We have separated the main restaurants of this category, according to the most important awards in the city, such as Rio Show, Tripadvisor, 50 best, Comida Di Buteco, VEJA Comer e Beber, Sabores da Orla and the Michelin Guide.

Afrotourism: Afrocentric destinations and businesses. A branch of cultural tourism that has been gaining other flavors with fans in gastronomy. It is about anti-racist experiences and destinations, one of RIOTUR’s priorities: a segment compatible with what the 21st century demands, valuing and respecting the culture of black people, great business, which generates employment and income, and empowers entrepreneurs.

In Rio, the region known as Little Africa, a term coined by the samba musician Heitor dos Prazeres (1898-1966) to refer to the area covered by the carioca neighborhoods of Saúde, Gamboa and Santo Cristo, in the port area of Rio de Janeiro, is occupied by a mostly black population. Centuries after receiving the largest number of kidnapped and enslaved people, the region entered the map of Unesco (which registered the Valongo Wharf as a World Heritage Site) and the cool English magazine “Time Out” that pointed out in that zip code charming bars and fascinating places of the African diaspora and embryo of samba. All this at the foot of the Favela da Providência, the oldest one in the city.

Redentor and Sugarloaf Mountain in 2023, according to a survey by the Department of Tourism of the City of Rio. On the back of this, it has been revealing itself to be increasingly “gourmetized” after the works of Porto Maravilha and the creation of an African Heritage Circuit. An Afrofuturistic destination in Rio, there are 15 points that make up the region, at least six of which focus on food, fun and ancestry. The following is a tasty excerpt from this experience that contributes to sustainable, tasty and ancestral tourism.

A little walk is enough to feel the splendor of Little Africa and the irrepressible exuberance of the cariocas who live there, generous smiles and a resilient and, above all, ancestral banquet. Check out a list of renowned restaurants in Little Africa below.

Gracioso Bar

The main point of disembarkation and trade for enslaved Africans in the Americas operated between 1811 and 1831, the year in which the transatlantic trade was prohibited. During this period, over one million people disembarked in Valongo to be sold and transported to various parts of the country. The site was revealed in 2011, during the archaeological excavations carried out for the implementation of the “Porto Maravilha” project. In 2017, UNESCO included Valongo in the list of world cultural heritage, recognizing in it “the most important physical evidence associated with the historical arrival of enslaved Africans on the American continent”.

There is Gracioso, a bar and restaurant founded by Spaniards in 1960, with the family at the helm until today. The flagship is the dumplings (corn and shrimp!!!), but also the stew, feijoada, risole and a dish that is the face of Rio: fillet à Oswaldo Aranha (tall mignon covered in fried garlic, served with rice and potatoes, for sharing with 2 or 3 people). The Original beer can reach R$ 9.90 according to the promotion on display.

Address: Rua Sacadura Cabral, 97 – Saúde

Opening hours: Opens daily at 11:30 am. Mon to Fri, it works until 10 pm. Sat, until 8 pm. Sun, until 6 pm.

Phone: (21) 2224-7554

Casa Omolokun (Omolokun House)

The oldest continuously inhabited black neighborhood in Rio, officially recognized as a quilombo in 2005, is a strong source of Afro-Brazilian culture. Pedra do Sal is recognized as the birthplace of samba and carnaval. The place received its name due to the huge boulder at the site, used to dry and sell salt at the time when the waters of the bay still reached its shores.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Pedra do Sal was a destination for the quituteiras, the “Bahian aunts”, in addition to the first candomblé terreiros in the city, as well as the emergence of samba carioca and the first ranches and carnaval cordons. Some of the most acclaimed delicacies outside Bahia come from the trays of these women – and also from some men.

One of the names responsible for it is Casa Omolokum, a welcoming environment of Afro cuisine. By this we mean acarajé, farofa, vatapá and lots and lots of palm oil, with a toast of cinnamon, orange and cachaça. “All in honor of orixás,” says the chef Leila Leão, author of the terreiro food served on a complete menu and also of the famous acarajé, the black-eyed pea cake seasoned with onion and salt, fried in palm oil and then stuffed with vatapá (coconut milk, cashew nuts, peanuts and shrimp), vinaigrette and dried shrimp. The hot sauce is on you.

Address: Rua Tia Ciata 51 – Saúde.

Opening hours: Fri and Sat, 1 pm to 6 pm; Sun, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Phone: (21) 97709-9962

Café Tero (Tero Coffee)

Located in Morro da Conceição, the brand-new Café Tero has a refreshing starter suggestion: seafood and fruits ceviche. Reason that injects endorphins to stretch the itinerary on a tour of the Morro da Conceição, where it is possible to appreciate the buildings of the colonial period, colors and an incredible view of downtown Rio.

Breakfast, lunch and late afternoon with drinks. This location is a success where there is even a menu of artisanal vermouths, as well as a tango trio at night. Idea of the mixologist Nicola Bara (from Micro Bar, in Leblon) together with chef Tobia Messa (from Flor do Céu, in Chácara do Céu), both Italian, for the charming house with access via Praça Mauá, with a bucolic atmosphere, lean menu, with a focus on fresh pasta. The vegetarian lasagna with gorgonzola cheese, radicchio and zucchini and the tagliatelle with pumpkin and sausage in beer are a success.

Address: Ladeira Felipe Neri 11 – Store A – Health.

