Rio Hosts Restaurant Week Festival Through April 8th

By Beatriz Miranda, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Since Friday, March 16th, Rio hosts the 18th edition of “Rio Restaurant Week”, considered one of the biggest culinary festivals in the city. Until April 8th, sixty different restaurants will be serving specialties from the Brazilian and international cuisines.

Attracting a food loving audience that grows every year, “Rio Restaurant Week” will be honoring the international culinary in this edition: the chefs were challenged to create plates inspired by one of the 2018 World Cup’s participant countries.

According to the organizers, the challenge aims to stimulate the authenticity and creativity in the cooking process, and also promote the vast diversity of flavors and ingredients from across the world.

Restaurants from Zona Sul, Tijuca, Centro and Barra, but also from the municipalities of Petrópolis, Teresópolis and Itaipava, will be serving a special menu for the festival until April 8th. Renowned houses, like Santa Teresa’s Mama Shelter, Lapa’s Mangue Seco, Ipanema’s Opium and Gávea’s L’Entrecôte de Paris are taking part in the event.

Among the dishes prepared for Rio Restaurant Week are the salmon fillet with almonds and dill sauce with spinach cream and leek chips, served at Garden, in Ipanema; the chicken fillet with passion fruit sauce and noisette potatos, served at Faustino, in Itaipava; and “jambalaya” with Minas Gerais’ sausage, shrimp and spices, at Meza, in Humaitá.

Like in the other editions, most restaurants serve a standard three-course meal (starter, main and desert) for R$44.90 (at lunch) and R$54.90 (at dinner).

For those looking for more sophisticated options, some of the restaurants will be serving the “plus” menu, with a three-course meal costing R$56 for lunch and R$68 for dinner. For an even more refined culinary experience, the festival also includes the “premium” menu, which is served in the more exclusive houses for R$69 (lunch) and R$89 (dinner).

Every participant restaurant offers two options for every meal course. Beverages, service and appetizers are not included.

What: Rio Restaurant Week
When: March 16th to April 8th – see venue to check time details.
Where: see venue to see participant restaurants.
Entrance: standard menu – R$44.90 – R$54.90; plus menu: R$56 – R$68; premium menu: R$69 – R$89.