From the Palace to the Churrascaria: Dining in Rio’s Grand Hotels

Rio’s grand hotels on the beachfront hold some of its best tables, from a MICHELIN-starred pan-Asian room to a poolside feijoada. And a few blocks back, the churrascarias keep the city’s other great tradition. Here is where to book.

Rio eats late, and it eats well by the sea. The grand hotels on the beachfront hold some of the city’s best tables, from a MICHELIN-starred dining room to a poolside feijoada, and a few blocks back the churrascarias keep Brazil’s other great tradition.

At the Copacabana Palace

The Copacabana Palace has three dining rooms worth crossing town for. Mee, its pan-Asian restaurant, holds One MICHELIN Star. At Lumio, executive chef Nello Cassese, in Belmond’s words, opens a new chapter in Italian fine dining.

Pérgula, beside the pool, is the hotel’s easy, all-day room: Brazilian classics with a Mediterranean twist and Neapolitan-style pizza. The hotel’s Sunday brunch and feijoada are among its dining experiences.

Along the Avenida Atlântica

Further along the beach, Emile is the restaurant of the Hotel Emiliano, cooking contemporary dishes from seasonal Brazilian ingredients and organic produce. At the Arpoador end, Marine Restô at the Fairmont is in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide selection.

Ipanema: Gero at the Fasano

Round the point in Ipanema, Gero Rio is the Italian restaurant of the Hotel Fasano: risottos, pasta, meat and fish, in a room by the architect Miguel Pinto Guimarães, with an open-air terrace in front.

On the Avenida Atlântica, the grand hotels keep some of Rio’s best tables.

The churrascaria

For Rio’s other tradition, go to a churrascaria. Churrascaria Palace, on Rua Rodolfo Dantas since 1951, calls itself the most traditional in the city. In Leme, Marius Degustare serves meat, fish and seafood on the seafront; on the Aterro do Flamengo, Assador serves its prime cuts with a view of Sugarloaf.

Did you know? The city of Rio has recognised Churrascaria Palace, founded in 1951, as Carioca cultural heritage.

Our advice

Our advice: book the hotel restaurants ahead, above all at weekends and in summer, and keep a Sunday for the Copacabana Palace’s brunch. At a churrascaria, pace yourself: the cuts keep coming.