay in…read moreRio. Maria e o Boi received a Bib Gourmand rating for its Brazilian cuisine and I was definitely pleased with my experience over dinner. It was located on a corner lot with a couple tables outdoors, 8 tables inside with a large, well stocked bar. I thought the decor was inviting, simple and good for lingering over a long meal and conversation. Printed menus were only in Portuguese but the clipboard had a QR code to link you to the English version. The restaurant was known for their meat dishes but I veered to the Pirarucu, white fleshed Brazilian fish, as it was the only place on my list with it. It turned out to be the best fish I ate on this trip. The Pirarucu was firm but moist and complemented with the ajoblanco sauce (almonds, garlic and bread), a "scented chimichurri", Brazil nut like side (per menu but they looked and tasted like beans with tomatoes and green grapes) and kale. It was a delicious mouthful when I could get a little bit of everything onto my fork. I added a side of grilled vegetables (zucchini, kambocha squash, peas, and broccoli) which all were nicely charred and tender. It was a little bit over-seasoned with salt but still good. Service was as expected. A 10% service was automatically added to the bill which was settled at the table. Would return for another meal when I'm back in Rio.

Tremendous bakery in Ipanema with fantastic croissants, pastries, cookies, coffee, sandwiches and…read moremore with multiple floors, including a rooftop deck that overlooks the Statue of Christ. Stumbled on to this gem the last day of vacation and had an excellent chocolate chip cookie. Wish I discovered it earlier but definitely plan on revisiting on my next trip to Rio.

I first spotted this place in Copacabana and had to stop in to get a cafe and a snack because it…read morelooked so inviting. Then I saw they opened another in Ipanema and shortly after another in Leblon. This type of place seems like it would do well here. This store is not quite as large and doesn't have the display of the working portion of the bakery behind the window like the flagship store but it's less cramped and has a similar decor. I got a classic mille-fueille pastry and a cappuccino (they top with chocolate and cinnamon if you like). Both were quite delicious. There were only one or two pastries of each kind left, which is good because they don't make more than they can sell for the day, but still had a decent selection. I also got a loaf of Italian bread and will try it tomorrow with my meal. I'm excited they opened this branch out in this neighborhood.

Close to some famous Rio landmarks like the Arcos da Lapa and Selaron Steps, Sabor Peruano en Rio…read morewas a reasonably priced Peruvian restaurant with delicious food. When I walked in, staff greeted me and gave me a choice of tables. Decor was relaxing and crowd made up mostly of visitors like myself. There was a lot of dishes to try on the menu and as a solo diner limited my ability to try more. I was quite happy that they offered a duos marinos and even a trio marinos which was a combo plate filled with seafood ceviche, chaufa (Peruvian fried rice) and/or chicharrones. Duos Option 3 was the best. The fish ceviche was filled with lots of firm fish fillets, crunchy cancha and corn and a little sweetness from the sweet potatoes. It was a combination I've not tried before and topped my list. The seafood chaufa was something new for me. Not like an Asian fried rice but distinctly different with a softer finish to the rice with lots of cooked perfectly calamari, octopus and calamari. It was savory and satisfying. I was quite full by the end of the meal and glad I didn't get anything else otherwise I would've wasted it. R82 for all the food was a steal that made my taste buds and stomach very happy. Without hesitation come here for great Peruvian cuisine!