Caipirinha heaven: Academia da Cachaça, in Rio, is top bar for tasting the signature Brazilian cocktail

Every single bar in Rio or elsewhere in Brazil serves cachaça - the national sugarcane spirit - either neat or in a caipirinha (muddled with lime and sugar and topped with crushed ice). But no bar is better known for its cachaças than the Academia da Cachaça, a quaint whole-in-the-wall in the Leblon district of Rio.

The bar claims that it was the first to ever prepare caipirinhas substituting the lime of the classic recipe for other fruits, like passion fruit or kiwi. Whether true or not, the fact is this is a great place to have a taste of the true cachaças (artisanal, aged ones, and not the mass-produced harsher versions).

The bar also serves a myriad "petiscos", or finger food, like beef and cheese croquettes or jerk beef with toasted manioc flour. The full-size dishes are also quite good and typically Brazilian. Try the escondidinho (shredded chicken or cod au gratin) or the vatapá carioquinha, a more delicate version of the famous Bahian dish. Feijoada - the national dish of black beans, rice, wilted kale, farofa and orange slices - is served daily.


Academia da Cachaça Leblon: Rua Conde Bernadotte 26, lojas E/F/G - Leblon. Tel.: (21) 2529-2680 / (21) 2239-1542. Sunday-Thursday from noon to 1 am, Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 2 am.

Aquim restaurant, in Leblon: charming spot for lunch or dinner

The adorable Café Aquim, in Leblon, is a true family business, run by the Aquim family. The chef is Samantha Aquim, who studied at the École Lenôtre and spent some time working under überchef Joël Robuchon.

At first, the focus was on breakfast and tea, and the place served incredible pastries. With time, they've shifted direction. They stopped serving breakfast and put all the emphasis on lunch and dinner - a decision that has left some longtime regulars like food expert Constance Escobar puzzled and even a bit disappointed.

At night they serve, among other things, a plateau of assorted cold canapés: foie gras cone, crusted pineaple, tomato financier and haddock savarin.

At lunchtime, they offer a few options of prix fixe:

Fórmula 1 – R$ 37,00: Appetizer and main course

Fórmula 2 – R$ 37,00: Main course and dessert

Fórmula 3 – R$ 48,00: Appetizer, main course and dessert

Fórmula 4 – R$ 60,00: Appetizer, main course, dessert, glass of Terrazas wine, bottled water and Illy coffee

At night the menu is more ambitious. Appetizers include a shrimp bisque (24 reais) and fresh heart of palm roasted whole and paired with prosciutto chips. Mains include a lamb and black rice risotto and magret of duck with almond risotto and caramelized apple.

The elegant room is done in purple, chocolate brown and gold, and the furniture was designed by Fernando Jaeger. Antiques and pieces brought from the family's travels are sprinkled throughout. Beautiful bronze branches are used as room dividers, and a white onix table with gold-leafed legs is the centerpiece of the décor.






Café Aquim - Avenida Ataulfo de Paiva 1240 – loja B – Leblon, tel. (21) 2512-4670




And more Rio dining on this blog:

1. Roberta Sudbrack: the best chef in Rio?
2. Terzetto Café: great breakfast spot in Ipanema
3. The best restaurants in Rio according to the experts
4. Bráz, Carlota... São Paulo restaurants open Rio outposts
5. Where to eat bacalhau (cod): the best Portuguese restaurants
6. Le Pré-Catalan at the Sofitel: when hotel dining is done right
7. Bráz, São Paulo's best pizzeria, opens outpost in Barra da Tijuca
8. Livraria da Travessa, in Barra da Tijuca, has an outpost of Copa Café serving great burgers