Brasilia and the West Restaurants

As the capital, Brasília attracts citizens from throughout the country as well as dignitaries from around the world. You can find a variety of regional cuisines as well as international fare. Brasília also has plenty of "per kilo" restaurants, usually decently priced cafeteria-like places where you pay according to the weight of your plate. Barring the fish dishes, the food in the Pantanal is neither as interesting nor as flavorful as that found elsewhere in the country. That said, the food is hearty, and the meals are large; affordable all-you-can-eat buffets are everywhere.

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  • 1. Café Daniel Briand

    $ | Asa Norte

    Frenchman Daniel Brand's café has become a Brasília institution since opening in 1995. As well as the croissants and coffee for breakfast, it's the sumptuous cakes and pastries that keep customers coming back for more, year after year, at all times of the day. Try to get a table in the garden. Service can be slow.

    CLN 104, Bl. A, Lj. 26, Brasília, Federal District, 70733-510, Brazil
    061-3326–1135

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
  • 2. Casa do Peixe

    $$$$ | Amambaí

    Get your fill of the Pantanal's fish varieties at this restaurant run on a fixed-price rodizío system. Couples may want to try the caldo de piranhã (piranha stew)—it is reputed to have aphrodisiac properties.

    Rua Dr. João Rosa Pires 1030, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, 79008-050, Brazil
    067-3382–7121

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
  • 3. Fogo Caipira

    $$$$

    This is the place for regional cuisine, especially grilled and stewed fish dishes. The standout here is the picanha na chapa (grilled rump steak), but the moqueca de pintado (a local fish stew) is also recommended.

    Rua José Antônio Pereira 145, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, 79000-001, Brazil
    067-3324–1641

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No dinner Sun., Credit cards accepted
  • 4. Fogo de Chão

    $$$$ | Asa Sul

    One of the most popular fine-dining options in town, this churrascaria (steak house) is one of the best of its kind. The sleek ambience of this spacious restaurant adds to the allure. It's famous for its rodízio service, in which waiters bring various types of meat on the spit to your table, where they'll carve off as much as you like. The prix-fixe meal includes a large and varied salad bar, but it's the beef that draws the crowds.

    SHS Q. 5, Bl. E, Brasília, Federal District, 70315-000, Brazil
    061-3322–4666

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
  • 5. A Tribo

    $ | Asa Norte

    This is one of the city's best options for visiting vegetarians and vegans. Run by South African Natasha Franco, A Tribo operates on a per-weight system, stocked with endless varieties of salads, pulses, and juices. Try the variations on Brazilian themes, such as acajaré with a vegan stuffing. There are also fish and chicken dishes, and regular days devoted to Indian cuisine. Get here early for lunch before the buffet runs out—it's popular.

    CLN 105, Bl. B, Lj. 52/59, Brasília, Federal District, 70734-520, Brazil
    061-3039–6430

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon.
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  • 6. Avenida Paulista

    $$$$ | Asa Sul

    This attractively located pizzeria, situated right by the futuristic Ponte JK on the shores of Paranoá Lake, is a surprisingly good value for such a fashionable spot. Diners can choose from a selection of wood-fired pizzas—try the four-flavor sinfonia di sapori, or opt for the buffet of pastas and salads. At lunchtime, take advantage of the set meals with an open salad buffet, reasonably priced by this city's standards.

    SCES Centro de Lazer, Beira Lago, Trecho 2, Lt. 41, Brasília, Federal District, 70200-002, Brazil
    061-3255–6000

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No lunch weekends
  • 7. Boi Grill

    $$$$

    If you've had your fill of fish, try this churrascaria for as many beef dishes as you can handle. The restaurant uses the all-you-can-eat rodízio system. Two of the most popular cuts are picanha (rump) and costela (ribs). Another recommended dish is paleta de cordeiro (lamb's rib).

    Av. Miguel Sutil 6741, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, 78048-000, Brazil
    065-3621–4642

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
  • 8. Cantinho do Peixe

    $$$$

    This establishment is one of your best value choices for enjoying local fish in a very local atmosphere. The highlight is pintado, which is prepared in two-dozen different ways. The cheese sauce is a good accompaniment to any of the fish dishes. Musicians play in high season.

    Cel Pilad Rebua 1437, Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul, 79290-000, Brazil
    067-3255–3381

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Wed., Credit cards accepted
  • 9. Carpe Diem

    $$$ | Centro

    If you're a bibliophile or a fan of the arts, you might enjoy the frequent book parties and art exhibits at this restaurant. On weekdays the lunch buffet is very popular with the business crowd. On weekends people flock here for the feijoada (meat stew with black beans). Among the regular entrées, the shrimp risotto is one of the most popular. There are five other locations in Brasília, but the original stands out because of its greenery-filled verandas.

    CLS 104, Bl. D, Lj. 1, Brasília, Federal District, 70343-540, Brazil
    061-3325–5301

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Credit cards accepted
  • 10. Casa do João

    $$$$

    One of the best places to try local freshwater fish, this celebrated wood-furnished eating house is just off the town's main square, behind the Banco do Brasil. The specialty of the house is traira sem espinha (fried boneless traira fish). Other favorites include grilled pirarara and pacu fish, caiman steaks, and, for dessert, petit gâteau (cake) made from guavira, a tasty local fruit.

