The 5 Best Up-and-Coming Restaurants in Rio de Janeiro
1. Ferro e Farinha
This pizzeria is now the hottest place in Rio. The owner, and chef, Sei Shiroma, is a New Yorker with a japanese heritage, and every creation is inspired in Brooklyn’s tradition of Neapolitan pizza. The menu is minimalistic: just four or five pizzas to choose. The place gets crazy crowded almost every night, and you might have to wait in, but it’s worth it.
Find it:
Facebook
Address: Rua Andrade Pertence, 42D — Catete, Rio de Janeiro — RJ
2. Lasai
Lasai is a farm-to-table restaurant with Rafa Costa and Silva, the head chef and owner, providing vegetables, eggs, and chickens, all organic from his gardens. Cuisine at Lasai is inspired by kitchens where Rafa worked, like Mugaritz in San Sebastián, Spain. At the restaurant you have two meal options, the “Festival” (14 surprise dishes dancing at your table) or the “Don’t tell me histories” (6 dishes, 3 of them by your choice). Lasai has one Michelin Star, so you better save some cash before going.
Find it:
Address: Rua Conde de Irajá, 191 — Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro — RJ
3. Cozinha Artagão
Pedro de Artagão is an entrepreneur with three great restaurants at Rio. His last opening, Cozinha Artagão, has two months now and follows the success of the other restaurants — Formidable and Irajá. But, unlike them, Cozinha Artagão is not fancy, technologic or Bistrot-like. It offers good Brazilian food, like 12-hour roasted beef, manioc gnocchi, and risotto with farofa and banana. You can also have pão de queijo, and there’s nothing better than that.
Find it:
Address: Barra Shopping, Loja 124 — Avenida das Américas 4200, Rio de Janeiro — RJ
4. Laguiole
This restaurant is at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) with sweet architecture and a great view of the Pão de Açúcar. Laguiole isn’t a new restaurant, but it got a big renovation with the head chef Elia Schramm, recently elected Best Chef Revelation. Laguiole’s menu is very traditional, with classics like duck magret and foie gras, but Elia Schramm’s touch brought some of them back to 2015.
Find it:
Address: Avenida Infante Dom Henrique, 85 — Parque do Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro — RJ
5. Puro
Puro uses organic products and has a close connection with local producers. Pedro Siqueira, the head chef and owner, created a menu that reflects his childhood, but with French techniques. You can find duck gizzard confit, suadero braised with pumpkin, and bread with egg carbonara. The restaurant is in the neighborhood of Jardim Botânico, surrounded by trees and birds. 
Find it:
Address: Rua Visconde de Carandaí, 43 — Jardim Botânico — Rio de Janeiro – RJ