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Le Pré Catalan
Le Pré Catalan is often rated Rio's best traditional French restaurant, with exquisitely prepared dishes under the watch of award-winning chef Roland Villard. Most diners select the three-course prix-fixe (fixed-price) menu (around R$140 ), which changes every two weeks. The modern, stylish dining room has elegant views of Copacabana beach.
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Livraria Prefácio
In the back of the small arts-oriented bookshop of the same name, this café, with its exposed brick walls and atmospheric lighting, makes the perfect hide-away on those rare rainy days. The menu features bruschetta, salads, sandwiches including croque monsieur (toasted ham and cheese sandwich), and desserts. The café fills with diners killing time before catching a film at the cinema next door, and hosts occasional book signings and art openings.
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Luigi's
Well off the beaten path, Luigi's is a casual Italian restaurant set in an old villa in Laranjeiras. Join neighborhood regulars for a drink on the small covered courtyard in front before venturing inside for homemade gnocchi with gorgonzola, fresh mushroom and tomato tagliatelle or risotto with seafood.
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Lulu
On a quiet tree-lined corner in Jardim Botânico, this stylish three-story restaurant serves contemporary Italian cuisine with flair. The excellent pastas are made in-house (try the goat cheese and eggplant), while heartier palates might opt for the chef's osso buco, fresh fish of the day with polenta or duck confit. On clear nights, reserve a table on the top-floor patio for idyllic views over the neighborhood.
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Mangue Seco Cachaçaria
Part of the Rio Scenarium empire, Mangue Seco is a popular spot for grabbing a meal or a drink before doing the Lapa samba circuit. The menu has a mix of seafood and Bahian fare, with hearty moquecas and bobó de camarão (shrimp pastries) among the most popular dishes. There's live music Thursday to Saturday nights, and an upstairs bar that stocks over 100 different types of cachaça .
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Marius Carnes
In addition to the breathtaking array of delicious roast meats carried from table to table, this Leme churrascaria (all-you-can-eat barbecued-meat restaurant) features a lavish buffet table. Oysters in the half shell, sushi, grilled vegetables with herbs; it all seems almost too lovely to eat. Next door is Marius Crustáceas, the restaurant's seafood equivalent.
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Marius Crustáceos
Although the price is sky-high here, this all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant has many fans. The waiters file through the dining room bearing delectable fruits of the sea - lobster, mussels, oysters, tuna, salmon, scallops and more.
Next door is Marius Carnes, serving delicious cuts of steak.
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Marizé Gourmet
This airy two-story restaurant is ideally suited to samba-club-goers in the area. It has big windows from which to watch the street action, and tasty salads, sandwiches and bar snacks. There's live music Thursday to Saturday.
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Mel & Pimenta
This small, airy bistro serves daily specials like tasty grilled fish and quiche with salad, which draw in the local lunch crowd. The tempting dessert case, however, means that any time is a good time to stop by for coffee and chocolate tart. You can also get a healthy breakfast here.
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Miam Miam
Exposed brick walls and a mishmash of retro furnishings set the scene for dining in style at Botafogo's newest culinary darling. Miam Miam, which is French for yum-yum, opened in 2006 under the guidance of chef Roberta Ciasca, who trained at Paris' famous Le Cordon Bleu. Here, she serves up her own brand of 'comfort food', which means bruschetta with pesto and tapenade, endive salad with gorgonzola, pepper crusted tuna with lentil ragout and many other unique (and yes, yummy) dishes.
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Mike's Haus
Mike's Haus has German pub atmosphere with traditional cooking and cold glasses of imported Weizenbier. Although plates are small here, the place remains a popular gathering spot for expats and Cariocas on Friday and Saturday night.
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Mil Frutas
On chic Rua Garcia D'Ávila (next door to Rio's only Louis Vuitton store), Mil Frutas serves tasty ice cream that showcases fruits from the Amazon and abroad. Jaca (jackfruit), lychee and açaí are among the several dozen varieties - all of which are best enjoyed on the tiny shade-covered patio out front. There's another branch in Jardim Botânico (2511 2550; Rua JJ Seabra).
