Restaurants in Diamantina

Brazilian food is a fusion of a variety of regional cuisines and does not have one national cuisine as such. With fresh produce of fruit, vegetables and spices glistening in markets, you can see why the food here is very local and varied. Minas Gerais' particular local cuisine is comida mineira, which is made of pork, spinach-like greens called couve, refried beans, and cassava flour, all cooked into a deliciously thick sauce.

Whatever your restaurant criterion, a good ambience, stunning views or choice of cuisine or meats, you will not be left wanting in Diamantina.

This Diamantina Restaurant Guide gives information on the local cuisine and popular dishes, as well as listing some recommended Diamantina restaurants. Our Diamantina Shopping Guide has some useful information on the great souvenirs and gifts available to purchase on your trip. You can aso find more information on Brazilian food and cuisine in our Brazil restaurant guide.

Food & Cuisine in Diamantina

Local Restaurants

The Catedral Metropolitana de Santo Antônio is the hub of the town and is buzzing with bars and mineiro restaurants. You may not find the food on offer here anything to write home about but the atmosphere at all these places is lively. You could choose from Capistrana on Praça Antônio Eulálio, or Grupiara, a typical Minas Gerais restaurant located on Rua Campos Carvalho, 12-A.

Another favourite Diamantina restaurant is Trato Fino on Travessa do Carmo, 81-D, which serves quality food at very reasonable prices. Just on Beco da Tecla, 31, there's a high quality coffe and book shop too, called Livraria e Café Espaço B.

As a rule of thumb, restaurants in Diamantina can be found between Rua Direita and Praça Barão Guaicuí. They offer self-service during the lunch hour and a la carte fare for dinner. If you are looking for local cuisine, Caipirao, Rua Campos Carvalho, 15, is a must visit.

Brazilian Cuisine

If anything could come close to being called the national dish of Brazil, it would be Feijoada. It is a rich stew of a variety of meats like pork, sausage and smoked cuts with black beans and orange slices flavoured with garlic. Every weekend, most restaurants in Diamantina serve Feijoada all day, which locals enjoy - in fact, celebrate.

Apart from regional delicacies, you will find more familiar dishes like steak (bife) or chicken (frango) served with rice and beans coupled with salad, fries and farinha or cassava flour, which adds a distinct flavouring to dishes upon sprinkling. You can also enjoy Farofa or tasted farinha with a medley of onions and bacon. Served on a large platter in any average restaurant in Diamantina, this makes for a sumptuous meal. Check out the traditional Prato Feito, commonly known as PF, and served all around for a good value, wholesome fare.

You can also find many exotic fruits in Brazil like manga or mango, maracujá or passion fruit, limão or lime. Don't get confused by fruits that are quite local to Brazil like jaboticaba, fruta do conde, sapoti and jaca. Most ice-cream parlours serve tangy and refreshing sorvetes and juices made with these fruits. When you need to cool down, look out for ice cream parlours or sorvetarias.

Brazilian Restaurants

Restaurants or restaurantes in Brazil are great value for money. You can enjoy a large meal of PF for under $10 in classy restaurants and in a more budget restaurant for around $4. Cheaper restaurants usually open at lunch time. Would you believe that you can actually buy food by weight here? You can serve yourself (called comida a kilo) and pay for the weight of your plate. There's also the concept of rodízio where you and your family can eat as much as you wish, for a fixed price.

For meat lovers, churrascarias is a treat as you savour a variety of cuts grilled on charcoal right in front of you. In fact, the moment you sit down to eat, you will be served liberal helpings of couvert or carrot sticks and olives to whet your appetite. It is customary to pay for this too. However, if you don't wish to eat it, you could ask the waiter to clear it away for you.

If you want to try world cuisine, you would find a choice of ethnic fares in specialist restaurants. Many generations of Portuguese, Arabs, Italians and Japanese have made Brazil their home.

When you ask for the bill, you will typically be charged a 10 % service charge. It is good practice to tip the waiters as they live on minimal wages and a good tip can make a big difference to them.

Botecos

Botecos, botequins or just bar are quite popular in Brazil. You'll find a lanchonete, which is basically a bar cum café, on every street corner. These places serve beer, rum, snacks, cigarettes, soft drinks and, sometimes, small meals. If you want a snack, you will find bakeries or padarias, which serve empada or empadinha, or small pies with delicious fillings of carne (meat); palmito (palm heart) or camarão (shrimp) pastels; or pasties like esfiha, which are stuffed with spiced meat; and coxinha or spiced chicken rolled in cassava dough and fried.

Nightlife in Diamantina

When the sun goes down, you can let your hair down around Rua da Quitanda. One particularly happening address you may want to note is A Baiuca, Rua da Quitanda 13, a restaurant with a dance club upstairs. It really comes alive on weekends with foot tapping music and a great crowd.

For young people and the young at heart, bars are particularly inviting. You can check out other similar places in Beco da Mota. If you are with your loved one whom you would like to serenade, ask for serestas on Friday and Saturday nights.