The best Brazillian food I had during my trip to Rio. Walked in and this place was packed with locals. It had a good charm about it. We were seated and ordered the cod fish ball which was delicious and the brazillian lamb with broccoli rice and potatoes - this dish was the highlight meal of our entire 10 day trip. The lamb is baked for 8-10 hrs and then deep fried to give it the perfect texture and bring out all the flavors that are balanced by the broccoli rice and garlic potatoes. We also tried their Colorado beer and it paired very well with the meal. Service was quick and if I would return to Brazil, i would definitely stop by here again without a doubt. Highly recommend this gem of a place. read more

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Yelp Review 2025 #204: Nova Capela is one of Rio's oldest restaurants. It's located in the Lapa neighborhood. They serve traditional Brazilian food. This restaurant can get pretty busy in the afternoon to evening so, the best strategy is to come here as soon as they open. When I went, it seemed like the diners were locals and a few tourists. I looked up this restaurant before coming here so I can narrow down what I wanted to try. Fish or chicken filet with broccoli rice was the plan. But that's not what I ended up getting! Octopus: I love octopus so, I had to get it. Tender, perfectly cooked. Not heavily seasoned so you can fully enjoy its natural flavor. 4/5 Bolinho Bacalhau: When in Brazil or Portugal, you have to get bacalhau. Salted cod fritter without being salty. You get some crunch while the inside is soft without being dry. 4/5 Just the right amount of food so I can try more than one dish. Satisfying lunch. This is a very homey small casual restaurant. Service was good. Just wave somebody over if you need something. You must try this place! read more

Nova Capela is an old-school Portuguese restaurant in downtown Rio de Janeiro with dressed-up waiters and air conditioning in a rustically formal dining room. We started with the codfish croquette (my favorite) and the feijoada croquette, a creative fritter with a shell made of pureed black beans, and a filling of sausage and shredded kale (all the components of a traditional feijoada!). We also had Frango a Passarinho, deep-fried, chopped pieces of bone-in chicken flavored with crispy garlic. For our entree, we had their signature lamb, which was slow-cooked, chopped into pieces, then deep-fried and served with broccoli rice and fried potatoes. The lamb was super tender on the inside and had a nice crispy exterior, and the broccoli rice with fried garlic and the fried potatoes made for delicious sides! read more

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Came here during a food tour to try out some things. We had their cod fritters and they were amazing! Perfectly cooked and crispy and a good ratio of fish to potato. We also had some of their local beers and they were really good. We finished off with a sort of custard they had on their menu and it was phenomenal. You could taste the freshness and the fact that they were fresh out of the oven. Would definitely return here. Also, the staff is super friendly and attentive! read more

Nova Capela - Dive Bars Near Me - Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Very delicious food, excellent service and a nice ambiance. I highly recommend the Cabrito. I had it on its own and in an empanada. Both were some of the tastiest meals I had on my trip. read more

Very traditional restaurant. Good draft beer. Go there and order the lamb. read more

Nova Capela - Dive Bars Near Me - Rio de Janeiro, RJ

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I came here back in May when I was in Rio. The food here is fantastic. Definitely would recommend the lechón (I don't remember how to say that in Portuguese haha).. for all the non-hispanic people reading this, lechón is roasted suckling pig, it's amazing. They have shrimp empanadas as a starter and those are delicious as well. I picked the lamb as my main course and it was one of the best meals I've ever had. read more

Amazing authentic Portuguese food! You must get the bolinho de bacalhau. I could eat a whole meal of just this. It's the best in Brazil! I like it with the amazing hot oil that they have on the table (which I didn't think was as hot as other people thought!). So crispy on the outside and soft on the inside but with texture. Also had the fresh juice here. I also recommend the meat in general... though for my standards all Brazilian food has been too salty. But the chicken was tender and so was the goat. Strong caipirinhas! Great ambiance and servers read more

4.5 stars! muito bom aka delicious! had the 1/2 lamb-- big enough for 2-3 people. also tried the chef special fish dish Milanese style tilapia (2 fillets), capers, broccoli rice. house red wine for $8R= $2.50USD. affordable and such a good meal! read more

Nova Capela - Dive Bars Near Me - Rio de Janeiro, RJ

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First stop on our food tour. We started as the only people in the place and it really started to fill up. Had the pineapple mint drink which was refreshing. Baccala was ok. read more

I enjoyed the lamb special for 2 although hubby found it greasy. The restaurant was recommended by a local tour guide (we weren't on a tour with him) so we gave it a try mostly to get out of the 90 degree heat. I tried to practice my Portuguese but the staff had a great command of English. We had enough lamb, potatoes and broccoli/rice for 4 meals. That is the theme in Rio, huge portions for 2 that feed 3-4 people. read more

Not too far from our hotel, this seemed a good choice for dinner on our last night in Rio. When we arrived, around 7pm, it was not too busy yet, since that's an early hour to dine in Brazil (I had to leave my hotel at 3am for an early flight, so we were making it an early night). The waiter recommended that we have the cabrito (roast goat) which serves two, and since there were four of us, we ordered a dish of bacalhau provençal for two, as well. We also ordered pasteis and a single bolinha de bacalhau as starters. This, of course, turned out to be way too much food for four people, but it was all excellent. If you go (and there's no reason not to) perhaps consider ordering a bit less, or come hungrier. It's in a great neighbourhood to bar hop in, though we decided it was not a good one to walk through to get back to our hotel, so we took a taxi back. read more

Good, not great. The bolinho de bacalhau was very good. The leg of lamb was tough. Service was very good. At a time when many of the surrounding bars and cafes were full, this place was half empty. Probably won't return here. read more

One of my favorite spots to eat in Rio. Super traditional style Carioca restaurant that has been a popular bohemian and artist hangout from long before Lapa experienced its revival as Rio's night life center - in fact the original Capela was founded in 1903. House specialty is "cabrito assado com arroz de brocolis" (roast goat with broccoli rice), but pretty much everything on the menu is tasty and "bem servido"' (healthy portions). Highlights from recent visits are the "frango a passarinho" (garlicky fried chicken), "filet de truta" (trout filet) and javali assado (wild boar). Another important detail is that they make their house caipirinhas with premium quality cachaça, normally Seleta from Minas Gerais(one of my pet peeves is fancy restaurants that offer caipirinhas at premium prices with cheap cachaça) Service is professional and friendly (by Rio standards) and the place stays open until the last client leaves, making it one of the favorite late night stops for those enjoying the city's nightlife. read more