Opening hours: Mon to Thu, 11:45 am to 6 pm; Fri to Sun, 11:45 am to 7 pm

Phone: (21) 99246-6556

Galeto Sat’s

Clients of the headquarters, opened in 1962, in Copacabana, Sérgio and Elaine Rabello bought the house in 2010 and, with the support of their children, made the miracle of the multiplication of the braziers. First came the store in Botafogo, with a lively balcony into the night. The third address, in Barra, opened in May this year. The secret is to keep the flame burning, literally, for the preparation, at any time, of portions of chicken heart (R$ 48), polenta (R$ 38), simple chicken (R$ 35) and garlic bread (R$ 12 per unit). In the complete version, with rice, egg farofa, fries and campaign sauce, the chicken costs R$ 82, the picanha cost R$ 165 and the pork, R$ 100. The draft beer (R$ 9) is almost unanimously requested to accompany the works, but the patriarch, better known as Serjão, is famous for his formidable collection of cachaças.

Addresses:

1. Barata Ribeiro, 7 – Loja D – Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro – RJ
2. Real Grandeza, 212 – Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Estr. do Joá, 3962 – Joá, Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Opening hours:

Copacana: Mon to Wed and Sun, 12 pm to 4 am. Thu to Sat, 12pm to 5pm

Botafogo: Daily, 11:30 am to 5 pm

Barra da Tijuca: Daily, 11 am to 3 pm

Phones:

Copacana: (21) 2275-6197, Botafogo: (21) 2266-6266, Barra da Tijuca: (21) 3796-1128

Social media: @galetosats

Da gema

At the new address since February, the capacity jumped from 60 to 200 seats, in the hall and at the sidewalk tables. Attraction of the original point, the beautiful graffiti of the black Jesus signed by Marcelo Eco was redone on the wall of the corner property on Dona Zulmira Street. Also included in the luggage were the classic portion of polentinha with oxtail (R$ 72, 12 units), the fat bean pastry (R$ 9) and the popular coxinha (R$ 10), prepared only on Wednesdays. Tasty food is the specialty of partners Luiza Souza and Leandro Amaral (he also strictly controls the quality of the draft beer, at R$ 8.50 per caldeireta). Beer in a 600 ml bottle (R$ 15 for the Original, R$ 21 for a Colorado Ribeirão), cashew caipirinha with lemon (R$ 28) and batidinhas (R$ 12 for the dose) can also accompany the feijoada (R$ 120, for three) on Friday and Saturday and the Sunday oxtail (R$ 45 for one, R$ 130 for three). Before the move, the duo opened, in 2021, Da Pedra, with lunch and fancy snacks and samba circles at the foot of Pedra do Sal.

Address: Rua Dona Zulmira, 134 – Maracanã

Opening hours: Tue to Thu, from 5 pm to 0:20 am. Fri, from 11 am to 0:20 am. Sat, from 12 pm to 0:20 am. Sun, 12pm to 7pm

Phone: 21 98148-4081

Social media: @bardagema

Quitutes da Luz – Morro da Conceição

Located in Morro da Conceição, Quitutes da Luz, affectionate name for the kitchen of Mrs. Luziete, who was a seamstress but a full-fledged delicatessen, and began to dedicate herself entirely to the cuisine of her region, the Northeast. Dona Luziete’s baião de dois has no match and it is a reference in Little Africa.

Address: Rua do Jogo da Bola, 117 – Saúde, Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Opening hours: Fri to Sun, 11 am to 5 pm

Bafo da Prainha – Largo de São Francisco da Prainha

Popularly known as Largo da Prainha, it is located on Rua Sacadura Cabral, at the foot of Morro da Conceição. Before the construction of the Port of Rio de Janeiro, there was a small beach there, which extended to what is now Praça Mauá. In the center, the statue of Mercedes Baptista, the first black ballet dancer of the permanent ballet corps of the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro. Mercedes founded the Folkloric Ballet that bore her name, a worldwide broadcaster of terreiro performances and a paradigm of the anti-racist struggle in the field of culture. The square and its surroundings have several bars and restaurants and intense day and night life.

Bafo da Prainha attracts crowds with several options of grilled meats (ask for the spoon cupim with broccoli rice, campaign sauce, farofa and Portuguese potatoes), buckets of beer, samba circles and, if you’re lucky enough to get a seat, the neighboring Casa Porto next door, with bean broth, batidinha and set meals served in the pan (with house drink and dessert). To eat on your knees, before going into the samba with the Women of Little Africa group on Saturdays at 6 pm.

Address: Largo São Francisco da Prainha, 15 – Saúde, Rio de Janeiro – RJ

Opening hours: Mon and Tue, 4 pm to 11 pm; Wed to Sat, 12pm to midnight; Sun, 12 pm to 9 pm

Casa Tia Ciata (Aunt Ciata House)

The House is a cultural center dedicated to preserving the memory of the matriarch of samba Hilária Batista de Almeida, Tia Ciata. The institution is chaired by Tia Ciata’s great-granddaughter, Gracy Mary Moreira, presents an exhibition with her trajectory and organizes the tourist circuit “Caminhos da Tia Ciata – Matriarca do Samba”, a guided tour of the main points in Little Africa linked to the birth of samba, in an ancestral immersion through a path surrounded by traditions, achievements, religiosity,  delicacies and samba. It also offers jongo, capoeira with maculelê, drum and afro dance workshops, as well as a delicious bean in the gourd and also a team of baianas (and baianos) of acarajé.

Address: Rua Camerino 5 – Saúde.

Opening hours: Tue and Thu, 2 pm to 5 pm; Fri: 2 pm to 6 pm;

Phone: (21) 96780-1710