Carioca Beach culture and food
Cariocas (Rio de Janeiro locals) aren’t very big on eating food at the beach. They look down upon it. To them, the beach is the place to go and sunbathe, show off your body, play some sports, and maybe splash around.
Most Cariocas don’t go to the beach to drink, although you might see dozens of exceptions. This is in comparison to other places like Bahia, the Northeast, or any other beach around Brazil. The rest of the Brazilians go to the beach and have a party. They bring food, drinks, their whole family or friends, and a boombox, and it becomes an event.
In Rio, there’s a lot more posing than in other places in Brazil.
So if you’re posing, you don’t want to be eating or drinking too much, because you might be doing that later, and if you start drinking early, you tend to not last very long. Unless, of course, you go take a nap for a few hours and then get ready to go out. But anyway, this article is about food at the beach.
What to drink on the beach
Mate or lemonade
You may want to try a very delicious iced tea called mate (Brazilian iced tea) or the lemonade that they sell in the drums.
You’ll see a guy walking around with two drums, one drum on each side, one filled with lemonade and the other one with mate, which is Brazilian iced tea.
What to eat on the beach in Rio
It’s definitely not a place for you to go to eat or even to bring food. Picnics are a no-no, and the street vendors sell just a few things:
And basically, that’s it.
Oh, and cheese.
You can get cheese grilled for you on the beach.
Grilled cheese Beach Foods, which is a very funny thing because they walk around with a portable oven in which they take the grilled cheese, the halloumi cheese, on a stick, and grill it for you before serving.
What NOT to eat on Carioca beaches
Shrimp on a stick
There are beach vendors that sell shrimp on a stick, and of course, you should never even look at those. They may be the end of you.
Where to eat on Ipanema Beach
Barraca do Uruguay (Uruguay tent)
If you’re in Ipanema, then head over to Posto 9, which is outpost number 9. When looking at the ocean to its left, at Barraca, or tent number 80, you will find Uruguay click here to get directions for the Uruguay tent.
You’ll also see the Uruguay flag, which is white and blue. Horizontal stripes in white and blue.
And there, at Uruguay’s, you can try any of Uruguay’s sandwiches, which are in three flavors. Chicken, steak, or sausage.
They’re all incredibly amazing; they’re so amazing that he’s the only person in all of Rio allowed to serve food on the beach, just because he’s become part of Carioca culture.
No mayor or governor has ever been able to remove him from that position, even though there is a law prohibiting food from being manipulated at the beach. Yet he persists and survives, and it’s not without fault. He deserves his own restaurant in my opinion.
Uruguay’s caipirinha
Amazing, really worth it, especially since his son Marcelo makes probably the best caipirinha in Rio. And of course, you’re standing on sand, which is always the best place to stand, and you’re looking at the Twin Brother mountains and all of Ipanema, so nothing beats this.
More food tips for your Brazil trip
