Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EATING AT THE MERCADO CENTRAL
The city's Mercado Central is an atmospheric and popular place to grab lunch, a sandwich or a
cold beer. There are several stand-up bars around the edges, but
Bar da Tia
(
T
31 3274 9648)
and the classy
Botiquin do Antônio
(opened in 1963;
T
31 9267 6593) have the most character.
The most popular sit down joint is
Casa Cheia
(Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sun 10am-1pm;
T
31 3274 9585) a small but excellent restaurant - if it's full and you can't wait, the row of
buffet canteens behind it down the steps are okay (try
Bom Grill
;
T
31 3273 2333).
2
be visiting that state, at least try one of the distinctive
mocquecas
- a tomato-based stew, unlike the Bahian dish
of the same name which uses coconut milk.
Tues-Fri
11.30am-5pm & 6-11.30pm, Sat 11.30am-11.30pm,
Sun 11.30am-5pm.
Bonomi Panificadora
Rua Cláudio Manoel 488,
Funcionários
T
31 3261 3460.
Located in a rustic building
with just a small sign, this bakery and takeaway serves
excellent light meals (salads, pasta, soups and sandwiches),
wonderful cakes and what may be the best bread anywhere
in Brazil.
Mon noon-10.30pm, Tues-Sat 8am-10.30pm,
Sun 8am-8pm.
Café de Travessa
Rua Paraíba 1419, between Tourinho
and Albuquerque, Savassi
T
31 3223 8092.
Enticing
bookshop and coffee shop, serving light meals, cakes and
decent espresso - also hosts live music.
Mon-Fri 4-10pm,
Sat noon-4pm.
Casa dos Contos
Rua Rio Grande do Norte 1065, Savassi
T
31 3261 5853,
W
restaurantecasadoscontos
.com.br.
Local favourite since 1975, serving traditional
Italian and Brazilian cuisine, but also acting as a popular bar.
Mon-Thurs 11.30am-2am, Fri & Sat 11.30am-4am,
Sun 11.30am-1am.
Der Famous
Av do Contorno 6399, Santo Antônio
T
31 8417 9537.
Justly popular gourmet hotdog joint (try
the “Ludwig Van Beethoven”; R$16.80), featuring huge,
German-style sausages.
Tues-Sat 6pm-1.30am, Sun
6pm-midnight.
★
La Greppia
Rua da Bahia 1196, Centro
T
31 3273
2055.
A rare downtown Belo restaurant with some history
and great-value tasty Brazilian and Italian meals and
snacks, any time day and night. Try the R$25 unlimited
lunchtime buffet, or evening pasta
rodizio
with dessert for
R$16.80.
Daily 24hr.
★
Minas Tênis Clube
Rua da Bahia 2244, Lourdes
T
31 3516 1310,
W
minastenisclube.com.br.
The tennis
club's excellent-value (R$25/person; R$40 Sat & Sun) lunch
buffet is one of the city centre's best-kept secrets. Choose a
table on the terrace overlooking the tennis courts, gardens
and pool and marvel at the club's Art Deco splendour. The
food's good too - a varied selection of salads and hot
dishes.
Daily 11am-1am.
★
Vecchio Sogno
Rua Martim de Carvalho 75, Santo
Agostinho
T
31 3292 5231,
W
vecchiosogno.com.br.
Widely considered to be one of the best restaurants in the
city (and one of the most expensive; expect to pay around
R$150 per person), with an imaginative mix of Italian,
French and Brazilian recipes. Try the duck lasagne with
wild mushrooms or the herb gnocchi with a prawn sauce,
and don't miss the banana
tarte tatine
served with
queijo-
de-minas
ice cream.
Mon-Fri noon-12.30am, Sat
6pm-2am, Sun noon-6pm.
PAMPULHA
★
Xapuri
Rua Mandacaru 260, Pampulha
T
31 3496
6198,
W
restaurantexapuri.com.br.
The superb
comida
mineira
here includes dishes you're unlikely to find
elsewhere. The
moranga recheada com carne seca
(pumpkin
stuffed with dried meat) is cooked to perfection and the
buffet of thirty different desserts rounds off an excellent
meal.
Xapuri
has a nice atmosphere too - that of a country
house, the kitchen's wood-fired stoves and ovens clearly
visible - and it's a good place to purchase
artesanato
as well as
doces
(sweets) made on the premises. Mains
R$38-55. Pampulha is quite far north of the city centre -
it's easiest to take a taxi here.
Tues-Sat noon-11pm,
Sun noon-6pm.
Dona Lucinha
Rua Sergipe 811, Funcionários
T
31 3261 5930,
W
donalucinha.com.br.
Offers a gut-
busting but very authentic
comida mineira
buffet for R$56
per person - it's not cheap, but top quality, with a vast
range of meats, stews and vegetable dishes, and the
wonderful pudding-like desserts are all helpfully labelled
in English. Dona Lucinha herself (born in Serro) is a bit of a
legend, even penning a cookbook you can buy here. Its
sister restaurant is at Rua Padre Odorico 38, São Pedro
(
T
31 3227 0562).
Tues-Fri noon-3pm & 7-11pm, Sat
noon-4pm & 7-11pm, Sun noon-4.30pm.
DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
Belo Horizonte's chic nightlife is concentrated in
Savassi
, but you'll find lively pockets of bars and clubs throughout the
central area, and there's a flourishing live music scene in the city. Most days of the week, the bottom end of
Rua da Bahia
between Avenida Afonso Pena and Praça da Estação is lively; the bars put out tables under the palm trees and the action
goes on until the small hours.