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Mio
A mix of locals and turistas gather at this longtime Ipanema favorite for tasty traditional Italian dishes and excellent grilled seafood. A huge aquarium dominates the main dining room - though diners in the front patio will have their own glassed-in experience. There's also an impressive wine cellar (containing 700 vintages) and a humidor stocked with cigars.
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Miss Tanaka
Much to the delight of Leme residents, this former Jardim Botânico mainstay moved into the neighborhood in late 2007. The marvelously whimsical interior is like a paean to the gods of kitsch with hanging flower chandeliers, shelves lined with dolls and Buddhas and wallpaper that's pure eye candy. The cuisine is no less delightful, with delicious appetizers and mouth-watering sushi.
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Mustafá
This small take-out counter in Leblon serves fresh pita bread, tabbouleh, hummus and quibe (cracked wheat stuffed with spiced meat, then deep-fried).
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Nakombi
Another São Paulo transplant that opened in Rio in 2007, Nakombi quickly become a favorite for its excellent sushi and its over-the-top design. Inside the airy, 700-sq-meter multi-level interior, you'll find hundreds of Buddhas encased in the walls and floor, a mini waterfall and an upstairs with a retractable roof and a DJ booth.
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Nam Thai
Thai cuisine is a rarity in Rio, which makes charming Nam Thai even more of a star. The French colonial interior is a cozy setting for the eclectic Thai cooking. Favorites are squid salad and spicy shrimp curry with pineapple. No less intoxicating are Nam Thai's tropical drinks, like the caipivodca de lychee (lychee vodka caipirinha).
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Nanquim
Hidden inside the Instituto dos Arquitetos on a quiet street, this inviting restaurant functions as a self-serve at lunchtime with an à la carte menu at night. Risotto, pastas, seafood, quiche and salads are among the options. The 19th-century building is a mix of rustic and modern, with designs and sketches by Oscar Niemeyer adorning the walls.
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New Natural
Featuring an excellent vegetarian lunch buffet, New Natural was the first health-food restaurant in the neighborhood. Fill up on fresh pots of soup, rice, veggies and beans without breaking the bank.
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Nik Sushi
This simple but stylish Japanese restaurant has earned many loyal customers for its decent prices and delicately prepared dishes. Grilled items are available but are not as popular as the sushi - owing largely to the all-you-can-eat sushi lunches and dinners.
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Nova Capela
Like Bar Brasil next door, Nova Capela dates from the beginning of the 20th century. It stays open late into the evening, and fills with a noisy mix of artists, musicians and party kids. Legendarily bad-tempered waiters serve up big plates of traditional Portuguese cuisine. The cabrito (goat) is among the best examples of this dish you'll encounter in Rio.
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Olympe
One of Rio's best chefs, Claude Troisgros continues to dazzle guests with unforgettable meals at his award-winning restaurant. Originally from France, Troisgros mixes the old-world with the new in dishes like heart-of-palm salad with fresh octopus and red snapper covered with foie gras and asparagus tempura. The setting is a lovely house on a quiet tree-lined street.
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Osteria Dell'Angolo
Northern Italian cuisine is prepared and served with consummate skill. You'd be hard pressed to find fault with fresh pastas, seafood, and much-lauded risottos - the squid risotto in ink sauce in particular. President Lula, among other notable visitors, once dined in the elegant but understated Osteria.
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Plataforma
This restored churrascaria still draws a garrulous mix of politicians, artists and tourists. Dark, mellow woods in the dining room match the tones of the roast meats traveling from table to table. Also in this complex is the Bar do Tom, with live bossa nova, and downstairs is the Plataforma Show - the over-the-top Carnaval show for tourists.
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Polis Sucos
One of Ipanema's favorite spots for a dose of fresh-squeezed vitamins, this juice bar facing the Praça Nossa Senhora (NS) de Paz has dozens of flavors, and you can pair those tangy beverages with sandwiches or pão de queijo .
