With its captivating combination of urban life, beach and nature, the Rio de Janeiro reserve special corners for a breakfast or brunch at any time of day.
From charming cafes with outdoor tables to addresses that provide a postcard view of the city, we have selected seven tailor-made places to enjoy a hearty breakfast or lunch full of morning delights.
Where to have breakfast or brunch in Rio de Janeiro:
Café 18 do Forte
Inside the Copacabana Fort and with a breathtaking view of the waterfront, the pleasant Café 18 do Forte it also stands out for its excellent cuisine. Who is behind the venture is businessman Eduardo Araújo, also a partner of the bars Chanchada and Quartinho and the restaurant Pope.
Two suggestions that are very worthwhile are the scrambled eggs truffled with asparagus and naturally leavened bread (R$54) and the steak tartare, which takes almost twenty seasonings with a fried egg on top (R$56).
To drink, bet on the great “morning” drink bloody and sea (R$42), a version of the bloody mary enhanced with oyster sauce and finished with a VG shrimp grilled on the rim of the glass.
Copacabana Fort: Praça Coronel Eugênio Franco, 1, Copacabana / Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 am to 7 pm, with breakfast and brunch served between 10 am and 1 pm and 4 pm and 7 pm. It does not accept reservations and does not open on Mondays.
Nusa Café Brunch & Bistro
Small, charming and with a high-spirited atmosphere, the Nusa Café Brunch & Bistro opened in Ipanema in 2020, it became a destination for beauties from Rio thanks to its menu with recipes tailored to brunch at any time of day.
You can start with the surprising cheese bread waffles topped with guacamole (R$26) or the scrambled eggs with spinach (R$22). Another temptation is toasts, slices of rustic bread or brioche. One of the most requested is the one with cured salmon, poached egg, hollandaise sauce and avocado paste.
To go with it, there are creamy lactose-free smoothies, like the one with blueberry, banana, blackberry and vegetable oat milk (R$ 26).
Rua Vinícius de Moraes, 129, Ipanema / Tel.: (21) 3228-3562 / Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm, and Saturday and Sunday, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. It does not open on Mondays.
The Slow Bakery Leblon
One of the most celebrated artisan bakeries in Rio, The Slow Bakery, arrived in April at Leblon – is the fourth carioca unit of the business created in 2016 by partners Rafa Brito and Ludmila Espíndola.
A tempting option is the hot buttery mix pressed on sourdough bread with ham and semi-cured cheese from Serra da Mantiqueira (R$ 31). Rounding out the menu are pans with tomato sauce, soft yolk egg and something else to dip the bread in (R$20 and R$25 each), and the famous croques au gratin with artisanal cheese. One of them is the classic French croque madame (R$39), topped with béchamel sauce, mustard à l’ancienne and, of course, a brilliant fried egg on top.
Rua Conde Bernadotte, 26 (store M), Leblon / Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, from 9 am to 7 pm / Factory: Rua General Polidoro, 25, Botafogo / Opening hours: tTuesday to Friday, from 8 am to 8 pm and Saturday, from 8 am to 6 pm / Rua Maria Angélica, 113, Loja G, Jardim Botânico / Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, from 9 am to 7 pm and Saturday, from 10 am to 6 pm / Rua Visconde de Pirajá, 365b, Loja 4 – Galeria Fiamma, Ipanema – Temporarily closed / Not open on Sundays and Mondays.
Garden Emporium
Headquartered in Jardim Botânico, with branches in Ipanema and the beautiful Instituto Moreira Salles, in Alto da Gávea, the Garden Emporium chef’s house Paula Prandini won over cariocas with its breakfast suggestions served throughout the day.
On a paper card, the customer himself marks what he wants to order and delivers it to the friendly attendants. Some good surprises are the Gruyère cheese bread (R$ 13.90, three units) and the homemade butter with a touch of Sicilian lemon (R$ 4.50) to spread on the naturally-fermented bread (R$ 5.40). ).
The croque-monsieur and the appetizing Greek egg (R$ 28.90) are also good – poached eggs served with tomato sauce, goat cheese, spinach and olive tapenade. To drink, try the great detox juice, prepared with cabbage, coconut water, ginger, lemon and three drops of tabasco (R$ 15.50).
Rua Visconde da Graça, 51, Jardim Botânico / Opening hours: every day, from 8 am to 7 pm / Rua Maria Quitéria, 62, Ipanema / Opening hours: every day, from 8 am to 7 pm / Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 476, Gávea (within Instituto Moreira Salles) / Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, from 12 pm to 6 pm, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 10 am to 6 pm.
Café do Alto
In Largo dos Guimarães, in the hubbub of Santa Teresa, the Café do Alto stands out for its Northeastern soul brunch. There are more than thirty options to eat and drink all you want at R$70 per person (children from 5 to 10 years old pay half).
It has corn couscous, coalho cheese, cassava, sweet potato, fried plantain, scrambled eggs with jerky, boiled corn, tapioca dices, bolo roll, top hat, hominy, student cake and many versions. of mini tapioca. The cool brunch is set up on Thursdays and Fridays, from 10 am to 1 pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays, from 9 am to 1 pm.
Rua Paschoal Carlos Magno, 143, Santa Teresa / Tel.: (21) 2507-3172 / Opening hours: Wednesday, from 12 pm to 4 pm, Thursday and Friday, from 10 am to 4 pm, Saturday and Sunday, from 9 am to 5 pm. Not open on Mondays and Tuesdays.
La Bicyclette
With inviting tables scattered along the sidewalk, the matrix of La Bicyclette It has a strategic location: it is right next to the unmissable Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro (and also in front of the Central Globo de Jornalismo building).
Best choice until breakfast combos are the a la carte items, available all day. Try the royale and gruyère ham omelet (R$38), the Minas cheese and turkey breast croissant, and the sandwiches on milk bread, such as the montmartre (R$34 for the small one, and R$44 for the larger one), with melted brie cheese, Parma ham and arugula. Last year, the house gained a branch in Barra da Tijuca, on Avenida Érico Veríssimo.
Rua Pacheco Leão, 320, Jardim Botânico / Tel.: (21) 99531-5010 and Av. Érico Veríssimo, 970, Barra da Tijuca / Tel.: (21) 99635-5010 / Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, from 8:30 am to 9:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday, from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm. It does not open on Mondays.
Arp Bar
How about taking a table on the Arpoador boardwalk in front of one of the most beautiful views of the city, with Morro Dois Irmãos in the background and Ipanema beach in the foreground? This is possible in the cool arp beach bar at the Arpoador hotel.
Until noon, the house serves a menu that lists delicacies such as the hot mix on brioche prepared with a mix of Brazilian cheeses (R$ 35). Another option is shakshuka (R$45), a typical Middle Eastern recipe, which features poached eggs in tomato sauce, plus Greek yogurt and naturally fermented bread.
From 1 pm, the menu changes and suggestions are available, such as the artisanal pastrami sandwich on bagel (R$ 38).
Avenida Francisco Bhering, 50, Ipanema / Tel.: (21) 3600-4041 / Opening hours: every day, from 7 am to 10 pm.
Fabio Wright
A journalist from São Paulo who travels weekly between São Paulo and Rio, he has written about gastronomy for major vehicles, such as Veja São Paulo, O Estado de S. Paulo and Época São Paulo. In the last ten years, he has visited eighteen countries in search of good places to eat, drink, party and exercise bohemia. Also share your findings on the site and Instagram Taste and Fly.
Source: CNN Brasil
