Best restaurants in Itaguaí

Oro

★★ Michelin$$$$Creative

One of those restaurants that every food-lover should get to know! The rapport formed between chef Felipe Bronze and sommelier Cecilia Aldaz works wonderfully well as can be witnessed in every single detail. In this charming and elegant restaurant one block from Leblon beach, the cuisine is a fusion of Brazilian roots and cutting-edge technique. This is reflected in the Afetividade and Criatividade menus (with two and four main courses, respectively) which pay homage to the different regions of Brazil. At the counter in front of the kitchen, with seats for just four guests, you can appreciate

Casa 201

★ Michelin$$$$French

This dining venue near the city’s botanical garden was initially designed to house an art gallery, and is now home to a restaurant that makes every guest feel truly at home (hence its name). After working in leading restaurants around Europe, Rio-born chef João Paulo Frankenfeld brings to the table cuisine teeming with strong technique, logic and flavour, while at the same time always showcasing Brazilian ingredients alongside delicate French detail that sheds light on his career trajectory. Once you’ve rung the doorbell here, you walk onto a terrace and then into the dining room, where you ca

Madame Olympe

★ Michelin$$$Creative French

Everything people are talking about is Madame Olympe, the restaurant located in the Terrasse Center shopping complex, in the elegant neighbourhood of Leblon. There, the duo of Claude Troisgros and Jéssica Trindade presents a fine-dining concept that celebrates French savoir-faire — most notably in the breads and their exquisitely delicate sauces — while championing Brazilian ingredients and weaving in subtle nods to the world of Japanese gastronomy. In this contemporary space, where original rice-paper lamps evoke floating clouds, everything revolves around an eight-course tasting menu or a sh

San Omakase

★ Michelin$$$$Japanese

The specific feature of this small (just eight seats at the counter) but elegant restaurant on the first floor of a shopping centre in the heart of Leblon is its honest homage to Japanese cuisine, which goes beyond culinary concepts in order to teach us more about the country’s culture. Here, good hospitality is a key tenet, so you’ll be welcomed at the door with a glass of sake, while those with little experience of Japanese dining will be given explanations on the preparation process and the special characteristics of the Omakase menu. Chef André Nobuyuki Kawai, who spent several decades wor

Artigiano Ristorante

Bib Gourmand$Italian

Italian

OCYÁ Ilha

$$Seafood

If you’re looking to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy a meal by the sea, this is definitely a must. Access to Ilha Primeira is exclusively by boat (from several embarkation points) and when you disembark you'll be welcomed by a pleasant outdoor wooden deck along with superb hospitality. Chef Gerônimo Athuel's menu revolves around precisely prepared fish and seafood (some of which are matured in a special chamber built inside the restaurant) mainly cooked on the open grill. Dishes featuring on the menu here include matured raw fish with ajoblanco, octopus with a roa

Sushi Vaz

$$$Sushi

After the success of his two São Paulo locations, Wdson Vaz — a chef from Cuiabá with extensive experience in Japanese cuisine — brings his Omakase concept to the beaches of Leblon. In a compact space dominated by a long counter running the full length of the room — seating twelve — with a few tables outside, the dishes to be served that day are displayed behind the chef, dictated entirely by the freshest produce available. The offering includes à la carte options; however, what we strongly recommend is the Omakase, which does away with salmon altogether, instead showcasing a variety of locall

Clan BBQ

$$$Meats and Grills

To the backdrop of a neon sign “Não apague o meu fogo” (“Don’t put out my fire”) clearly visible above the door, chefs Pepo Figueiredo and Newton Rique showcase cuisine in which fire plays a key role here, enabling them to prepare fresh ingredients imbued with a special flavour. In this industrial-style ambience with a predominance of raw concrete, a sturdy tree takes centre stage in the middle of the dining room. There’s also the option of sitting at the counter by the grill to watch dishes and cocktails being prepared at close quarters. The menu is of course heavily focused on barbecued meat

Henriqueta

$$Portuguese

This “tasca” style restaurant in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro showcases the best of Portuguese cuisine in a bright environment with a glass façade, open kitchen and Portuguese ceramic decoration. The cuisine on offer dispenses with unnecessary frills, focusing on the quality of the ingredients and dishes designed for sharing, among which the “biff-anas açorianas”, a crispy bread sandwich filled with pork escalope marinated in wine and garlic, stands out. As a main course, we recommend the tender octopus “a lagareiro” roasted in oil, served with onion confit and mashed potatoes, followed

Sushi Leblon

$$$Japanese

An exclusive space with a trendy (and renowned) atmosphere in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro, where it has become a popular choice for those who enjoy high-quality Japanese cuisine. Open for almost four decades, the place is always on the up as it maintains its sense of tradition without turning its back on emerging food trends. In an intimate space decorated with a mix of dark tones and wood, the most sought-after spot is the bar counter by the kitchen where incredible dishes such as cubes of salmon with chilli pepper and truffle oil are served. Other options include the unmissable tuna

OCYÁ Leblon

$$Seafood

Fisherman, diver, and chef Gerônimo Athuel is a true fountain of knowledge when it comes to seafood. His priority is to champion the importance of sustainable, selective, and artisanal fishing, and he is deeply committed to researching techniques for preservation, ageing, and the whole-fish approach to species that are typically discarded, bringing them into his kitchen. With one location on Ilha Primeira, the chef has expanded his concept to the Zona Sul, in an entirely distinctive space flooded with natural light, with modern décor and a glass ageing chamber displayed right at the entrance,

