Before checking out Ipanema Beach for the first time, my buddy and I checked out Frontera for…read morelunch. This Brazilian restaurant was recommended in my guidebook for its buffet so we decided to give things a try. Upon walking in, I was impressed with the aesthetics of this restaurant. It's a large restaurant with nice, wooden booths and the decor is similarly impressive. The World Cup was going on while we were there and they had the game playing on a projector. Now let's get to the good stuff. This is a large buffet with a ton of options. We're talking all different types of meats, sides, appetizers, desserts . . . I would guess that there were at least 100 items to choose from. For someone who loves variety, I was in heaven. With the variety, the quality was there too. One of my favorites was the churrascaria-style meats that are carved in front of you at the buffet. To wash it all down, I ordered two fresh juices. This is truly a feast and one of my favorite dining experiences I had in Brazil.

Buffets are super popular in Brazil. We came to this one in Ipanema for lunch. Given Rio's…read moreperpetual sunniness this is probably not a place I'd choose again for a daytime meal given how dark the interior was. Food-wise there was a lot of selection ranging from rice and beans to many types of meat, salads and sushi. You can pay by weight or choose the all you can eat option for a flat rate.

Our private tour guide brought us here as we asked to have some traditional Brazilian food for…read morelunch. They gave us a seat on their patio which had a great view of downtown and a nearby favela. The server came by pretty often and made sure we were comfortable even though our table was a bit out of the way. I got the grilled chicken with rice medley which had carrots, raisins and a few spices. The white cheese on the chicken is not something I was fond of but I found it to be a popular cheese in the country. It just wasn't my style. Luckily the chicken was spiced enough w/o the cheese to still be really good. My sister's chicken parmesan was really tasty.

The duck gizzar confit with caramelized onions and grilled tomato sauce was great. The eggs…read morecarbonara on bread with pork belly was well executed. The crispy octopus with potato salad, smoked pork belly and beak chili vinaigrette was mediocre at best; the octopus was overcooked and the dish did not come together for us. The rib-eye steak with pure butter zest, roasted vegetables and roasted country corn meal was delicious and we would return for this lovely rendition.

My things when I'm traveling is to try Michelin rated restaurants because they're cheaper than…read moretrying one in New York. I was traveling solo in Rio and decided to try Puro because the prices were great and I can dine by myself and not look like my date stood me up. This place has two floors and outdoor seating. I chose outdoor because that's just always my go to lol. The place is still kind of small and intimate with little seating due to the space. Not many people spoke good English unfortunately. I had to use my translate app to communicate which wasn't an issue for me since I am in THEIR country. I ordered their shrimp and squash and it was delicious, nothing to completely brag and rave about but it was really good. I order their coffee mousse for dessert and had to send it back. It was too strong for my liking. Luckily, they did swap it out because sometimes in foreign countries they do not allow you to swap. If you don't like it you still have to pay. So I got their caramel cake which I lovedddd and I can rave about that. I wanted some of the meals I saw on here (from the pics) but they said they weren't available . I had a great time here and even with the language barrier I felt welcomed and would definitely recommend. Sorry I didn't take a pic of the menu but I'll say for my soft drink, entree and dessert everything came up to $26.83 usd so that's a win!! And they accept AMEX =]

Excellent food!!! The location mark in the app is wrong. The restaurant is right at the beach…read more Excelente starters (Filet Mignon Aperitivo, Bolhino de Bacalhau etc). Then the main courses were super delicious, the Spaghetti Frutos do Mar and the Arroz Marineiro). Super attentive service as well. We will be back!!

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!

We wanted to try out the Leblon Art festival special but the waiter claimed they were out. They…read moredidn't have anything up as far as advertising like we've seen at other restaurants. Nevertheless we tried out a few of the items on their regular menu. The brie stuffed filet was quite tasty, a little red in the middle but tender. It was smothered in a mushroom sauce and coupled with garlic noodles. The risotto was delicious, made from whole brown grain and was cheesy and flavorful. It included two stems of asparagus wrapped in pancetta which was also quite delicious and topped with a sunny-side up egg. It went well with a glass of pear champagne. This place, along with most of the restaurants in Leblon is pricy but you do get good quality food. Service was fine and on a cool night, it's nice to sit outside and dine al fresco.

We came here to try out the restaurant's advertised dish for the Leblon Art Festival but were…read moredisappointed to find out it wasn't being served. On the bright side, that was pretty much the only negative part of my experience here. I opted for a glass of wine and filet stuffed with Brie cheese. Their selection of wines by the glass wasn't huge, the the red wine I selected from Spain was flavorful and a nice accompaniment for the steak. As for the meat, the dish was delicious. I've never had steak stuffed with anything really, so the idea of filling it with Brie caught my attention. It was just the right amount and gave the steak, which would have been great on its own, even more appeal. The restaurant does end up a little on the pricy side, but for this part of Leblon and marketed as a fancy Italian place, that shouldn't come as a surprise. Worth the trip, even if they don't always have everything they advertise.

If you didn't know to look, you would walk right past this place! The place has been there for over…read more140 years, so they know what they're doing! The entrance is unassuming, but once you are in there, it's a big restaurant with tons of tables in the back. They have huge portions, great traditional dishes (think large steaks) and some fun twist (huge plate of spicy chicken wings). If you are in the area, come by this spot and you won't be disappointing!

We found this place from Tam Airline lounge, rated topped and was opened back in the 1800. When we…read morearrived, the entrance looked like a very small informal coffee shop, but when we decided to walk in, the back was a humongous restaurant packed with locals, the portions were large and we had their prime filet Mignon, almost the size of your plate, everything was excellent. The server seemed like they've been working there all their lives, service was superb. You should try their delicia lamas desert, it's surprisingly good with their natural matte drinks. I highly recommend

Where do I even start?! This place was the last stop on our food tour and I am glad our guide saved…read morethe best for last. We came in and the staff immediately attended us. We ordered some fried cheese, pasteles, shredded pork rice, beans, pumpkin puree, moqueca of shrimp and another of just fish, and a pot pie they make. Everything was delicious. The flavors were all fresh and everything left you wanting more. They also give you big portions enough to share. I highly recommend coming to this restaurant for dinner.

I came here during the Eat Rio Food Tour led by Felippe. He was an excellent tour guide and so this…read morerestaurant was excellent as well. I highly recommend the caipirinhas (since they'r strong), Jumba (keep it in your mouth for at least 10 seconds before swallowing... this was recommended to me and it was worth it... you'll thank me later), the shredded pork, the beans and smashed pumpkins, farofa, and the shrimp in sauce (which was my favorite!!!!). I wish I knew the names of each of these, but they all came out so quickly that I missed the names. Hopefully, you have a Brazilian friend who can quickly identify the Portuguese names of the above-named dishes :) Obrigado! -