Choosing good restaurants in Rio, Brazil, is as important as choosing a good hotel. In Rio there are great restaurants but there are also mediocre ones, some of them right next to your hotel.
It is very common to choose the closest restaurant for dinner after a full day of touring Rio de Janeiro. However, siting at the table of the closest restaurant to your hotel is not always the wisest decision (this advice is also valid for other cities in Brazil).
The point is that many tourists choose the restaurants that are on the same sidewalk of the hotel. However, in Rio de Janeiro, there are great little restaurant on the street behind the hotel, right parallel to the hotel street.
Most locals, for example, in Copacabana choose to eat at those restaurants, where they pay a fair price for an authentic Brazilian cuisine, typically with huge servings.
To experience the real Rio, do as locals do — eat at traditional restaurants and escape the touristy ones.
Read related and comprehensive articles:
Rio de Janeiro Restaurant Guide
Traditional Food in Rio de Janeiro Cuisine
Dining in Rio de Janeiro – Best Places to Eat
For a full list of the authentic restaurants in Rio de Janeiro, get a copy of My Rio Travel Guide – The Essential How-To Visitor’s Guide to Rio de Janeiro.