I am LONG overdue for a review on this place. I have been going here for over a year now and it is…read morejust wonderful. Since Brazil doesn't really have the same 'coffee shop' culture as the US, I had trouble working from home the first year that I lived here. FINALLY, I found Grão & Cia where they have free wifi, great coffee, nice people and a quiet upstairs to work where you are undistracted. Sometimes I literally work here for 6-8 hours so luckily they have snacks like nuts, cheeses and gluten free breads and granola bars. It is full of artisan snacks and craft beers and great wines. I bought this farofa that is so good! It comes in a fancy glass jar and has rosemary, Brazil nuts, basil and some other spices. I coated a piece of dourado (I think that is Mahi Mahi) with it and baked it and it turned out so yummy! The manager is really helpful. He is always getting new snacks in and has picked up on the types of things I like so every time I go in, he suggests new products. He also speaks English. Though, now I am fluent enough and we speak in Portuguese. The ONLY downfall of this place is that they literally play the same CD of 12 tracks over and over and over and over. In the year that I have gone there, it has NEVER changed. Thus, I bring headphones and play my own music.

It is very "Ipanema". A fusion of high quality gourmet products, a great selection of wines and…read morebeers and an addition of a very special food truck every Saturday, offering a mouthwatering pork sandwich. That is the time that I like most. The ambience is great with few outside tables and people gathering to talk, eat, drink and have fun. A very positive atmosphere. The sandwich itself costs 20 reais and it is delicious (ask for the "special" sauce). You can buy special beers or wine by the glass from the store. But it is not cheap after all: one imported beer and one sandwich (or a glass of wine) will end up around $50.

Os banheiros não funcionam e chegamos antes do artista começar a cantar, e ele começou quando…read moreestávamos recebendo nossa conta, então eles nos cobraram por sua apresentação, mesmo que ele não tenha ouvido ou estivesse presente.

I freakin adore ballada mix…read more Everything I have got from here taste very good. Not all restaurants in Brazil serve simple but tasty food, but I think that ballads mix does. When I go to balada , it is usually to have açai and everytime it has been possible for me to customize it. I usually have my açai na tigela (in a bowl) on the base of coconut water and less Guarana sirup to make it a little bit less sweet. And I have banana and granola on the side. Very well recommended. This is the real açai, creamy and full of taste of this amazing wonder berry.

The first place in Brazil where they had JALAPENOS! I didn't…read morethink that it would be hard to find a restaurant with jalapenos, even Dominoes doesn't offer jalapenos on their pizza. They have indoor and outdoor seating but when we went here they didn't have outdoor seating set up. It was a Wednesday afternoon - so we were seated immediately. They have English menu available! They have the Vegetarian dishes conveniently located (marked as vegetariano) We ordered Vegetariano Nachos. It was so yummy! The closest thing we would consider to Authentic Mexican food we've had in a while so we were super excited. lol. It had actual cheese baked on instead of that nacho cheese grossness, it had diced jalapenos, sour cream, baked beans and they have mild and spicy sauce on the table. Both yummy. They have Guarana Antarctica instead of Kuat, just FYI. All in all - glad that I was able to eat some food with jalapenos.

This is a gem in Ipanema. Very small, a dozen tables- and very casual. Their luncheon specials are…read moredelicious bargains. Finally decent guacamole!Their salads are a good size and well done.Highly recommended for lunch.

I hate when I take non-vegan friends to a vegan restaurant and they enjoy it more than I do…read more It was my fault, I've never had gnocchi in my life before and they make a vegan version of it here! Too bad it tastes like crap. Blechhh. The mushroom sauce was worthy, but the gnocchi itself was mushy and made me think I was eating half digested food. The amount of parsley on top also made me feel like I was eating grass. *Insert joke about how veg*ns eat nothing but grass* So why 4 stars? Because everything else on the table was so good! It actually took every fiber of my being to try and enjoy my dish while we tasted each others. Stir fried noodles? Amazing. Italian sandwich? Unexpectedly savory and full of flavor. I had to feign 'fullness' and stop eating. I was actually still pretty hungry but the gnocchi was that bad. :( We all had dessert and those were just super decadent and yummy! The caipirinhas and beer were all cold, refreshing, and perfect on a warm day. So yeah, I just chose the bad apple on the menu. Better luck next time. Oh! One more thing, the chef here? Can we say absolute Brazilian Eye Candy? Yummy, I wish I could trade my dish in for him. And I think he saw us (my and my 2 girlfriends) catching glances roughly every 2.5 seconds. A good looking man that can cook? Wonder who the lucky lady is! ;D

So, many traditional Brazilian dishes and items feature meat. As a pescatarian, I can of course…read morehave fish (which I love), but I was a little nervous about how many things I'd actually be able to eat and enjoy during my time here. Well, come to find out, Brazil actually has a little vegetarian and vegan movement going on. Surprised? I was too, but glad that I found one veggie spot in Copacabana, Bio Carioca. There's a really low key vibe here, pretty much a no-frills environment. Yet, you can find an abundant amount of options, even featuring gluten free and vegan options. I was there for breakfast (which, isn't really a prime meal there, so, it's nice to find places serving it), so started out with a Cafe (an espresso shot, if you want more of a traditional "coffee", order an americano). Then, since I'm an egg fanatic, and even though it didn't seem like the most "exciting" thing on the menu, I ordered Omelete com pimenta biquinho e alho poro (leek and local bell pepper). You also get a choice of cheese in any of your omelets, mozzarella or ricotta. I chose ricotta, but, they messed that up and gave me mozzarella, whatever. The omelete was good, but what I especially loved was the local bell pepper, different from any domestic pepper I've had. These tiny little guys packed a lot of flavor, and a little bit of heat too.

