Anyone who has met me since I
have lived in Porto Alegre knows I have been enjoying the food. Rio
Grande do Sul serves up some of the best grilled meat in the world
and Gaúchos take great pride in sharing this treat with guests and
new arrivals. The trouble I had fitting into my suit for my wedding a
few weeks ago is evidence that I have been taking full advantage of
that hospitality.
If I have one problem with food
here though, it is the lack of variety. Coming from Melbourne I am
used to being able to go out and find virtually any cuisine on the
planet without much trouble. You want Chinese food? Little Bourke
Street has you covered. Vietnamese is more your taste? Victoria
Street is like heaven. If you're feeling like Greek food head to
Lonsdale street or Italian food go to Lygon Street.
Here in Porto Alegre is a little
different. There are plenty of good restaurants, but the majority of
them serve up the same kinds of food. Meat, rice, beans and salad.
I've still yet to get used to Gaúchos and other Brazilians eating
rice and beans every day – and often for both lunch and dinner.
That isn't to say there aren't
some good restaurants in Porto Alegre offering different cuisine –
you just have to look. Fortunately I have found some great options
for when you want to eat something a little different.
Hooroo
House
Avenida
Nova York, 835
I've written about Hooroo House before, but it definitely deserves to be on this list. Run by Gaúchos
who spent some years living in Australia, Hooroo House brings Australian
flavours and ideas to Porto Alegre and mixes them with meals that
locals will be more familiar with. Dishes like the Aussie BBQ
platter, potato wedges and the old classic, Fish & Chips, make
Hooroo a far more authentic Australian experience than that other
restaurant that claims to be Australian (but in reality, is
American).
If there was any doubt that
Hooroo House was a favourite place to eat for me in Porto Alegre,
just last month my wife and I had our wedding reception there, with
Andre and the team providing great food, as well as a great
atmosphere for our special occasion.
Lola
– Bar de Tapas
Rua
Castro Alves, 422
A lot of restaurants these days
claim to serve tapas, but most just use that as an excuse to serve
small portions of expensive food. Having spent some time in Spain
(yes, I just “place dropped”) I've been forever ruined for tapas
restaurants outside of Spain, as they rarely live up to expectations.
This made for a very pleasant
surprise when I visited, with Lola proving to be easily one of the
best tapas restaurants I've been to outside of Spain. As well as
serving up individual portions, Lola serves giant platters will
filled seafood, meats, breads and dips, and you'd be hard pressed to
leave this tapas bar still hungry. As a bonus they serve sangria, as
well as a great range of local beers, making this a place I'll be
going back to soon.
Muju
Restobar
Rua
Coronel Bordini, 684, Auxiliadora
As an Australian, before visiting
South America I thought alll South American food was much the same.
Much of that comes from “Latin” restaurants in Australia serving
everything from Brazilian style churrasco to Mexican tacos. While
travelling through Latin America a couple of years ago before
arriving in Brazil I discovered there were vast differences in Latin
cuisine, and one of my favourites was Peruvian food. Specifically I
fell in love with the dish, Lomo Saltado, which is kind of like a
Peruvian version of a Chinese stir fry – with potato fries added. I
ate this meal a lot in my weeks in Peru, so I was excited to find
about about Peruvian restaurant Muju Restobar being close by.
Muju certainly didn't disappoint.
It was certainly a more gourmet restaurant than I experienced in Peru
in my backpacking days, but they made sure that the simple flavours
that make Peruvian food so good still shine through. My lomo
saltado, made with very tender file mignon along with the perfect
mix of spices and vegetables, certainly satisfied the craving I was
having for a genuine taste of Peru. The other highlight on the menu
was their extensive list of ceviches, each with different fish and
other ingredients. My wife ordered the trio of ceviches, giving us
(one of the early benefits of marriage) a chance to try three
different ceviches, all of which had unique flavours.
Mao
Sut – Thailand Bar
Rua
Ramiro Barcelos, 1374
When you first walk into Mao Sut
the first thing you notice is how beautiful the restaurant is set up.
With a large outdoor area for warm days complete with a beautiful
bar, it is one of the best places in Porto Alegre to enjoy outdoor
dining. With a range of Thai curries and other dishes – including
the signature Khao Phad Sapparot served in an entire pineapple –
Mao Sut is one of the few choices in Porto Alegre for genuinely great
Asian food*. Again, as a bonus, they have a good list of craft beers
available by the bottle as well as some tasty and some delicious
cocktails, decorated to enhance the tropical theme.
*Porto
Alegre, and Brazil in general does do one type of Asian food pretty
well – Japanese. Though I've had some good Japanese food so far,
nothing has been incredible yet.
O
Butiá, Itapuã
Rod.
Frei Pacifico, 4100, Vimão,
RS
While not strictly in Porto
Alegre, O Butiá is a
short drive away and well worth the trip. Open only on Saturdays and
Sundays (as well as special events and weddings) O Butiá
is surrounded by parkland and the Guaíba, making the surrounds as
beautiful as the dishes.
O Butiá
serves a set menu which includes two starters, a main and a dessert
and uses some fine locally sourced ingredients. The menu changes
regularly, and on the day we visited the focus was on seafood, with
the main course being a white fish with a lime mouse sauce. Simple
food, done incredibly well. Bookings are essential through their website.
Does
anyone know of any other great restaurants in and around Porto Alegre
that offer something a little bit different? I'm always keen to try
something new, and very much accepting of recommendations, so let me
know!
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