Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
A juice bar
Center
Tropical fruits
Right
Buffet at Arpoador Inn
Dining Tips
!
Churrascarias
$
Unrequested
be limited to green
salads with carrots and
beetroot and fake meat
dishes made with soya.
Some of the better res-
taurants serve good veg-
etarian fare
(see pp44-5).
*
Hotel Restaurants
Appetizers
A number of restaurants
place bread, olives, cold
meats, and cheeses,
known as
petiscos,
on
the table. Although they
appear to be free, these
appetizers form part of a
cover charge. To avoid
paying, ask the waiter to
take them away.
Brazilian spit-roast
and barbecued meat
restaurants are becoming
popular the world over.
Cuts of meat on skewers
- from chicken hearts to
loins of pork and fillet
steaks - are brought to
the table in a constant
procession. Salads,
beans, and rice are
served at buffet
counters. Rio has some
of the best
churrascarias
in the country. On
Sundays most serve the
Brazilian national dish,
feijoada
- a thick meaty
bean stew eaten with
lime, manioc flour, and
Brazilian raw cane rum,
locally called
cachaça
.
@
Per-Kilo
Some of Rio's best
restaurants are found
in hotels like the
Copacabana Palace and
the Fasano
(see p112)
.
These are open to non-
guests but should be
booked ahead. Dress
code at these restau-
rants is generally more
formal than in Rio's other
dining establishments.
(
Padarias
%
Set Lunch Menus
The
prato feito
, also
known as P.F. or
prato de
dia,
is a very cheap, and
usually generous,
lunchtime meal. It
comprises a starter, a
main course consisting
of beef, chicken, or fish
with french fries, beans,
and rice, a dessert or
juice, and coffee. Most
smaller streetside
restaurants offer this
option, which is adver-
tized with a P.F.
sign.
^
Tipping
Many bakeries in
Rio double up as café-
restaurants and often
serve cheap
prato feito.
Snacks are also available
and range from
misto
quente
- melted cheese
and ham with salad in a
French bread roll - to
energizing
açai na tigela
- ice-cold purple berries
with
guaraná
syrup.
)
Fruit
Restaurants
These buffet restaurants
are among the best-value
eating options in Rio and
are especially popular at
lunchtimes. Diners
choose from a selection
of self-serve options,
which usually include
some choices for
vegetarians as well as a
generous selection of
very sweet desserts. The
plates are then weighed
and priced at the counter.
As in Europe, tipping
in Brazil is always
discretionary and should
be given only for
excellent service. Ten
percent is considered a
normal tip. Empty spaces
near restaurants and bars
are manned by unofficial
parking attendants who
“guide” your parking and
offer to watch over your
car. Cariocas
usually pay
them around R$5.
&
Vegetarian
Brazil has a delicious,
cheap, and hugely varied
choice of fruits, from
familiar mangoes and
papayas to the uniquely
Brazilian, such as
açai,
a
palm berry packed with
vitamins and minerals,
cupuaçu
, a pungent
white pod, and the
delicate
umbu
. These
can be bought in super-
markets or as juice
from juice bars.
£
Meal Times
Cariocas usually eat
breakfast between 7 and
9am. Lunch, which is the
main meal of the day, is
usually between noon
and 2pm. Dinner tends
to be light, except on
special occasions, and is
mostly eaten after 9pm.
Restaurants
Vegetarians have a hard
time in Brazil. When
available, choices tend to
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