Dinner at Restaurant Aprazível

To celebrate our first night in Rio de Janeiro, we decided to have dinner at Restaurant Aprazível. This open air restaurant, which specializes in seafood and Brazilian dishes, is located high on a hill in Santa Teresa, overlooking all of Rio de Janeiro. One of my tour books wisely advised that you should make sure you bring a good map, as taxi drivers don't usually know how to get here. Our private driver was no exception to this rule. Located about 30 minutes from the beaches of Copacabana, our driver took us through the cobblestone streets of Santa Teresa, across cable car tracks. On at least three occasions, he stopped to ask the locals how to find the restaurant. We kept climbing up the steep hills until he finally found it. Our driver waited for us throughout our meal and would eventually take us back to our hotel at the end of the night. The total cost for the driver for the night was 100 Reals, which is about US$38.

The View from Our Table

Now regarded as one of the top dining experiences in Rio de Janeiro, the history of this restaurant is that in 1996, the owner and chef Ana Castilho opened her house for a one-time community event. Little did she realize that, now 13 years later, she would still be running this hidden restaurant out of her home 4 days a week. Part of the charm at dining at Aprazível is the house itself: the restaurant takes up several rooms and spills over into the lush, tropical garden. And then there is the view of downtown Rio and Guanabara Bay---the evening that we dined at Aprazível we were treated with a sporadic fireworks display over the city.

The Chefs at Work


To get to the restaurant from the street, you must descend a steep outdoor staircase equivalent to two flights. Once you get to the bottom, you will see the open air kitchen cooking up tasty Brazilian/Amazonian fare. Once settled in to our table, we began our evening with a bottle of sparkling Moscato wine from Brazil, which tasted quite similar to an Italian prosecco. For a starter, we decided to share their renowned Palmitos (grilled hearts of palm) which was fresh and delicious, unlike anything you have ever tasted.

Outdoor Dining and Ambiance


For dinner, I ordered a shrimp risotto, my mom ordered stuffed pork tenderloin, and my dad had fish from the Amazon. All of our meals were delicious and each dish was colorful and flavorful. For dessert, we shared fresh mango (unbelievably sweet and refreshing) with mango ice cream.

Photos from the Meal








All in all, it was a fantastic meal and the service was very good. Dinner at Aprazível was a great way to begin a South American vacation. The total bill (including tip) came to 360 Reals, which is equivalent to US$202.

By the way, if you plan to visit the restrooms, make sure you know which door is for women and which door is for men. I'll give you a hint: think about the beach! (Only in Rio!!)

Bikini Bathrooms