Known for its dreamy urban beaches and lush, mountainous landscapes, Rio de Janeiro exudes a laid-back energy, with locals making the most of their stunning surroundings. In recent years, the city’s culinary scene has grown more dynamic than ever, thanks to a wave of innovative restaurants that draw both locals and travelers in search of world-class cuisine and unforgettable dining experiences.
While Rio is beloved for its botecos, it's equally celebrated for a new wave of sophisticated culinary spots. In casual settings that reflect a distinct approach to hospitality, talented chefs spotlight both local and international ingredients, always adding a Brazilian twist. The food draws on global influences, from Japan to Italy to France, but it remains rooted in Brazilian tradition.
Today, two Rio restaurants hold Two MICHELIN Stars—Lasai and Oro—while five others hold One Star: Mee, Oteque, San Omakase, Casa 201, and Oseille, with the latter two earning recognition this year. These honors reaffirm the city's thriving and diverse culinary scene.
Here, we're highlighting seven MICHELIN-Starred restaurants in the Marvelous City—reason enough to visit Rio de Janeiro.
Discover Rio's MICHELIN-Starred Restaurants
Here is a complete list of MICHELIN-starred restaurants in Rio de Janeiro, organized by category and in alphabetical order. To explore all MICHELIN-starred establishments in Brazil (Rio and São Paulo), click here.
A Journey to Brazilian Roots
While the city's Two-MICHELIN-Starred restaurants offer vastly different dining experiences, both share a commitment to Brazilian recipes and local products. Oro and Lasai reaffirm their roots through unique propositions that blend refined techniques, creativity, and respect for the ingredients used.
At Oro, Chef Felipe Bronze, alongside sommelier Cecilia Aldaz, delivers a boundary-pushing culinary experience rooted in Brazilian identity. Tasting menus titled Affection and Creativity pay tribute to the country’s diverse regions through inventive dishes—think oysters topped with guava and biquinho pepper granité, or hand-held bites that fuse Brazilian textures with global influences. Each plate is a nostalgic reimagining, offering familiar flavors in surprising forms. Fire plays a starring role in the kitchen, best appreciated from the four-seat counter, where guests can observe the team’s choreographed precision up close.
At Lasai, Chef Rafa Costa e Silva offers a surprise tasting menu where vegetables take center stage, transformed into striking textures and compositions. The intimate ten-seat counter sets the tone for a refined and relaxed experience. Ingredients come from the chef’s own gardens in Itanhangá and Vale das Videiras, or from trusted small-scale Brazilian farmers. Costa e Silva’s commitment to seasonality, sustainability, and local producers shapes every dish. The experience is enhanced by warm, easygoing interactions between staff and guests—a reflection of Rio’s spirit of hospitality.
With One MICHELIN Star, Oteque delivers modern Brazilian cuisine with dishes celebrating the rich diversity of local products, such as fish and nuts, alongside pristine products like the ubiquitous caviar. Here, Chef Alberto Landgraf crafts a unique menu that evolves with the seasons, with dishes swapped daily depending on the freshest ingredients available. His cuisine reflects the art of simplicity and a deep respect for nature.
Landgraf’s careful eye also shaped the restaurant’s minimalist space, defined by high ceilings and an industrial aesthetic with red brick walls and avant-garde touches. The main dining room features six large round tables, plus a long table for up to five guests, placed near the open kitchen, offering a close-up view of the dish preparation process.
Eastern Elegance in Rio
In Rio, you'll find plenty of Asian influences on the table, reflecting a love affair between the coastal city's bounty and all-day sushi traditions. Gradually, Japanese-centric "combinado" restaurants have made way for more ambitious projects faithful to Nippon traditions.San Omakase nods to Tokyo, where high-quality venues pop up in unexpected locations. There, an elegant counter with just eight seats occupies a small shopping center in Leblon. Having lived for decades in Japan and founded the Nagoya Sushi School, Chef André Nobuyuki Kawai pays homage to Japanese culinary and hospitality traditions, offering an Omakase menu that begins with a welcome sake. Kawai prepares nigiris with precise cuts and exceptional fish before patrons, with explanations revealing the techniques and the traditions underpinning his food.
At Copacabana Palace, a Belmond Hotel, Mee offers refined pan-Asian cuisine that spans the flavors of Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, and Japan. Led by Chef Alberto Morisawa—a São Paulo native with roots in Madara Shima, Nagasaki—the restaurant reflects its Japanese influence through an Omakase experience, where the chef curates each dish based on daily seasonality and creative inspiration. Guests can also choose from tasting menus, including a vegan option, or explore the à la carte offerings. Mee has an exceptional cocktail, sake, and wine list, with the option of Champagne pairings.
A Melting Pot of Influences
Beyond Japan, Rio is an open city to the world—not only through the steady influx of tourists but also thanks to its cosmopolitan spirit, shaped by waves of migration and diverse cultural influences. European cuisine, in particular, has left a lasting mark.In the intimate, elegant setting of Casa 201—tucked near the Jardim Botânico and originally conceived as an art gallery—Carioca chef João Paulo Frankenfeld offers a tasting menu that fuses French technique with Brazilian ingredients. From the open kitchen lined with green tiles, original dishes emerge. The maître-sommelier is always on-hand to suggest pairings, enhancing the seasonal nine-course experience.
Rooted in classical French cuisine, Oseille is the personal project of chef Thomas Troisgros, third generation of a legendary French culinary family. Perched above the busy Toto bistro in Ipanema, Oseille features a minimalist dining room with a counter for just sixteen guests. It offers five- and seven-course tasting menus that shift weekly. Inspired by Parisian bistronomie, Troisgros works with local, seasonal ingredients to create dishes that balance Brazilian soul, French heritage, and subtle Asian influence. The warm hospitality adds to the charm—guests are even invited to choose the evening’s soundtrack.
The Complete List of MICHELIN-Starred Restaurants in Rio
Hero image: Oro is a tribute to Brazil's diverse regions. © Tomás Rangel/Oro
