Restaurants in The Central West
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A
Quitinete
This chic deli-restaurant-bakery serves exquisite desserts (try the tartellete de limão; lemon tart) and the best coffee in the city (roasted in-house). Delivery available.
reviewed
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B
Lagash
A mix of Moroccan, Lebanese and Syrian cuisine earns this sparsely decorated restaurant top Middle Eastern food in town year after year. Anything with lamb is delightful.
reviewed
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C
O Paraíba
Indigenous art lines the walls at this upscale tapiocaria where quesadilla-like dishes are made from tapioca, a specialty of the Northeast. Try the signature dish, queijo coahlo (cured white cheese) and carne de sol (salted and grilled meat with beans, rice and vegetables) served with homemade butter from the countryside.
reviewed
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D
ZUU a.Z.d.Z
The city’s hottest contemporary table honors the slow food tradition in an exotic atmosphere that highlights fresh produce from Amazonas and Pará. Chef Mara Alcamim, who trained in New York and Italy, is Brasília’s chef du moment. Her grilled shrimp in apricot chutney, served alongside Brie risotto, is cause for genuflecting.
reviewed
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E
Mormaii Surf Bar
Locals park themselves on the outdoor lakeside patio every afternoon for tasty sandwiches and the house specialt, açaí na tigela, a refreshing sorbetlike meal of blended palmberries, guaraná syrup, bananas and honey. On weekends, the waterfront location (located in the Pontão) attracts a roaring nightlife crowd as well.
reviewed
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F
Pizza à Bessa
The rodízio (all-you-can-eat) option here is implausibly cheap and the best way to try some inventive ingredients like pureed pumpkin, broccoli, and an outrageous dessert pizza with a huge scoop of ice cream. The queijo coalho and rapadura (dried sugarcane juice) pizza is a masterpiece.
reviewed
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Fogo Caipira
The best dishes at this regional institution require an advance order, such as the galinhada (chicken stew, six hours) or pacu recheado (a tasty fish stuffed with manioc and spices, three hours). It’s pricey, but as the only restaurant in the city with culinary stars, it’s worth it.
reviewed
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G
Universal Diner
A junkyard-chic aesthetic greets patrons at this eclectic rock eatery (it’s overflowing with funky bric-a-brac and antique knick-knacks), one of the city’s Brazilicious culinary gems. Mouth-watering tenderloin au poivre is the way to go, served up on vinyl LP placemats.
reviewed
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H
Cantinho do Peixe
Pintado (a type of catfish), fresh from Rio Miranda, ends up on plates 15 different ways at this simple but tasty spot just off the main drag. Try the pintado á urucum, a lasagna-like dish of pintado smothered in a tomato, condensed milk and mozzarella sauce.
reviewed
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Mangai
Newly awarded its culinary stars, this Bahian per-kilo offers a host of creative dishes served up by Natal chef João Pessoa at a startlingly low price. Try the sovaco-de-cobra, a kind of beef jerky with green corn. It’s down by the Ponte JK.
reviewed
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I
A Casa do João
The new top spot in town for fish dishes, being especially famous for its traíra (a predatory fish) which comes in a range of sizes depending on your appetite. All the furniture here is made from recycled wood from fallen trees in the local area.
reviewed
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J
Pantanal Carnes Exóticos
Got a craving for capybara with bacon? What about peccary with pineapple? Make a beeline for Pantanal Carnes Exóticos. It’s pricey but you’ll find dishes here that you don’t get in your local café. Don’t worry, the meat is farmed, not wild.
reviewed
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Mania de Pizza
No fewer than 55 different toppings to choose from, with some interesting combinations such as Coreana and Stroganoff, as well as a raft of dessert pizzas for those with a sweet tooth. Delivery option available.
reviewed
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K
Belini
Though housed inside a very expensive-looking Italian mansion, this high-end food emporium-cum-restaurant offers reasonably priced sandwiches at the counter of its small coffee shop (anything on ciabatta should sort you out).
reviewed
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Al Manzul
It’s difficult to argue with reports that this is the best Middle Eastern restaurant in all of Brazil. There’s no menu: it’s a 30-dish feast of Last Supper proportions. Reserve in advance.
reviewed
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L
Marietta
This sandwich shop turns out the capital’s best: a triangular triple-decker of arugula, buffalo mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes. It has prize-winning juices and killer salads as well.
reviewed
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O Galpão
If you like the all-you-can-eat experience but don’t have a wallet as big as your stomach, then give this central cheapie a go. It has the added bonus of being open on a Sunday, too.
reviewed
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Pizza na Pedra
A lively pizzeria right on ‘Praça Popular’. It does an excellent pizza rodízio (all you can eat) on Tuesday and Thursday for R$28. Save room for the ridiculous sweet pizzas.
reviewed
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Choppão
Occupying an entire junction, this Cuiabá institution offers huge portions of meat and fish for two, all chased with frigid chope (draft beer) in specially iced tankards.
reviewed
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Ceará
One of the city’s best peixarias (fish restaurants). The pintado in a tomato stew with banana mandioca (cassava) incites tears of culinary joy.
reviewed
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R & J Café
A swanky bistro that inexplicably charges corner-café prices for inventive, top-drawer, lunchtime meals. There is a fantastic variety of desserts on offer, too.
reviewed
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Peixaria Popular
The lunch course for one will feed you plus a horse. It comes with three types of regional fish dishes and all the accompaniments. A must.
reviewed
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Santa Esmeralda
Pastas (R$14 to R$18) with your choice of sauce, and excellent barbecue meat served on lengthy espetinhos (skewers).
reviewed
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N
Sale & Pepe
Has a decent selection of Chinese and Japanese dishes with a Pantaneiro slant, such as yakisoba jacaré.
reviewed
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O
San Marino Pizza
The four-cheese pizza from this outlet of the Campo Grande pizzeria of the same name is the best in town.
reviewed
