The big sand dune that graces most of Natal's postcards is actually in Genipabu beach, and at the foot of it you'll find Bar 21. The small thatched-roof restaurant sits precariously over the ocean, and at high tide the waves lap at the stairs. The menu offers fish, seafood, fish, and fish. Start with the caldo de ostra; this rich broth stuffed to the brim with little oysters is deliciously yummy. For main courses don't bother with the menu, just order the whole grilled fish. The catch of the day will arrive delicately grilled and coarsely salted with lime juice for flavoring. Generous helpings of salad and french fries accompany your meal, which is plenty for two people. Camels, dune buggies, horse carts, sandboarders, and others who slide on sand provide the entertainment.

Address: Av. Eng. Roberto Freire 2610
Ponta Negra
Phone 084/219-2424

Website

Not blessed with a great location on the busy Avenida Roberto Freire, Camarões relies on its seafood reputation to bring people in. With a name that means "prawns," it's not hard to guess the house specialty. Prawn dishes come in a variety of shapes and sizes: Papa Jerimum prawns are served in a pumpkin, while Champagne prawns are sautéed with butter in a champagne/apple sauce. The tiny creatures are also featured in sauces such as the Espaguete de Camarão, sautéed prawns in a creamy cognac sauce with basil served on spaghetti. Portions are generous enough to serve two people. The restaurant has a nonsmoking room.

Within this sprawling seaside establishment on the Via Costeira there lurks a restaurant, a general store, a beer and cold-cut buffet, a "Dance Beer" (dance floor with DJ and six beers on tap), and yes, a brewpub (the kind of make-and-drink-on-the-premises kind of place that West Coast residents from Portland to Vancouver learn to recognize instinctively). Plates of cold cuts make excellent appetizers and the brews go really well with the grilled prawns or sautéed lobster. The crowd is mostly Brazilian, friendly, and lots of fun. How do you say "I like your hops" in Portuguese?

Samô's specialty is prawns. The house favorite is Camarão Samô -- large prawns stuffed with the creamy Brazilian catupiry cheese and then lightly breaded and fried. Another winner is the Lagosta Tropical, lobster flambéed with cognac, served with pineapple and a cream sauce. All dishes are for two, generously so, but if you can squeeze in an appetizer try the coquille with squid, octopus, or shrimp; served on a small shell, the seafood is baked in the oven au gratin. The restaurant provides free transport to and from any hotel in the Ponta Negra, Via Costeira, or Praia dos Artistas areas.

Address: Av. Silvio Pedro 54
Praia dos Artistas
Phone 084/202-2920

Website

Tabua offers indoor dining beside big windows looking out over the ocean, and outdoor dining on a broad flagstone patio. The one thing it doesn't offer is vegetarian. Instead, Tabua serves four different types of meat: carne de sol (salted sun-dried beef, a specialty of northeastern Brazil); good old Brazilian picanha; chicken; and, for those who are decision-shy, the Tabua, a wood platter containing sausage, chicken, and carne de sol. Dishes here are made for two and would easily feed three. The picanha -- a large beautiful roast cooked exactly to your specifications -- melts delicately on the tongue. A wine list exists but is of minimal length and questionable vintage. Stick to beer or fruit juice by the half-liter earthenware jug. Tabua has a second location in Ponta Negra, at Av. Engeneiro Roberto Freire 3241 (tel. 084/642-1236)