Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
COMIDA BAIANA
The secret of Bahian cooking is twofold: a rich seafood base and the abundance of traditional
West African
ingredients
like palm oil, nuts, coconut and ferociously strong peppers.
Vatapá
,
a bright yellow porridge of palm oil, coconut, shrimp and garlic, looks vaguely unappetizing
but is delicious. Other dishes to look out for are
moqueca
(seafood cooked in the inevitable
palm-oil-based sauce);
caruru
(with many of the same ingredients as
vatapá
but with the vital
addition of loads of okra); and
acarajé
(deep-fried bean cake stuffed with
vatapá
, salad and
optional hot pepper). Bahian cuisine also has good
desserts
:
quindim
is a delicious small cake
of coconut flavoured with vanilla, which often comes with a prune in the middle.
Bahian and international cuisine served both inside and
out (in the lovely garden); the shrimp in cassava cream and
moquecas
are especially good. Cover charge (R$5) for
gentle live music most weekend evenings. Mains cost
R$46-58.
Mon & Wed 11.30am-4pm, Tues & Fri-Sun
11.30am-4pm & 6-11pm.
Maria Mata Mouro
Rua da Ordem Terceira (aka Rua
Inácio Accioli) 08, Pelourinho
T
71 3321 3929; map
pp.208-209.
One of the finest Bahian restaurants in the
district, with prices to match; whatever you choose will be
divine and lovingly presented. Very busy at weekends, so
it's best to book a table in advance. Mains cost R$65-105.
Daily noon-11pm.
★
on the waterfront for seafood, with a vast array of options
from fresh octopus and lobster to oysters and freshly
caught fish, though the house speciality is crab. Mains cost
R$25-45.
Mon 4pm-2am, Tues-Sun 9am-2am.
★
3
Pereira
Av Sete de Setembro 3959
T
71 3264
6464,
W
pereirarestaurante.com.br; map p.216.
Stylish spot with a cool interior and pleasant terrace
overlooking the road and beach. The meals - especially
the seafood and salad - and drinks are great but
expensive.
Mon 6pm-midnight, Tues-Sun noon-3pm
& 6pm-midnight.
Ramma
Rua Lord Cochrane 76
T
71 3264 0044,
W
rammacozinhanatural.com.br; map p.216.
This
classic whole-food café (sister to the old town branch)
provides an excellent range of tasty and healthy
comida por
quilo
at lunchtimes. Get there well before 1pm to avoid the
crowds. Figure on R$15-20.
Daily 11.30am-3.30pm.
Tudo Azul
Av Sete de Setembro 3717
T
71 9104
8011; map p.216.
This modest Swiss/Brazilian fusion
place is great for a relatively cheap meal and cold beer,
with the names of customers scribbled on the walls.
Think “Swiss” potatoes,
moqueca
and fresh shrimp. Staff
hand out salted popcorn while you wait for a table.
Daily
noon-11.30pm.
Porto do Moreira
Largo do Mocambinho 28
T
71 3322 4112; map pp.208-209.
Unassuming local
spot with creative Bahian dishes and a long history - it was
founded in 1938 by Portuguese immigrant José Moreira da
Silva and is now managed by his two sons (the restaurant
and the plaza featured in Jorge Amado's novel
Dona Flor
and Her Two Husbands
). Dishes from R$25-40.
Mon-Sat
11.30am-4pm, Sun 11.30am-3pm.
Ramma
Praça do Cruzeiro de São Francisco 7 (off
Terreiro de Jesus), Pelourinho
T
71 3321 0495,
W
rammacozinhanatural.com.br; map pp.208-209.
Excellent vegetarian restaurant (though be warned, meat
dishes are also served), with a fabulous salad bar and
desserts. Buffet-style meals cost R$45/kg, but R$15-20
will get you a good meal.
Mon-Sat noon-4pm.
★
RIO VERMELHO
Fogo de Chão
Praça Colombo 4 (Rua João Gomes 321)
T
71 3555 9292,
W
fogodechao.com.br; map p.207.
One of the city's best restaurants, this is part of a spacious,
modern chain of
churrascarias
serving exquisite steaks,
barbecued chicken and cuts of roasted meat.
Mon-Sat
noon-4pm & 6pm-midnight, Sun noon-4pm &
6-10.30pm.
Restaurante do SENAC
Largo do Pelourinho
T
71 3321 5502,
W
ba.senac.br; map pp.208-209.
Municipal restaurant-school in a finely restored colonial
mansion (once a legendary capoeira school). It looks very
expensive from the outside, but it's good value for what you
get. You pay a set charge for the lunch
buffet típico
upstairs
- about R$44 - and take as much as you want from a choice
of around forty dishes (and 12 desserts), all helpfully
labelled so you know what you're eating. On street level is a
simpler “
buffet por quilo
” option (pay by weight).
Daily
11.30am-3.30pm (
GARCIA
★
Aconchego da Zuzu
Rua Quintana Bocaiuva 18,
Garcia
T
71 3331 5074; map p.207.
Enjoyably different
and highly Bahian, this small family-run restaurant sits in a
courtyard on a backstreet of the Garcia suburb. Choose from
a wide range of local cuisine (try the
peixa au molho de
camarão
); superb, traditional percussion music is
sometimes performed.
Tues & Wed noon-3pm, Thurs &
Fri noon-midnight, Sat & Sun noon-6pm.
buffet
por quilo
only Mon-Fri).
BARRA
Caranguejo de Sergipe
Av Oceânica
T
71 245 9826,
W
caranguejodesergipe.com.br; map p.216.
Best spot
