Yeesh. Creating business listings in Rio is not my strong suit. I think I got the address right. If…read morenot, please feel free to edit. This Coxinha Lanches location is in the Portuguesa neighborhood... and I like it. Situated in the middle of a park in a residential neighborhood, I was completely immersed in local flavor. After an evening of walking, exploring, drinking, and laughing, my friends decided it was time for me to enjoy a Brazilian tradition: hanging out at Coxinha Lanches and eating an ice cold acai slushy/frosty thing. But before I get to what is going to become an obsession of mine, let me start at the beginning. There's a food stand with all sorts of sandwiches and burgers from which to choose. Once you choose one, you get to top it with an assortment of condiments, vegetables and other goodies. Go back to your table, kick back in the bright red and/or yellow chairs, check out Brazil's version of SNL playing on the television (yep, there's a TV outside), don't forget the Skol beer, and get ready to get a grub on. It was a fun experience to be eating 4th meal outside, watching tv, laughing with friends, meeting new ones, and listening to kids run crazy at the park in which we were grubbing. It sounds bizarre but it was completely right. But as much as you're grubbing you.must.save.room. Evidently, beyond any savory items you'll find at Coxinha Lanches, the one (ONE!) item you cannot leave without trying is their frozen treat. I can't adequately describe it. Perhaps its closest American cousin is the Frosty. It's a similar consistency (but completely different flavor, of course). Served ice cold, the treat's eaten with a spoon. At first I was turned off by the dark color and thick consistency, but once I'd had a spoonful -- it was on! Why this isn't all over the US... I don't know. I blame Monsanto. Ridiculous. Not only was I having a sweet frozen treat that got better as it warmed and the consistency mellowed, with every spoonful, I was adding, like, another 45 years to my life. Awesome. The sandwich was good. The beer hit the spot. But, I would come back here at all hours of night JUST to have another one of the acai frozen treat thingie. Yes, I believe that's its Christian name. Fan-freaking-tastic.

Decent place for lunch in downtown Rio. Stumbled across it while exploring a nearby church. Was…read morequite packed when we walked in. Got roasted chicken, rice and beans along with spicy shrimp ceviche and caprese salad. Chicken was kind of stale but the beans were good. Ceviche and salad were alright, small portion. Drinks were good. Overall Aok experience.

This place had potential but it was a little sloppy with a few things. First, the setting is…read moremodern, packed tight but good use of space with a open feeling on the second floor with lots of light. The menu is straight forward; only a couple entrees with a collection of sauces and side dishes. They also offer 3 burgers (classic- beef, chicken, or pork). We tried all three. They were average in taste, nothing terribly special about them. The chicken burger is not a chicken fillet, but a chicken sausage put into a patty. The variety of toppings (caramelized onions, melted cheese, lettuce, tomato) all added to a good flavor but made the bun slip off and make it difficult to hold together. The bread was possibly the best tasting, crusted with sesame seeds. The fresh juice, tasted like it was considerably watered down. The beer we ordered was not available and replaced by a more expensive beer. The worst part, and possibly not the fault of our waiter (order was added electronically) was the amount of time our burgers took to come. All ordered at the same time, for the same table; all came 15 minutes or more between each. The first was the chicken. Maybe it was sitting on the counter and accidentally ordered for someone else or was sent back, but it came quickly and hot. The classic burger took a while longer and maybe it was also the order of fries. I was nearly half done with my meal before my friends burger came out. And lastly we were waiting for the pork burger which we had to ask the waiter to check on. I was done with my meal before the last burger came. It shouldn't take half an hour to get a burger at 2pm after lunch rush hour.