For a traditional Brazilian buffet, Demi-Glace was just a few doors down from Confeiteria Colombo…read more It was located towards the back of the building a up a set of stairs. I arrived around 1PM and it was pretty busy with mainly office workers out for their lunch and there wasn't any other tourists here besides myself. A couple of feliz anniversarios (birthdays) were being celebrated that day with some robust singing. The buffet cost around USD14 but drinks were charged separately. Quite a good deal. The central buffet contained all the meat, vegetable, rice and pasta dishes along with salads. Caldo verde was the only soup available next to the fried food layout. Breads and about 1/2 dozen desserts filled another table. The only English speaking staff was quite helpful explaining their buffet rules and very efficient at clearing away all the empty plates. A separate person was responsible for closing my tab at the table. I liked the variety of meats presented which even included the picanha cut of the pork, beef slices, chicken breast and a traditional Brazilian comfort dish with catapuri cheese. Vegetables were grilled, steamed or fried. Caldo verde soup was tasty but I skipped all the fried foods under the heat lamps. My single choice of dessert was a bowl of flan that was firm with a nice caramel sauce. A very good place to get some exposure to different Brazilian dishes that tasted good at a reasonable price. I'd recommend to anyone visiting this part of Centro to give it a try especially if the lines for the more famous Confeiteria Colombo are ridiculous.

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.

My first visit to Rubiyat was years ago in São Paulo under the fig tree. When I saw they had one in…read moreRio, I knew I needed to make a stop before heading to the airport (I was on a business trip). Once again, I was delighted by the food and the ambiance (where else can you sit in the city next to a park and looking straight at Cristo Redentor! The service was just as wonderful as I remembered. They recommended drinks (caipirinha de caçu) and the cuts of meat (always picanha for me)! We started with a nice assortment of break and accompaniments. The picanha was full of flavor and just the right amount. The side of palmito that was baked with cheese and nuts was out of this world!. Of course, a picanha isn't complete without farofa (we had the egg farofa). And to top everything off a pistachio petite gateau with raspberry sorbet...amazing! Once again, I have a reason to remember this spectacular place and to come back to Rio. Thank you!

We had the Executive special and it was very disappointing. I've known Rubayat in Sao Paulo for…read moreover 30 years and this was not what I've seen in the past. The pork rib appetizer seemed boiled. not grilled.And had a slightly sweet sauce. Underwhelming. My main dish, beef ribs also didn't seem right. They were tender but also seemed not slow roasted as they should be. They were finished with a decent demi-glace that didn't belong there. The puffed potatoes that came where somehow off, unfortunately. And the desert, a simple Brazilian style flan, was also poorly executed. Certainly subpar for the price and the high expectations I had from this brand.

Delicious food, impeccable service, great ambiance. Highly recommend. The restaurant is inside the…read moreMiramar Hotel on Copacabana beach, great location, easily accessible.

I was in town for business and this restaurant was recommended to us. The service was very…read moreattentive. We had multiple people fill our waters and ask we needed anything. The menu had a variety of items, we ordered a few appetizers. All were amazing! And the food was even better. The restaurant was clean. If back in town again, I would go.

Noticed the quality had been steeply declining last year, so this year decided to give it another…read moreshot, unfortunately we couldn't find out: We got there early with plenty of time before closing, ready to taste test the entire menu and drinks but the waiter in the front refused to give us service or even get in line, and straight up walked away. It's a shame cause last year at least the service used to still be good, now not only the food has declined in quality but also their customer service. So we spent our money elsewhere.

Super friendly staff. Excellent food. The gazpacho was soooo good. The jamón ibérico was very…read moregood quality. The calamari was perfect. The tortilla was ok. A good gin & tonic too. The crema Catalana topped off the meal.

Great food and menu, beautiful scenario and space, but the service almost made me walk away, the…read morekitchen and the servers were slow. :( Ps.: I speak Portuguese fluently

Food and drinks were amazing. Get the squid ink spaghetti and caccio and pistachio (I know it…read moresounds weird) spaghetti. Carpaccio was also very good.

The seafood paella is outstanding, super fresh, seafood packed, generous portions, and very…read morereasonably priced! Only $20 USD for two people and about $30 for 3, the 2 person portion fed us two meals!

TLDR: Stopped for dinner at Pici's and the food was great, service super slow though…read more We had a reservation at Pici and we were promptly seated. Walked in and the ambience wowed us. We then placed the order for our apps and main course - suppli (arrancini kinda starters) and mushroom truffle pasta and Pesce del giorno (seafood). The food was delicious. Seafood was fantastic and the pasta with truffle sauce was great. We then had to wait a long time to even place the order for the dessert - tiramisu. When the dessert arrived it was fantastic and one of the best tiramisus I have ever had. After this we had to wait for more than 15 mins just for the check. While the food is good, the service is slow. We arrived at 6:45 and left at 9:05pm - so you do the match. This place can get busy during peak dinner hours. All in all good food and I can see why they got the michelin stars a few years.

Excellent Italian trattoria in the heart of Ipanema…read more Casual but classy restaurant with reference to music greats. Had a great rigatoni amitriciana, house served garlic bread, and a solid Argentine Cabernet. Total bill, including tip, came to a reasonable $28 US (as of this writing). Pici has received Michelin recognition in the past--deservedly so I would add. Muito bom!