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Contact Us |
A
Cubana |
| |
Address:
Rua Alfredo de Brito 12
Pelourinho
071/321-6162 |
| It
only makes sense that a city with an abundance of tropical fruits
and a year-round warm climate would have great ice cream. One
of the oldest sorveterias (ice-cream parlors) in town, A Cubana
can be found in the heart of Pelourinho. With 70 years of experience,
A Cubana doesn't go for fads or trends. The menu is not huge,
only 28 homemade flavors at any given time; the owners say they
prefer quality to quantity. Try the unusual fruit flavors such
as jáca (jack fruit) or cupuaçu, a fruit only
found in the Northeast. |
Barravento
|
| |
Address:
Av. Getulio Vargas 814 (a.k.a. Av. Oceanica)
Barra
071/247-2577 |
| Barravento's
beach patio overlooks all of the beach as far as the Farol da
Barra. Underneath a large sail-shaped roof, the restaurant offers
alfresco dining, rain or shine. The menu includes a large selection
of typical Bahian dishes such as moquecas, marriscadas (seafood
stews), and grilled fish. One dish that every Baiano will recommend
is the moqueca de siri mole (soft-shell crab). If you're not
in the mood for a full meal deal, Barravento serves a great
variety of appetizers such as casquinha de siri (spiced crabmeat)
and fish pastries; the view is complimentary. |
Boi
Preto |
| |
Address:
Av. Otavio Mangabeira s/n, Boca do Rio, The Beaches
071/371-1429 |
| Just
because you've died and gone to seafood heaven doesn't mean
you can't come back to earth for a good all-you-can-eat churrasco
now and then. The Salvador churrasco barbecue is a tad more
exotic than in the rest of the country. The 22 cuts of meat
served up include all the favorites such as picanha (rump steak),
filet mignon, fraldinha (bottom sirloin), and alcatra (top sirloin),
but also stranger fare like boar and caiman. (You've already
paid so you may as well try it.) As with all rodízios
there's a large buffet; this one has a particularly good selection
of crabmeat and lobster in addition to the more standard selection
of sushis, sashimis, cold cuts, and cheeses. |
Camafeu
de Oxossi |
| |
Address:
Praça Visc. De Cayru 250
Mercado Modelo, Comércio
071/242-9751 |
| The
Camafeu de Oxossi and the Maria de São Pedro restaurant
share the lovely large patio upstairs in the Mercado Modelo.
However, they have two very separate owners and two very separate
bank accounts, which explains why when you first walk in, two
equally keen and friendly Baianas try to persuade you to sit
in their restaurant. Does it really matter where you eat? I
couldn't tell the difference; both menus serve up traditional
Bahian food, including nine types of moquecas. Shunned by locals,
these restaurants are very much geared to tourists who are wandering
the Mercado browsing for souvenirs, but the food is still fine
and the views over the bay and the São Marcelo Fort are
worth the price of admission alone. |
Caranguejo
da Dadá
|
| |
Address:
Av. Otavio Mangabeira 940
Patamares, The Beaches
071/363-5151 |
| Overlooking
Patamares beach, this bar/restaurant is perfect for a casual
afternoon drink or snack, and makes a fine dinner destination
as well. The menu offers seafood and seafood; very popular are
the moquecas, ensopados, and bobó de camarão (these
dishes serve two people). Crab lovers can choose from a variety
of dishes such as crab with dendê; oil or stewed with
veggies and potatoes. One of the most popular appetizers is
the Casquinha da Dadá; (crabmeat with catupiry cheese
and palm-heart gratineé in the oven). As in the other
Dadá establishments, the preparation and ingredients
are outstanding; even the coconut milk used is homemade. |
Casa
da Gamboá |
| |
Address:
Rua João de Deus 31
Pelourinho
071/321-3393 |
| One
of the most elegant restaurants in Pelourinho, Casa da
Gamboá serves up a Bahian "nouvelle cuisine."
The classic Bahian dishes such as bobó de camarão
are still on the menu, but the kitchen has gone beyond
to create some fabulous modern fare. The camarão
ao molho de manga is a tropical explosion of flavor; big
juicy prawns are flamed in cognac and served with large
pieces of mango in a creamy mango sauce. The elegant peixe
tropical, or catch of the day, is grilled in a clove,
cinnamon, and fruit sauce. |
|
|
Il
Forno |
| |
Address:
Rua Almirante Marques de Leão 77
Barra (close to the lighthouse),
071/264-7287 |
| For
the best pizza in town, go where the locals go. Located in a
lovely old house 1 block from Barra beach, the restaurant's
best spots are upstairs on the patio where small tables with
checkered tablecloths pack the deck. This restaurant serves
over 40 varieties of pizza. Very popular is the house specialty
Il Forno, made with bacon, palm heart, egg, tomato, mozzarella,
olives, and oregano. For cheese lovers, the Mineira is a must,
combining catupiry (a creamy mild white cheese), Gorgonzola,
mozzarella, and provolone. |
Jardim
das Delicias |
| |
Address:
Rua João de Deus 12
Pelourinho
071/321-1449 |
| The
Jardim das Delicias (Garden of Delights) is appropriately named.