Rubaiyat Rio

$$$brazilian, steak_house

Located in the Jockey Club Brasileiro within the boundaries of the city’s botanical gardens, this restaurant boasts breathtaking views where you can enjoy a meal on the terrace to a picture-postcard backdrop that features the horse-racing track as well as the statue of Christ the Redeemer. Inside, there is a large dining room with a counter that is home to the kitchen, where a large glass window provides views of the churrasco grill. Renowned for its array of premium meats and for managing its own production, the restaurant offers more than ten different cuts, although fish, seafood, rice and

🕐 Mo-Su 12:00-00:30

Giuseppe Grill Leblon

$$$Traditional Cuisine

As the name clearly states, all the dishes (fish and meat) at this restaurant are cooked on the charcoal grill. The menu here includes dry-aged meat options (T-bone, prime rib, bone-in tenderloin etc). Other standout dishes include the Maminha (sirloin trip-tip), the Picanha supra sumo (supra sumo rump cap), the brand’s registered trademark, as well as the slow-cooked Uruguayan lamb shoulder served with its own jus. A number of fish and seafood options are also on display, which vary according to availability on the day. The decor here features exposed stone walls, wooden chairs and leather so

Rufino Parrilla

$$$Meats and Grills

If you’re keen to experience cooking on an authentic Argentinian parrilla grill without the inconvenience of leaving Leblon, a visit to Rufino is a must. This restaurant, already famous in Buenos Aires, has now opened an outlet in Rio de Janeiro. The menu is prepared by Argentinian chef Agustin Brañas, who brings with him the experience of working in prestigious restaurants outside of the country. In this elegant space, reminiscent of the typical parrilla eateries in neighbouring Argentina, the highlights are undoubtedly the exceptional cuts of meats (such as sirloin, Angus skirt steak, Argent

Quinta da Henriqueta

$$Portuguese

This restaurant is a more refined take on its older sibling, Henriqueta, located in Leblon. In this charming restaurant near the Jardim Botânico, chef Antônio Minguins offers a menu brimming with traditional Portuguese dishes, with a particular focus on Azorean cooking. As one might expect, salt cod takes pride of place on the menu, appearing in a variety of interpretations: with coriander oil and a farofa — a toasted cassava crumb — of dehydrated olives, the traditional Gomes de Sá, with cream, à Transmontana... For meat lovers, there is no shortage of alternatives either, such as the Alcatra

Sud, O Pássaro Verde

$$$brazilian

Walking into this restaurant is like entering the home of a friend, as you’ll need to knock on the door or announce your presence in order to be let in. Occupying a house in the quiet Jardim Botânico district, this is the domain of chef Roberta Sudbrack who describes it as a space in which to “tell and eat stories”. Inside, the decor is modest yet welcoming, with an impressive wood-fired oven next to the main dining room, plus a charming open kitchen, from which comforting home-style dishes emerge prepared with ingredients from small-scale local producers. As a result, the menu changes daily i

🕐 Tu-Su 18:00-22:00, Su 12:00-17:00

Escama

$$Seafood

After visiting a French restaurant with a similar outlook, inspiration struck to open this restaurant serving the best fish and seafood in a relaxed ambience. The focus at Escama is one that showcases the best maritime ingredients, which he always sources fresh from local fishermen. For your main, you can choose how you want to have your fish prepared (grilled, baked or poached), such as the sea bass, which is accompanied by a delicious champagne sauce and roasted onions. The menu also features options such as squid, shrimp, scallops and oysters, plus a splendid seafood feijoada on Fridays. Th

Chez Claude

$$$Modern French

Run by the famous French chef Claude Troisgros, this dining space has plenty of detail to pique your interest. Firstly, the completely open kitchen in the centre of the room, enabling diners to watch dishes being prepared at close quarters that are based around French cuisine with the addition of some Brazilian-inspired elements and ingredients. And secondly, the fact that dishes on the classic menu are served in bowls for sharing, to add to the sense of family-style cooking. On the à la carte, which changes in line with the seasons of the year, we can recommend dishes such as the stuffed quai

Babbo Osteria

$$Italian

An outstanding property in a quiet residential section of Ipanema, whose Italian name (“babbo” is a colloquial Italian word for “dad”) provides an insight into the cuisine served here, a fusion of Italian and “carioca” dishes conjured up by chef Elia Schramm. One of the most popular eateries in the area, Babbo Osteria pays homage to the chef's father, and brings childhood memories and family influences to the cooking on offer. One of the dining rooms, decorated with ornaments reminiscent of a traditional Italian “osteria”, provides the backdrop for handmade pasta dishes such as Uova Pepenara (

Mr. Lam

$$$Asian Influences

Mr. Lam gained renowned for his culinary prowess in restaurants in New York and London, however he has run this modern, sophisticated eatery on the edge of the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon for almost two decades. In contrast with other gastronomic restaurants these days, the majority of dishes on the menu have been mainstays since it first opened, in so doing keeping with the tradition of offering the best Chinese cuisine. Featuring a hint of cutting-edge innovation as well as a focus on top-quality ingredients, the menu boasts memorable dishes such as the lightly battered and crispy Senhor Batis

🕐 Mo-Th 19:00-00:30; Fr-Sa 19:00-01:30; Su 13:00-23:30