As one of the world's most exotic tourist resorts and with (for Brazil) a relatively large middle-class population, Rio is well served by restaurants offering a wide variety of cuisines - from traditional Brazilian to French and Japanese.

In general, eating out in Rio is not cheap - and it can be very expensive - but there's no shortage of low-priced places to grab a lunchtime meal, or just a snack and a drink: at a galeto, where you eat, diner-style, at the counter; or at a lanchonete, the ubiquitous Brazilian café, which serves very cheap combined plates of meat, beans and rice, as well as other snacks.

Cariocas dine late, and restaurants don't start to fill up until after 9pm. Generally, last orders will be taken around midnight in most places, but there are others where you can get a meal well after 2am. 

Drinking
The lists we've given are for both eating and drinking. Many bars serve food and lots of restaurants allow a night's drinking, too, so you should be able to find somewhere that suits you.

In most regions of Brazil, beer comes to your table in a bottle, but in Rio draught beer - or chopp, pronounced "shopee" - predominates. A good place to sample Brazil's national drink, cachaça, is at the Academia da Cachaça, Rua Cde. Bernadotte 26, Leblon, a small bar where there are three hundred available brands to sample - treat it with respect at all times.

Fast food, snacks, fruits
There's no shortage of hamburger joints in Rio, though it's worth bearing in mind that there's a good chance that the ground beef used comes from the Amazon, where immense ranches are displacing Indians, peasants and trees at a criminal rate. You'll get better, more authentic and cheaper food at any galeto or lanchonete - there are plenty in Centro or at Copacabana, though most are closed at night. You won't really need any guidance to find these; the places given below deal in more specialized fare.

If you're just peckish, then it's nice to take tea and cakes at Confeitaria Colombo, which has two branches, in Copacabana at Av. N.S. de Copacabana 890 and in Centro at Rua Gonçalves Dias 32 (closed Sat at 1pm and all day Sun). Founded in 1894, the Colombo recalls Rio's belle époque, with its ornate interior decoration and air of tradition; the branch in Copacabana has a decent restaurant upstairs, too. Also in Copacabana, and good for sandwiches , is Cervantes, Av. Prado Junior 335 (near Leme). In Leblon you'll get a fresh, crisp salad at Gulla Gulla in the Hotel Marina Palace, Avenida Delfim Moreira - a bit pricier than usual, but recommended. There are more cakes at the Bonbon d'Or, Rua Visconde de Pirajá 351 in Ipanema, or at any branch of Kopenhagen. For a choice of ice cream , aim for Mr Ice, Rua Ayres e Saldanha 98, Copacabana; Babuska, at Rua Aníbal de Mendonça 55, Ipanema, and Rua Rainha Guilhermina 90, Leblon; or - if you're visiting the Jardim Botânico - Mil Frutas, Rua Jardim Botânico 585. The Polis bar on Avenida Ataúlfo de Paiva in Leblon is a particularly good place for a suco (fresh, iced fruit juice).

Rio de Janeiro guide
Brazil guide

Check the fruit markets for something exotic and healthy: at Botafogo on Wednesday by Praça Canoinhas; Flamengo on Sunday in Largo do Machado; Copacabana on Thursday near Praça do Lido. The best place to get all kinds of fruits is at COBAL. You'll amazed with the variety of fruits.

Churrascarias
A number of Rio's churrascarias (barbecue houses) serve their meats rodízio style. For a set price (approximately $10), a selection of salads, beans and potatoes is laid out before you, followed by the repeated arrival of the waiter bearing roast meats skewered on a sword. more...

Vegetarian food
Vegetarians won't have any serious problems in Rio. While beans and rice are always available for basic sustenance, don't be shy of asking the waiter in any restaurant to have the kitchen prepare something a little more tasty: if nothing else, you'll get a plate of fresh vegetables. more...