Exame Magazine Picks Brazil’s Top 100 Restaurants

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Exame Magazine has asked a jury of food critics and gourmands to come up with their choice of Brazil’s top 100 restaurants.

São Paulo’s A Casa do Porco came out in top spot with the Rio duo of Lasai and Oteque in 2nd and 3rd and Salvador’s Origem in fourth. Filling out the top five was Maní in São Paulo.

Full list of top 100 covering 12 Brazilian states below and for the original story CLICK HERE

1 A Casa do Porco São Paulo
2 Lasai Rio de Janeiro
3 Oteque Rio de Janeiro
4 Origem Salvador
5 Maní São Paulo
6 Manga Salvador
7 Metzi São Paulo
8 Charco São Paulo
9 Nelita São Paulo
10 Glouton Belo Horizonte
11 Notiê São Paulo
12 D.O.M. São Paulo
12 Fame Osteria São Paulo
14 Taberna Japonesa Quina do Futuro Recife
15 Shihoma Pasta Fresca São Paulo
16 Evvai São Paulo
16 Mocotó São Paulo
18 Cipriani Rio de Janeiro
19 Valle Rustico Garibaldi (RS)
20 Murakami São Paulo
21 Manu Curitiba
22 Cepa São Paulo
23 Ocyá Rio de Janeiro
23 Pacato Belo Horizonte
23 Tanit São Paulo
26 Osso São Paulo
27 Xapuri Belo Horizonte
28 Escama Rio de Janeiro
28 Fasano São Paulo
30 Corrutela São Paulo
31 Cais São Paulo
32 Lilia Rio de Janeiro
33 74 Búzios (RJ)
34 Rocka Búzios (RJ)
35 Jiquitaia São Paulo
35 Mesa do Lado Rio de Janeiro
35 Picchi São Paulo
38 Íz Goiânia
39 Cozinha Tupis Belo Horizonte
39 Igor Curitiba
41 Caxiri Manaus
41 Dona Mariquita Salvador
43 Aizomê São Paulo
43 Barú Marisquería São Paulo
43 Capincho Porto Alegre
46 Sult São Paulo
47 Votre Brasserie São Paulo
48 Preto São Paulo
49 Punk Cuisine Curitiba
50 Makoto San São Paulo
51 Komah São Paulo
52 Grado Rio de Janeiro
53 Kan Suke São Paulo
54 Florestal Belo Horizonte
55 Chez Claude São Paulo/Rio de Janeiro
56 Cora São Paulo
57 Birosca S2 Belo Horizonte
58 Oro Rio de Janeiro
59 Président São Paulo
60 Tragaluz Tiradentes (MG)
61 Jun Sakamoto São Paulo
61 Kuro São Paulo
63 Arturito São Paulo
63 K.sa Curitiba
63 Obst. Curitiba
66 Gero Rio Rio de Janeiro
67 De Segunda São Paulo
68 Banzeiro São Paulo/Manaus
69 Carvão Salvador
70 Sud, o Pássaro Verde Rio de Janeiro
71 Remanso do Peixe Belém
72 Guri Porto Alegre
72 Ostradamus Florianópolis
74 Zoi Fortaleza
75 Xavier Porto Alegre
76 Turi Belo Horizonte
77 Voar Recife
78 São Pedro Recife
79 Osteria Della Colombina Garibaldi (RS)
80 Ristorantino São Paulo
81 Cuia São Paulo
82 Casa do Saulo Santarém (PA)
83 Gajos D’Ouro Rio de Janeiro
83 Nino Cucina São Paulo
85 Borgo Mooca São Paulo
85 Camélia Òdòdó São Paulo
87 Haru Rio de Janeiro
88 Hashi Porto Alegre
89 Babbo Osteria Rio de Janeiro
90 Amado Salvador
90 Arvo Recife
92 Kinoshita São Paulo
93 Tasca da Esquina São Paulo
94 Tangará Jean-Georges São Paulo
95 Modern Mamma Osteria São Paulo
96 Casa de Tereza Salvador
97 Imma São Paulo
98 Donna São Paulo
99 Nōsu São Paulo
100 Preta Salvador

British Airways Daily Service to Rio as of October 2023

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As of 28 October 2023, British Airways’ service from London Heathrow to RIOgaleão – Aeroporto Internacional Tom Jobim will continue on to Buenos Aires, which will lose its current non-stop service.

However, the flights will now be daily (rather than the current five times a week), and there will be a switch of aircraft from the Boeing 787-8 to the Boeing 777-200ER. That increases capacity from 214 passengers to 272.

The other change is that the outbound flight from London will no longer be a daytime flight but over night. It is expected that the BA 249 will depart daily from London at 22:10, landing in Rio de Janeiro at 07:05 the following day. Departing at 08:35 for Buenos Aires where it is scheduled to land at 11:40. On the return the BA 248 will depart from Buenos Aires at 13:30, landing in Rio de Janeiro at 16:25. It will depart Rio at 17:55 to arrive in London the following day at 08:10.

It is also worth remembering that British Airways will also be able to offer seats between just Rio and Buenos Aires.

