Best Places to Eat in Paraty, Brazil

Paraty, the charming colonial town located roughly between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, is one of the best places to visit in Brazil, and there is plenty of great food around to complement the history, architecture, and natural beauty that surrounds this place. Read on for a guide to the best places to eat during your stay in this incredible town.

Restaurante Banana da Terra

This is the perfect spot for a high-end meal in the heart of the historic center. Located inside a traditional colonial house, Banana da Terra showcases the cuisine of the caiçaras, the traditional inhabitants of the coastlines of this part of Brazil who represent an ethnic and cultural mix of indigenous, African, and Portuguese influences, much like the country as a whole.

The iconic dish here is the peixe com banana, locally-caught fish with banana puree. Pair it with the Jorge Amado, Paraty’s iconic cocktail named after the famous Brazilian author. Amado’s novel Gabriela, Cravo e Canela (Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon) was adapted into a big-budget film that was filmed in Paraty in the 1980s; the cocktail consists of locally produced clove-and-cinnamon cachaça with passion fruit and lime juice.

Batata Baroa

Just across the bridge from the historic center, this is one of the best value meals you’ll ever find. With a nice mix of locals and tourists, this place serves up simple, high-quality food that really hits the spot—I recommend their lightly breaded fish fillet served with rice, beans, and salad. Try some of their housemade hot sauce with it, too.

Restaurante Arte e Sabor

This is another great option right in the historic center. I recommend one of their seafood stews, like the bobó de camarão or moqueca, two famous dishes originally from Bahia in Brazil’s northeast.

Montañita Cafés Especiais

This should be your go-to coffee spot during your stay in Paraty, with high-quality brews and local artists featured on their walls. Grab a seat in the window or take it to go on a lovely stroll around town that will get your day off to the best start possible.

Padaria Esperança

This bakery has been open since 1900 and is a good spot to grab a quick snack, either savory or sweet.

Emirados Esfiharia

Thanks to large-scale migration from Lebanon and Syria to Brazil in the early 20th century, Arab food has become an integral part of Brazilian cuisine, with many dishes having become icons of the national cuisine. One such example is the esfiha, a deliciously doughy, circular flatbread usually topped with meat and/or cheese, which you should load up on at this place. I also recommend the beirute, an iconic sandwich of São Paulo consisting of ham, cheese, lettuce, and tomato between two pieces of pita bread.

Manuê Sucos

For some refreshing and healthy fare, visit this juicery with all manner of fruit juices as well as delicious açaí bowls—this fruit is native to the Brazilian Amazon. There will be plenty of fruits on their menu that you’ve never heard of and that don’t translate to English, so be adventurous and try something new.