Fancy tapas bar with very good tapas (the octopus ones are highly recommended) in Leblon. Very crowded at peak times, so it is best to visit around noon or during the afternoon (between 3pm and 5pm).There is another outpost in Ipanema (Rua Garcia d’Ávila, 147B, 55 (21) 2512-9826).

This great gastropub from the same owners of Bráz made a lot of noise when it opened in Ipanema across from the beach, after years of popularity in São Paulo. The ambiance is casual but hip, with a retro brasserie-style design. Ask for a chopp (draft beer) and order one of their Brazilian great main courses (like the picadinho, a classic beef stir fry with beans, rice and a fried egg). From the terrace, watch the idyllic sunset. Opens at 6pm on weekdays and at lunchtime on weekends.

The twelve-seat counter is the place to be for tapas-cum-champagne in Rio. Actually, there’s an array of options by the glass, including a sample of Brazilian best sparkling wines, like Cave Geisse’s Terroir Nature and Miolo’s Millesime Brut. A selection of artisanal beers and interesting jerez are also available. The bar is part of the Bazzar group, an established brand in Rio, with a number of restaurants and a line of gourmet sauces and creamy deserts. The new Bubble Bar has it’s own menu of creative tapas (although it’s also possible to order from the main Bazzar menu) with options like Brazilian trio of cheeses and wagyu tartar on a single French fried potato slice. The ambiance is modern and trendy, and the location is dead-center in Ipanema. Open nonstop everyday, from lunch to dinner (early closure on Sunday).

Bráz is the perfect pizza place: a cantina-like ambiance, fun and trendy, with tasty and perfectly made pizzas. Ingredients are first class, many of them Italian. No wonder it always receives accolades from local magazines. Pizzas are neapolitan-style. Best sellers include the caprese, with tomato, italian mozzarella and giant basil leaves, and the provençale, with eggplant, zucchini, and a touch of garlic. Come prepared for the long lines, specially on weekends. Closed Monday, dinner only.

This small and homey place is perfect to try some Brazilian delicacies, like homemade cakes of carrot or cornmeal (in Portuguese, fubá, pronounced “foo-bah”), and different breads, like the ubiquitous pão de queijo (or cheese bread, a kind of cheese bun that is the official Brazilian snack). Try also pamonha, a sweet and creamy corn cake, and brigadeiro, the Brazilian version of the chocolate truffle, soft and sweet and chewy and enrobed in chocolate sprinkles – totally addictive! Open nonstop everyday (early closure on Saturdays and Sundays).

Tip: for the best gourmet brigadeiro, order two days in advance at Sweet Dreams (www.sweetdreams.com.br) and ask for the brigadeiro box to be delivered to your hotel.

The eighth floor rooftop pool bar is only accessible to Fasano hotel guests and their friends but it is one of the best spots in the city to enjoy cocktails. The views of the beach and the city are fabulous and so are the people watching and cocktails. Light snacks and sandwiches are served throughout the day so you can spend the day by the pool or linger after dark.

Rogerio Fasano has long served as the Sirio Maccioni of São Paulo at the restaurant in his superb Fasano Hotel. The family opened this outpost in Rio to share their brand of refined Italian cuisine with the city’s food lovers. Celebs and society types fill the tables nightly in the rustic yet sleek dining room, where plates of delicate pasta and perfectly grilled fish have made this the place for business meals, romantic moments and family celebrations.

As the only pan-Asian restaurant to have been awarded a Michelin star, MEE offers a delightful fusion of Asian flavors in a sleek, modern setting.

This buzzing Peking-style Chinese spot owned by Brazilian mogul Eike Batista is great for a fun night out. The grand dining room has a lounge feel, with its modern design in red and white in three levels – in a warm night (and they are plentiful in Rio), chose the top floor with its retractable roof and view of the Christ the Redeemer and Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Mr Batista hijacked the chef (Mr Lam himself), from NY’s Mr Chow, placed two Xi’an warriors statues at the door, and filled the place with celebs and Rio VIPs, who nibble on Satay Chicken. The Peking noodles, artfully prepared in the middle of the dining room, add even more drama to the scene. Reservations are recommended, especially during weekends. Dinner only, except Sundays.

Controversial, modern, intriguing. Oro (which means “I pray” but also sounds like the word “gold”, in Portuguese) has been the talk of the town since it’s opening, in 2010. Felipe Bronze (today a kind of star chef in the country) was the first chef to really succeed in mixing molecular techniques with Brazilian ingredients, and won many prizes as the best contemporary restaurant in Rio (he has just opened another brainchild, Pipo, in Leblon). Among the prix-fixe menu (which is flexible, and starts at US$80), some standout choices are the Carioquices trio, a tribute to three classic Rio dishes in miniatures, the gnocchi duo (one made of Canastra cheese, the other of onion, in a garlic consommé) and the playful deserts, like “Everything Egg” or “Everything Chocolate”. The atmosphere is subdued, with an exposed brick wall and open kitchen. Dinner only, reservations essential. Closed Sundays.

This modern Japanese restaurant has been a hit with the city’s stylish set since it opened its doors twenty years ago. With exceptionally fresh seafood, its rolls are as fantastic as the people-watching.