Baía do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, world’s best beach for 2023

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Baía do Sancho, on Fernando de Noronha, is the world’s best beach for 2023, according to Tripadvisor. Ipanema in Rio is at number 19 on the list.
Top ten for 2023 is:
  1. Baia do Sancho, Brazil
  2. Eagle Beach, Aruba
  3. Cable Beach, Australia
  4. Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland
  5. Grace Bay Beach, Turks and Caicos
  6. Praia da Falésia, Portugal
  7. Radhanagar Beach, India
  8. Spiaggia dei Conigli, Italy
  9. Varadero Beach, Cuba
  10. Ka’anapali Beach, Hawaii

Porta da Pedra returns to Grupo Especial in 2024

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G.R.E.S Unidos do Porto da Pedra has topped Série Ouro, the second league of samba schools, with its samba “A Invenção da Amazônia”. The school will now parade with the elite schools of the Grupo Especial in 2024.

The samba was based around a book by Jules Verne published as “La Jangada” in French in 1881, and “Eight Hundred Leagues of the Amazon” in English.

It was Porto da Pedra and its returning carnavaleso, Mauro Quintaes,  that featured the Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs in its carnival samba “Samba No Pé e Mãos ao Alto isto é um Assalto” (Samba On Your Feet and Hands Up. This is a Robbery) back in 1998 in Grupo Especial..

 

Imperatriz Leopoldinense is the champion school in 2023

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 Imperatriz Leopoldinense is the champion of Rio’s carnival, 22 years after its last title. The green, white and gold school of Ramos paraded on the Monday night with “O aperreio do cabra que o excomungado tratou com má-querença e o santíssimo não deu guarida”, of carnavalesco Leandro Vieira.

Imperatriz Leopoldinense travelled to the northeast to tell the story of the arrival in both heaven and hell of the bandit leader and folk hero, Lampião. It is the school’s ninth title and the carnavlesco’s third title having  previously won with Mangueira in 2016 and 2019, in addition to having won the Série Ouro twice, with Imperatriz itself in 2020 and with Império Serrano in 2022. But it is Império Serrano that is relegated straight back to Série Ouro. 

Joining Imperatriz for the winners’ parade will be Viradouro, Vila Isabel, Beija-Flor, Mangueira and Grande Rio.

The results of Rio’s Carnival Parade in 2023 were:

  • Imperatriz Leopoldinense (269.8 out of 270) 
  • Viradouro (269.7) 
  • Vila Isabel (269.3) 
  • Beija-Flor (269.2) 
  • Mangueira (269.1)
  • Grande Rio (268.6) 
  • Salgueiro (268.5)
  • Paraíso do Tuiuti (268.3)
  • Unidos da Tijuca (268.2) 
  • Portela (267.7) 
  • Mocidade (266.6)
  • Imperio Serrano  (265.6)

And the winner is….

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The markings and results of the main samba school parades in Rio will now start at 16.00 on Wednesday, 22 February at the sambodromo (19.00 in UK).

In all, 12 schools from the Grupo Especial and 15 from the Série Ouro will be evaluated in the categories of drums, samba, harmony, evolution, plot, allegories and props, costumes, front commission and mestre-sala and  porta-bandeira (ballroom master and flag bearer).

This year, there will only be four marks per category, and only the lowest note will be discarded – unlike recent years when there were five sets of marks and the highest was also removed. The final classification will be determined by the total sum of the marks and often just one or two percentage points out of 270 can make the difference of winning, losing or being relegated.

Carnival 2023: Day Two of Grupo Especial – Rio’s Top Samba Schools

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Thanks to the Riotur.Rio team of talented and hard working photographers, a quick and colourful look at the second of the two nights of parades of Rio’s top samba schools, the Grupo Especial. On 20 February it was the turn of Paraíso do Tuiuti, Portela, Vila Isabel, Imperatriz Leopoldinense, Beija-Flor and Viradouro.

The results of the Grupo Especial, which covers Rio’s top twelve samba schools, will be announced in Rio on Wednesday (22 February) starting at 15.00 local time (18.00 in London). The lowest scoring school will be relegated to the Série Ouro for 2024, with the winner of this year’s Série Ouro joining the top 12 in 2024.

Dates of the parade of the Grupo Especial in 2024 are 11 and 12 February.

Carnival 2023: Day One of Grupo Especial – Rio’s Top Samba Schools

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Thanks to the Riotur.Rio team of photographers, a quick and colourful look at the first of two nights of parades of Grupo Especial for Rio’s top samba school.The first of two nights, Sunday, 19 February, was the turn of Imperil Serrano, Grande Rio, Mocidade, Unidos da Tijuca, Salgueiro and Mangueira.

Baile do Copa – Copacabana Palace

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Saturday, 18 February,  sees the return of the iconic Baile do Copa carnival ball to the equally iconic Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel in Rio de Janeiro.

The hotel is celebrating its centenary this year and the ball – that took place for the first time in 1924 – will celebrate its own centenary in 2024. This year’s theme for the ball is “Time Tunnel” to encourage guests to dress to recreate some of those special moments from the hotel’s past 100 years, or even if they wish from its future. The hotel promises an evening of “decadence, joy and glorious excess,…”, something we all need in 2023. Many of the great and the good have attended the ball over the decades from Orson Welles to Brigitte Bardot, to name just two.