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Until a few years ago, breakfast eateries were not very common in Rio. Cariocas would have breakfast at home or at a bakery, while tourists had to make do with the always-boring “Continental breakfast” offered at hotels. But thankfully, everything has changed.

Today, it’s easy to find an excellent Brazilian breakfast, especially in South Zone neighborhoods. Regional cooking rules, with the most common being the morning meals of Minas Gerais, which are full of cheese breads, good coffee and doce de leite (dulce de leche). The south is also represented, with all of its German and Italian influences. But nothing compares to a northeastern-style breakfast, and Rio’s best version can be found in charming Santa Teresa, at Café do Alto.

Café do Alto is a typical family-run business – but what a family! They’ve created a bold menu that remains faithful to northeastern culinary traditions but also delivers a high level of sophistication and style. The restaurant is divided in two: there’s the café, where breakfasts are served weekend mornings, and the restaurant, which serves lunch and dinner from Wednesday through Sunday. The latter is excellent, but we’re partial to the former because of that extraordinary breakfast.

Café do Alto, photo by Vinicius CamizaAt Café do Alto, breakfast begins with manioc (also called cassava or tapioca) starch. This typical traditional food of the native peoples of the north and northeast is the foundation of a variety of filled pancakes, the house specialty here. There’s manioc with ham and cheese, with scrambled eggs, with corn, with coconut, with doce de leite, with bananas and so on.

Besides the pancakes, the regular breakfast (about US$15 per person) includes cuscuz (a sweet made with coconut and milk), coalho cheese, scrambled eggs, different kinds of juice, bread and fruit. For those hungry for more, we recommend the Matulões, excellent traditional northeastern dishes, such as sun-dried beef, shrimp, red rice and feijão de corda, a classic bean preparation. They’re not strictly for breakfast, but we’ve seen plenty of customers – carioca and tourist alike – digging into these at 10 in the morning.

 
 
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Vinicius Camiza

Published on February 05, 2015

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