Tucked away inside an antiques store on the ground floor of
a colonial house in Pelourinho, this lovely courtyard restaurant
is the perfect getaway from the bustle and crowding of Pelourinho.
The restaurant serves a full Bahian menu, but we highly recommend
coming here for a tea or coffee and some sweets. Just pick something
from the display of delicious cakes and pies, or order some
waffles with a generous scoop of ice cream. That should give
you the boost you need for further exploring. |
Mama
Bahia Salvador |
| |
Address:
Rua Alfredo Brito 21
Pelourinho
071/322-4397 |
| Rip-off
Tommy Hilfiger logo aside, this lovely steak restaurant serves
up excellent grilled meats. The house specialty, filet Mama
Bahia, is a generous portion of grilled filet served with tagliatelli
pasta in a Spanish tomato sauce with olives and peppers. There's
also picanha, chicken, filet mignon and other cuts; all are
served a la carte and you order the side dishes separately with
a choice of salad, rice, farofa, or garlic bread. All this red
meat calls for good wine, and the list includes a great selection
of reds for less than R$91 (US$30), specializing in Chilean
and Argentinean varietals. |
Maria
Mata Mouro |
| |
Address:
Rua Inacio Accioli 8
Pelourinho
071/321-3929 |
| Maria
Mata Mouro's menu is refreshingly light, especially if you have
been gorging yourself on moquecas and vatapas for a few days.
The very strong flavors of dendê; oil and dried shrimp
or coconut milk are used sparingly, cropping up only now and
again in sauces. A delicious appetizer is the salmon carpaccio;
the thin layers of marinated fish are served with an anchovy-and-capers
sauce. Recommended main courses include badejo fish in a ginger
sauce, served with steamed vegetables and a potato torte, or
the grilled bacalhau with broccoli and roasted garlic. The signature
dessert is banana in a puff pastry flambéed with cachaça.
Don't try this at home. |
Salvador
Dalí |
| |
Address:
Rua Borges dos Reis 158
Rio Vermelho (just past the Teatro Sesi), The Beaches
071/335-4593 |
| A
narrow entrance off Rio Vermelho's main street makes this restaurant
easy to overlook. Inside, the restaurant has a modern and sparse
decor. The kitchen specializes in steaks; the filet mignon with
funghi mushrooms and filet au poivre are both excellent. For
something different (in Salvador, anyways), order a Nasi or
a Bami Goreng (an Indonesian fried rice or noodle dish). The
restaurant has a decent wine list with a selection of French,
Italian, and Portuguese reds as well as some whites from Chile,
Argentina, and France |
Sorriso
da Dadá |
| |
Address:
Rua Frei Vicente 5
Pelourinho
071/321-9642 |
| Dadá
has made quite a name for herself. Brazilians and foreigners
come from far and wide to taste her food, journalists write
articles about her, and gourmet magazines rave about her cozy
restaurant. Dadá just does what she does best, making
the meanest Bahian food in town. Though main courses are huge,
don't pass up on the appetizers. The octopus in a light vinaigrette
is a good choice, or try the casquinha de siri; the crabmeat
is mixed with dendê oil and cilantro and served in a crab
shell. For mains there is only one choice, the bobó;
de camarão. Desserts are quintessentially Bahian, just
coconut, sugar, and cream, but even that tastes better when
made in Dadá's kitchen. Service is sometimes great, sometimes
slow and sloppy, but the food always makes a visit worthwhile. |
Trapiche
Adelaide |
| |
Address:
Praça do Tupinambás 2
Av. Contorno, Comércio
071/326-2211
Website
|
| Salvador
may not be a fine-dining kind of town, but there are a few exceptions
and Trapiche ranks prominently among them. The menu has a definite
Italian twist with dishes such as risotto with quail and shimeji
mushrooms (risotto de codorna). However, the French influence
is still there; worth trying are the duck confit in mustard
sauce served with sautéed potatoes or the grilled prawns
with saffron risotto. The wine list is outstanding with mainly
Italian, Portuguese, Chilean, and Argentinean selections; many
are available by the glass. Oh, and if the fine food and wine
weren't enough, the restaurant itself is stunningly beautiful. |
Yemanjá
|
| |
Address:
Av. Otavio Mangabeira 4655
Boca do Rio, The Beaches
071/231-3036 |
One
of the perennial contenders for best restaurant in Salvador,
Yemanjá offers all the traditional Bahian choices. The
moqueca de pitu is particularly worth recommending; pitu is
a sweet-tasting freshwater prawn not often found on menus. Those
who can't stand the sight of another stew (it does happen after
a few days) will be pleased to see some grilled fish and prawns
on the menu. Dessert is a must here. The Bahian desserts laden
with sugar, coconut, and egg yolks are superb, and the homemade
ice cream is some of the best in town.
|
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