Brazil Blog

Brazil Talk!

Cost of Food in Rio de Janeiro

Filed under: Ask Us - January 9th, 2006

Your Question

A friend and I are going to reo soon and would like to know how it costs to eat there, ie the cheapest places, ie a rough guide. Also what kind of things to be aware of safety wise?

Our Reply

There are many places to eat in Rio. It usually depends on what kind of food you are looking for. Along the beaches you will find many little concession stands that sell pastels with cheese, meat, shrimp, or palmito inside. These are quite cheap, you will be able to buy one for approximately 2 reals. These are cooked in oil, and aren’t exactly the healthiest thing to eat if you plan on staying a while in Rio, but if you are looking for cheap food, this is probably the cheapest.

If you are staying in a hotel with a fridge and stove, it is cheaper to buy food from the supermarket and make your own sandwiches, etc. There are also places that you can go to eat that charge by the kilo. These places aren’t necessarily cheaper, but this way you can eat the food you want.

Another option which I like a lot is a churrascaria. At churrascaria´s you pay anywhere from $15-$20 reals, and it is a non stop buffet of meat, and salad bars. Churrascaria means BBQ here in Brazil. You will have a table and waiters will come around with meat and you simply say yes if you want some of that particular kind of meat, or no and wait until then next waiter comes by with a different kind of meat.