Best restaurants in Recife

Every year, Veja, the most important Brazilian magazine, publishes a list of the best restaurants in some of the major Brazilian cities.
To read the current list, in Portuguese, of the best restaurants in Recife, click here.

Below, a translated version of Veja's list.
When available, a link to the restaurant website is provided.

Best restaurant in town: Leite.
The name Leite also means "milk" in Portuguese, but the restaurant was named after its founder, Armando Manoel Leite da França; mr. Leite, a Portuguese immigrant, established a small kioske back in 1882, which changed ownership a few times and evolved to become the restaurant today.
over these 124 years, Leite has been a meeting point of the important persons of Recife and Pernambuco; among the important visitors, one can mention Orson Welles and Jean Paul Sartre.
Suggested dish: giant shrimp grilled on the butter. A regional desert called cartola (a banana topped with a slice of cheese, baked with sugar and cinnamon) is a must.
Address: Praça Joaquim Nabuco, 147, Santo Antônio, 3224-7977 (180 seats).
Opening hours: Sun - Fri: 11:30am-4pm.
Established in 1882.

Best regional food: Oficina do Sabor.
The chef, César Santos, was elected Chef of the Year 2005 in Pernambuco.
César combines seafood, meat and regional ingredients in his recipes. A suggested dish is Camarão no Forró (shrimp in forró): shrimp with pepper, mustard, mint and a sauce of mango, passion fruit and coconut.
Address: Rua do Amparo, 335, Olinda, 3429-3331 (120 seats).
Opening hours: Tue - Thu: noon-4pm and 6pm-0am; Sat: noon-1am; Sun: noon-5pm.
Established in 1992.
Other regional cuisine restaurants.

Best meat and rodizio:Porcão. Update: Porcão Recife closed down.
High quality ingredients and a well prepared staff. Porcão has also branches in Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Belo Horizonte and Miami. Besides loads of meat, customers may also help themselves in a buffet of salads, seafood and sushi.
The restaurant offers pick up service at the major hotels in Recife.
Address: Avenida Engenheiro Domingos Ferreira, 4215, Boa Viagem, 3465-3999 (260 seats).
Opening hours: Tue - Thu: noon-0:30am; Fri - Sat: noon-last client; Sun: noon-0:30am.
Established in 1989.
Other churrasco restaurants.

Best fish and seafood restaurant: Bargaço.
Bargaço is specialized in fish and seafood prepared the Bahia way: the moquecas (pieces of fish or shrimp stewed with vegetables and coconut milk) are simply delicious. Expect queues on weekends.
Address: Avenida Boa Viagem, 670, Boa Viagem, 3465-1847 (150 seats).
Opening hours: Sun - Thu: noon-0am; Fri - Sat: noon-1am.
Established in 1990.
Other fish and seafood restaurants.

Best Japanese restaurant: Quina do Futuro.
The menu lists 130 options. The chef Shigeru Matsumoto created some sushis which combine traditional Japanese fish and regional ingredients.
Address: Rua Xavier Marques, 134, Aflitos, 3241-9589 (114 seats).
Opening hours: Mon - Thu: 11:30am-3pm and 6pm-0am; Fri: 11:30am-3pm and 6pm-1am; Sat: noon-3:30pm and 6pm-1am.
Established in 1986.
Other Japanese restaurants in Recife.

Best French restaurant: Chez Georges.
The Swiss chef George Trevoz is another one to use regional ingredients to improve his original dishes. Also, the decoration of the restaurant is composed of handicrafts coming from several parts of Pernambuco (the pieces are for sale).
Address: Avenida Boa Viagem, 1906, Beach Class, Boa Viagem, 3326-1879 (130 seats).
Opening hours: Breakfast: 6am-10am, everyday; Lunch: 12:30pm-15:30pm, everyday; Dinner: Sun-Thu: 7pm-0am; Fri-Sat: 7pm-1am.
Established in 2003.

Best Italian restaurant: Buongustaio.
All the pasta is prepared in house, and kept in olive oil until being cooked.
There are some fast-food Buongustaio in the major shopping centers, but the variety and quality of dishes is not the same as in the main restaurant.
Address: Avenida Engenheiro Domingos Ferreira, 467, Boa Viagem, 3327-5001 (136 seats).
Opening hours: Lunch: Wed - Fri: noon-3pm; Sun: noon-4pm; Dinner: Mon - Wed: 7pm-0am; Thu - Sat: 7pm-1am.
Established in 1989.
Other Italian restaurants.

Best pizza: Tomaselli.
The cuisine is commanded by chef Mario Tomaselli; to guarantee freshness, he grows some ingredients at the backyard of the restaurant. Two restaurants in Recife; the house in Boa Viagem has piano music from Tuesday to Saturday.
Address 1: Rua Conselheiro Portela, 536, Espinheiro, 3427-3710 (185 seats).
Address 2: Rua Frei Leandro, 50, Boa Viagem, 3326-2604 (90 seats).
Opening hours: Sun - Thu (closed on Mondays): 6pm-0am; Fri - Sat: 6pm-1am.
Established in 1994.

Best Chinese restaurant: Chinatown.
There are five branches of Chinatown in Recife, and other nine branches in the neighbour cities and States.
The restaurant offers dishes from several regions of China.
Address (main restaurant): Rua dos Navegantes, 1213, Boa Viagem, 3465-1159 (60 seats).
Opening hours: Mon - Sat: noon-3pm and 6:30pm-11pm; Sun: noon-11pm.
Established in 1978.
Other Chinese restaurants in Recife.

Best Portuguese restaurant: Tasca.
Tasca is the name of the small, cozy restaurants which exist in Portugal.
Several codfish options. The decoration reminds of Portugal.
Address: Rua Dom José Lopes, 165, Boa Viagem, 3326-6309 (64 seats).
Opening hours: Closed Mondays. Tue - Wed: 6:30pm-0am. Thu: 6:30pm-0:30am. Fri - Sat: 6:30pm-2am.
Established in 1980.

Best feijoada: Famiglia Giuliano.
The restaurant building is a replica of a medieval castle.
Famiglia is an Italian restaurant, but on Wednesdays and Saturdays they serve a buffet of feijoada, considered by Veja the best in Recife. The several pork parts are kept in separated clay pots, and customers take only what they like.
Address: Avenida Engenheiro Domingos Ferreira, 3980, Boa Viagem, 3465-9922 (270 seats).
Opening hours: 11:30am-1am, everyday.
Established in 1988.



Best wine selection: Casa dos Frios. The website redirects (as of 2012) to a page selling "bolo de rolo", which is a cake typical of Pernambuco; you can find kioskes of Casa dos Frios at the airport of Recife, pushing coffee and the same overpriced cake.
Right beside the restaurant there is a wine shop, offering 500 labels. Customers can choose any wine and bring it to the table, paying only the tag price.
Address: Avenida Domingos Ferreira, 1920, Boa Viagem, 3327-0612 (40 seats).
Opening hours: Mon - Wed: noon-11pm; Thu - Sat: noon-0pm.
Established in 2003.