![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DSC04156.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThis article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).<\/p>\n
Farida Zeynalova: What is the one dish you must try while in Rio?<\/p>\n
Rafa Costa E Silva: The most traditional dish is feijoada, a black bean stew with dried beef, bits of bacon, pork ears and pork feet. It\u2019s served with white rice, kale, orange and farofa, which is like the dust of cassava. It\u2019s a heavy dish, and if you eat it at 2pm or 3pm, you probably won\u2019t have dinner. Try it at Aconchego Carioca [in Pra\u00e7a da Bandeira], run by Katia Barbosa. It\u2019s a typical Brazilian restaurant and super-casual, a\u00a0bit like you\u2019re at the chef\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Rafa Costa E Silva is chef-owner of the two-Michelin-star Lasai in Rio de Janeiro, where the focus is on seasonal cuisine made using locally sourced ingredients, many of which are grown in the restaurant\u2019s own gardens. <\/p>\n
Minta Eats<\/p>\n
FZ: Where\u2019s your favourite place for a drink after work?<\/p>\n
RCES: There\u2019s a place in Leblon called Liz Cocktail E Wine. They focus on local ingredients like cacha\u00e7a, which is our traditional spirit made from sugarcane juice. It\u2019s a cute place to relax, whether you\u2019re sitting at one of the small tables inside or outside on the balcony. I\u2019m a big fan of their Black Negroni [with Beefeater Gin, Campari, Amaro Averna, Cinzano Rosso and coffee beans].<\/p>\n
FZ: Is there somewhere you\u2019d recommend for a meal with a view?<\/p>\n
RCES: Apraz\u00edvel [in Santa Teresa] serves straightforward Brazilian food with views of Rio, which I believe is the most beautiful city in the world. You eat on the top of the mountain, which means you can see half the city. They use ingredients from all over Brazil, and their tapioca is great!<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Oseille_Ambiente_Cr_ThomasRangel.jpg\"\/)
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Oseille_Copalombobokchoydemiglacedekimchi_Cr_Rubens_Kato.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Oseille by Thomas Troisgros merges French cooking skills with ingredients local to Rio, resulting in imaginative creations like this pork loin with bok choy and a kimchi demi-glace.<\/p>\n
Thomas Rangel (Top) (Left) and Rubens Kato (Bottom) (Right)<\/p>\n
FZ: Which restaurants should everyone try in Rio?<\/p>\n
RCES: It depends on the occasion, but for fine dining go to Oseille by Thomas Troisgros [in Ipanema]. It\u2019s quite casual, almost like a chef\u2019s table set-up with only 16 seats, and he even has DJs playing sometimes. He uses ingredients that are local to Rio. The last time I went, I had scallops and a beurre blanc made with coffee. His father Claude, who\u2019s French, also has a small restaurant called Madame Olympe [in Leblon]. It\u2019s small, cosy and very romantic. Claude is one of the first non-Brazilian chefs to cook international food using local ingredients. He does seafood like nobody else, like his aged fish cooked over\u00a0charcoal.<\/p>\n
FZ: What\u2019s your go-to bakery?<\/p>\n
RCES: My\u00a0favourite one in the entire world is The Slow Bakery [with branches in Botafogo and Jardim Bot\u00e2nico]. Owner Rafa Brito Pereira opened it around the same time as I opened Lasai, and we struggled together at the beginning. He has a bread called Rio Sourdough and that, with a bit of butter on top, is one of the best things you could eat in your life.<\/p>\n
FZ: Where would you recommend for ice cream?<\/p>\n
RCES: There\u2019s a place called Mil Frutas [with multiple locations across the city], and it\u2019s cool because it uses fruits that are almost impossible to find anywhere else, like cashew fruit and cupua\u00e7u (a chocolatey, tropical fruit native to the Amazonian basin). I don\u2019t have a lot of gastronomy memories from my childhood, but Mil Frutas always takes me back to being a kid and eating ice cream. It\u2019s been around for a long time.<\/p>\n
Published in the October 2026 issue by National Geographic Traveller (UK).<\/p>\n