Best Dining Bets

Experiencing Feijoada, the National Dish: It's impossible to single out one restaurant in all of Brazil for its feijoada. Just try it and try it right. Start with a caipirinha (that potent, delicious lime and sugar-cane drink) and some caldo (soup), followed by steaming hot black beans with all the various meats. Side dishes include farofa, cabbage, orange slices, and white rice. Dab a bit of malagueta peppers on the beans for an extra kick.

Street Food: Whether you want prawns, chicken, tapioca pancakes, coconut sweets, or corn on the cob, it can all be purchased on the street for next to nothing. Don't be afraid to try some of the best snacks that Brazil has to offer.

All Beef, All the Time: Rodízio churrascarias are all-you-can-eat meat orgies. The best cuts of beef are served up one after another; try one or two, or try them all. As long as you can take it they dish it out. Our favorite is surely picanha, the lean, tender rump steak -- it will melt in your mouth. One of the country's most popular restaurants is the Porcão, a nationwide chain. Their flagship location is in Rio's Flamengo neighborhood (tel. 021/2554-8535), with views of the bay and Sugarloaf Mountain.

Colonial Coffee in Rio: For the most elegant coffee experience, visit Confeitaria Colombo (tel. 021/2221-0107). This 19th-century Belle Epoque establishment is one of the most beautiful salons in all of Brazil.

Italian Cuisine in São Paulo: For some of the best Italian food in the world (well, outside of Italy), head to São Paulo's Massimo (tel. 011/3284-0311). The city's immigrants have created delicious new-world interpretations of some old-world classics.

Moquecas in Salvador: You can't say you've been to Salvador without trying moqueca, the tasty stew of fresh seafood with coconut milk, lime juice, cilantro, and red dendê palm oil. Voted best regional restaurant year after year, try Yemanjá (tel. 071/231-3036).

Prawns on Ilhabela: Ilhabela has the most succulent, sweet, and juicy prawns in all of Brazil. Enjoy them grilled, sautéed, or stuffed with cheese; this is as good as they come.

Fine Dining in Porto de Galinhas: Beijupirá (tel. 081/3552-2354), in a small resort town in Brazil's Northeast, is perhaps one of the most pleasant little restaurants in the country. The decorations are whimsical and rustic, the food an inspired Brazilian cuisine that makes use of fresh seafood, tropical fruits, and spices.

The Regional Cuisine of Belém: Located in the tropics, on the Amazon River but at the mouth of the ocean, Belém has access to a richer assortment of ingredients than almost anywhere else in Brazil. Local chefs make the most of the variety. For regional cuisine, try Peixada da Terra (tel. 091/3212-9984).

Eating Fish in the Pantanal: Anywhere in the Pantanal you can try the phenomenal bounty of the world's largest flood plain. Paçu, dourado, and pintado are just a few of the best catches. In Cuiabá, visit Peixaria Popular (tel. 065/3322-5471).