This store is perfect for a health nut. They have snacks and treats to accommodate for gluten-free,…read morelactose-free....all of the frees you can imagine. They always have samples of their products, which I LOVE. Who doesn't love samples, am I right? One time they sampled mini-pizzas made with rice flower--so good! The owner is really nice and knowledgable. She helped me pick out a bunch of gluten-free snacks for a trip I was going on. The Love bars and the Bio2 protein bars were perfect for this. I found a line of protein powders that I love here called Essential. They have sample packets so you can try the different flavors before committing to an entire container of it (because it is quite expensive). Last but not least, they have fresh gluten-free cakes and pastels. I got a slice of the apple pie and it was so yummy and fresh.

Amazing food! The best four cheese pasta dish I have ever had. Ask for them to add shrimp which was…read morenot a menu item and they did so with no issue. Beto our server was friendly and fast. It is now on my must forget time I return to Copa.

Food- above average Italian. Arrived at 6:30 pm and there were a lot of reserved tables. Ordered 2…read morepastas - shrimp and mushroom sauce pasta (too much mushroom brown sauce) and olive oil with garlic pasta - simple, satisfying. The shrimp and mushroom pasta was drowning in the brown sauce, a little too much. Ambiance-good, has the Italian trattoria vibe. Service - good, efficient.

They bring the meat to your table, Ross so you can pick out what you want. The side never ends and…read moreit's some of the best mashed potatoes I've ever had in my life like cream.

It's insane that i haven't reviewed this place until just now, as I've been here 5 times now and…read moreabsolutely love this place! The steaks here are insane, however my favorite is certainly the Picania - This is a cut you can't get in the US (at least not outside of Brazilian restaurants or butchers) but it's just perfect. They do serve a number of sides, the applesauce one, the carrots, the mashed potatoes, and the risotto were my favorites. In fact i think i asked for 3+ servings of the risotto. For dessert they also had Chocolate Mousse - So good! I REALLY hope this place makes it, i'll be back every time i'm in Brazil

What's unique about this place is their variety of Pão de quiejo. They come in different sizes,…read moresweet, savory and even in a gluten-free whole grain version containing chia and flax seed. This healthier version was 3.70 BRL per piece. They were twice the normal size, fresh and warm, delicious. Also, the manager/ owner speaks English quite well. Therefore I managed to order an iced coffee, black, no milk. They gave me a big cup of strong and excellent American style coffee plus a cup of ice, so I could make my own iced java. Very happy, since they drown the coffee in milk and sugar everywhere else.

Cant get enough cheesy bread while in Brazil? This casual place can help you satisfy your cravings!…read moreThe friendly server made a new batch for us. Best of all, the prices were great!

Quite an interesting experience. You walk into this place and it appears as though its an…read moreold-school, five-star establishment except we were in flip flops covered and sand and they let us in The economy in Rio isn't great so maybe that's why they were a little more forgiving. Sadly we came hunting for feijoada, which they weren't serving that day. So we ordered the Greek style octopus which sadly came as a cheesey potato stew. It was ok; I prefer my seafood fresh and citrusy vs. buttered and stewed but that's just my preference. Servings here are huge by the way, and beware.. and they take the plates to another table to cut up before they serve you (so if you're a food-picture-taker-obsessor like me, pay attention and be sure to ask before they portion). My friend ordered the chicken milanese which I learned is very popular in South America and it was very delicious. It's like a fried/thinned cutlet with mashed potatoes and gravy. The gravy may have double for the octopus stew now that I think about it. I literally LOLd when my hearts of palm salad came out. It had no dressing (not abnormal in SA) and was it was just literally 10 giant hearts of palm sticking up off the plate. After I dressed it myself I enjoyed it, I've never eaten palms of this size but definitely one noted , Would have loved to see it paired with some butter lettuce, onions, tomatoes, corn maybe - anything? The Pao de Queijo/Cheese empanada thing was good, nothing mind blowing. The servers were very friendly and kind. Just so bummed I couldn't try the feijoada. Overall, I was pretty surprised at the experience given their 5-star rating, but its just a fresh humble reminder expectations are a little different in Rio compared to SF- and that is totally ok:)

Degraus has a very old-school vibe to it. The servers are very formal.. this is the kind of place…read moreyour father takes you to...keep it simple, keep it classy. Hands down this was the best meal I had in Rio. Me and a friend shared some sort of grilled seafood platter that had a little bit of everything. I knew I had ordered the right plate when I tried the Octopus and it was perfectly cooked, just like the fish, the shrimp and every other item in our platter. The pasteles were also very good and the service was excellent. While I was too busy eating my platter to remember what the rest of our party of 12 ordered, everyone was happy with their meal. It isn't easy to please a party of 12.