    Rua Nelson Felicio dos Santos 664-A, Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul, 79290–000, Brazil
    067-3255–1212
  • 11. Choppão

    $

    A Cuiabá institution since 1974, this open-air eatery is always packed and is the best place in town to go for ice-cold beer and local specialties. This is the place to sample escaldado cuiabano, a local chicken soup.

    Praça 8 de abril s/n, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, 78000-001, Brazil
    065-3623–9101

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Tues.
  • 12. Divino Fogão

    $$

    This good value buffet in the Norte Sul shopping mall is the place to come for hearty food from Minas Gerais.

    Av. Presidente Ernesto Geisel 2300, Lj. 51, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, 79005-471, Brazil
    067-3045–3024
  • 13. Feitiço Mineiro

    $$ | Asa Norte

    Live Brazilian music, from bossa nova to contemporary, is a nightly feature at this restaurant. But the comida mineira (food from the state of Minas Gerais) is the best reason to come. One of the most popular dishes is the costelinha ao Véio Chico (fried pork ribs with cassava). At lunch, you can help yourself from a large buffet for a set price. The owners run a popular lounge next door, Bar do Feitiço.

    CLN 306, Bl. B, Lj. 45 and 51, Brasília, Federal District, 70745–500, Brazil
    061-3272–3032

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Credit cards accepted
  • 14. Fritz

    $$$ | Asa Sul

    This longtime favorite is the place to go for German cuisine. The laid-back atmosphere and no-frills decor draw those looking for authentic food and a great selection of imported beer and wine. Savor the rollmops (rolled thinly cut herring fillets) while you wait for your entrée. Good choices include the Eisbein (pig's leg with mashed potatoes) or Ente mit Blaukraut und Apfelpurée (duck cooked in wine served with red cabbage and applesauce).

    CLS, Q. 404, Bl. D, Lj. 35, Brasília, Federal District, 70238-540, Brazil
    061-3223–4622

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Sun., Credit cards accepted
  • 15. La Chaumière

    $$$$ | Asa Sul

    Since opening in 1966, this small but cozy restaurant has been the mainstay of fine dining à la française in the capital, and has numbered Brazilian presidents among its guests. Incredible as it may seem, the friendly owner and chef is a Brazilian who promised the original French owners to keep the original fare and ambience. His resolution still pays off: try the steak au poivre (with a green peppercorn and cream sauce).

    SCLS 408, Bl. A, Lj. 13, Brasília, Federal District, 70257–510, Brazil
    061-3242–7599

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch Sat. No dinner Sun., Credit cards accepted
  • 16. Mangai

    $$$$ | Asa Sul

    One of the largest restaurants you may ever eat in, Mangai specializes in cuisine from Brazil's Northeast and has seating for up to 900 people—you still may have to wait for a table. Located near the Ponte JK, Mangai charges R$59.90 for a kilo of food, which you serve up yourself from a vast buffet at the back of the dining hall. Try the carne de sol com nata (sun-dried meat in cream) or the tasty shrimp dish gororoba de camarão.

    SCE Sul Trecho 2, Cj. 41, Brasília, Federal District, 70200-002, Brazil
    061-3252–0156
  • 17. Morro dos Ventos

    $$$$

    Perched on the edge of a cliff, this restaurant has fantastic views. The palm-shaded building and surrounding gardens add to the atmosphere. This is the place for fantastic regional dishes such as vaca atolada (literally "cow stuck in the mud"). The strange-sounding dish is actually beef ribs served in cooked cassava chunks.

    Estrada do Mirante, Km 1, Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso, 78195-000, Brazil
    065-3301–1030

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner.
  • 18. Oliver

    $$$$ | Setor de Clubes Sul

    If you're in the vicinity of the Ponte JK or the CCBB cultural center it's well worth dining at Oliver, which specializes in Mediterranean cuisine. It overlooks the golf course, giving it a more open and lighter atmosphere than is usual in the Brasília restaurant scene. Come on weekends for the paella (R$79), or try the signature cod dish Bacalhau Ze do Pipo. Musicians play in the evening.

    SCES Trecho 2, Lt. 2, Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
    061-3323–5961

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
  • 19. Peixaria Popular

    $$$$ | Goiabeiras

    This is an unpretentious place to try local fish; don't miss the delicious piraputanga, a local fish prepared in a stew or fried. Other options are the pintado (a large freshwater fish) and pacu (a small piranha-like fish). All orders include a side serving of pirão (a thick fish gravy with cassava flour) and banana frita (fried bananas).

    Av. São Sebastião 2324, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, 78045-400, Brazil

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner weekends, Credit cards accepted
  • 20. Pizzaria Margherita

    $$

    The pizzas here come with thin crusts, generous servings of mozzarella, and fresh ingredients, but it's the candlelit ambience of the restaurant and garden that have made it one of the most popular eateries in town.

    Rua Fernando Correa, next to Bradesco, Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso, 78195-000, Brazil
    065-3301–2121

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. No lunch

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