EATING PETRÓPOLIS

Petrópolis is a wonderful town located just 80 KM from Rio de Janeiro and 840 M above sea level.  It is known as “the Imperial” city because Brazilian Emperor Don Pedro I bought the land in 1830 and his son Don Pedro II developed the area. Petrópolis was founded on March 16, 1843  and looks like a little piece of Europe implanted in tropical Brazil. If you have the time, you must visit. It is a lovely and very enjoyable trip. There you can see the Imperial Palace, the "Crystal Palace”, the Bohemia Beer Factory (with an amazing and quite inebriating tour), the "Quitandinha Palace", which once housed the biggest and most luxurious casino in South America and Santos Dumont’s house. Brazilians consider Dumont as the "father of aviation” (they don’t even know who the Wright brothers were…).

The only down side of Petropolis is the food. There is only one good restaurant in town - The Empress Leopoldina restaurant, located at the Solar do Império Hotel, at Avenida Koeller, 376 - tel: (24) 2103-3000. The place offers great food and ambiance. You will feel as if you are a guest of the Emperor himself. Although not cheap, the prices are affordable and you pay for what you eat.

Solar do Império

If you want to make a light meal, you can try “Casa do Alemão” (Estrada Ayrton Senna, 927 – Quitandinha, Petrópolis (24) 2233-0200 & Rua Dezesseis de Março, 138 – Centro, Petrópolis (24) 2242-4533), typical German fast food cuisine:  bratwurst sandwiches, croquets, apfelstrudel, etc.

Casa do Alemão

Unfortunately there is nowhere else in town which would survive a more critical judgment with regard to food. This is really a pity, because Petropolis is the perfect tourism location. And its cool and breezy climate invites to good food and drinking.

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On my article about EATING PETROPOLIS I was not totaly fair. There are two other good places I should recomend too:

1. The restaurant at Bragança Palace Hotel at Rua Raul de Leoni, 109, close to the Cathedral. The place serves great Portuguese food, mainly cod fish dishes. It is not cheap, but two or more people can share a plate, because it is plenty.

2. Willemsen cake store at Rua 16 de Março, 134 in Valparaiso neighborhood. Great cakes, pies, sweets and snacks. 

EATING OLD RIO (in her birthday)!

Today I will recommend not one but several restaurants, all of them in the region between 1º de Março Avenue (which was once the busiest and most important street of Rio de Janeiro) and the ferry pier at Praça 15, in downtown.

In this area there are many bars and restaurants with pleasant and picturesque setting, mixing relaxation and culture. Included in this gastronomic corridor are the Rua do Ouvidor, Rua do Rosario and the Arc of Teles. It is a maze of old streets, where you see many people sitting and talking, drinking and eating. The place is really interesting and worth a visit. Carmen Miranda use to be a resident in the area.

Among these places I would like to highlight the CAIS DO ORIENTE, the most elegant restaurant of the spot. A charming 1878 farmhouse, built of stone, bricks and whale oil. In the past it was a warehouse for spices and products imported from the Orient. The top side: the seafood. The low side: the prices. It is very expensive. But on a trip to this wonderful corner of Rio, it is worth to be a little crazy and spend more to eat great shrimp, prawns and cod. 

And if you go there, do not miss visiting the former headquarters of the Bank of Brazil, that became CCBB (Centro Cultural Banco do Brazil), an amazing cultural center; or the Imperial Palace, Paço Imperial, the official residence of the emperors of Brazil Pedro I and Pedro II. 

The girls must stop at  the original headquarters of Pharmacy Granado, the most traditional bath and beauty company in Brazil. They will be delight.

Paço Imperial                        Granado Pharmacy

 Rua do Ouvidor                       Cais do Oriente