Brasília: discover restaurants and bars that are worth a visit – 02/27/2024 – Tourism

A certain fame marks Brasília. In addition to politics and the history of its construction, the federal capital suffers from the burden of dying on weekends. Which doesn’t match reality.

Around six o’clock on a Saturday afternoon at 16, a bar on the 16th floor of the B Hotel, in the hotel sector of the federal capital, a waiter announces with a regretful expression that a table may take a while to arrive. It’s not a marketing trick, the bar is really full, a fact that is justified for a few reasons — 16 is in front of the Instagrammable yellow pool designed by Isay Weinfeld, has a free view of the Brasília sunset and has an excellent cocktail menu.

It doesn’t take long and already at the table you can try the tropicália (R$ 43), made with bourbon, banana liqueur and absinthe, quite alcoholic and aromatic, and also the iracema (R$ 43), mixed cachaça with rum, orange , honey, lemon passion fruit and a splash of Angostura, very refreshing.

To correct the alcoholic excess, the bar serves a classic steak tartar (R$80) and cod rice with the perfect runny egg on top (R$90). The bar is restricted to guests during the day, making it clear that having a drink by the pool in the heat of Brasília is certainly a reason to stay there.

Still at the B Hotel, now on the ground floor, under the command of chef Lênin Palhano, one of the best restaurants in the city offers a menu based on fish and seafood.

In the lobby lounge with reissues of modernist furniture, you can see, through a glass wall, a chef preparing grilled octopus (R$ 195), which arrives crispy on the outside and with the correct texture for its cooking on the inside. The mollusk also comes accompanied by sweet pepper gremolata, pumpkin tartare and okra rice with chestnuts.

The dorado (R$ 160), freshwater fish, accompanied by vinaigrette and potatoes also stands out. The house’s French toast (R$40), served with cumaru syrup and tapioca ice cream, is worth all the calories.

“Brasília is super alive on the weekend” says former MasterChef Edilane Oliveira, the name behind Brasis Ateliê Gastronomico, a house about 30 minutes from the monumental axis that only opens on weekends.

Oliveira, who even signed a dinner hosted by President Lula, converted his farm into a restaurant to offer lunches and dinners in three, five or eight stages. The most ordered, this one with five dishes (R$ 189), has pork pancetta with guava jelly and pineapple chutney with turmeric. There are also shrimp breaded with dried coconut and tamarind sauce as starters.

For the main dishes, the chef prepares steak with red fruit sauce and also sea bass in sage butter. The portions are tasting style, which makes it possible to eat all four dishes and even order one of the house desserts at the end. As for drinks, a traditional caipirinha (R$ 16.90) isn’t bad.

It is with a traditional pisco sour (R$40) and a traditional ceviche (R$90) that the Peruvian Taypá managed to be the only restaurant in Brasilia to appear on the list of 50 best discoveries in the 50 Best ranking. “After the title we have to maintain quality” says executive chef Marco Spinoza, also commenting that he adapted some Peruvian recipes to please the taste of Brasilia residents.

“We used to make this rice with chicken in Peru” says the chef about the traditional socarrat rice that in the restaurant comes accompanied by ancho steak (R$ 162). He also points out that there are exceptions that didn’t need to change, such as the criollo ceviche (R$118), which mixes fish and other seafood with a coriander sauce. The restaurant’s bar is also worth mentioning, with pisco-based cocktails, the jaboticaba sour pisco (R$40), which adds Brazilian fruit to the recipe, is a pleasant surprise.

The city also offers great drinks for those who want to spend the night. Altas Gastro Bar, on the Brasília block known as sinister — the only one that was built taking into account Lucio Costa’s original design — boasts a huge cocktail list.

“We wanted to please as many people as possible”, says Antônio Bonifácio, Tonico, owner of the bar, about the extensive list of alcoholic options. There you can try the arriba skirt (R$ 39), which mixes gin and catuaba liqueur made in-house, the yuzo bourbon sour (R$ 45), based on bourbon, St. Germain liqueur, lemon and egg white foam of egg, and the dormiz vous (R$44), which contains cherry liqueur, grapefruit syrup, lemon and jambu cachaça.

On the next block, just by crossing the street, you can try jambu cachaça in cocktails at Mimo, a bar with a decor designed for social media photos. It’s worth trying the jamburito (R$ 36.90), a mojito with jambu cachaça, and also the jambu sour (R$ 36.90), a mix of jambu cachaça, lemon and sugar syrup.

If the effects of the previous night’s exaggeration hit on Sunday, Casa Almeria’s brunch can be a palliative. The choripán (R$28) is cornbread stuffed with lemon mayonnaise and house-made sausage. If Brasília’s scorching heat forces you to drink again, go with the classic mimosa (R26). Choosing traditional ones doesn’t usually go wrong.

Altas Gastro Bar
CLN, qd. 206, bl. C, store 7A, Asa Norte, @altasgastrobar

Bar 16 B Hotel
SHN, qd. 5, it. L, bl. J, North Wing, @bhotelbrasilia

Brasis Gastronomic Atelier
R. Doze, f 1, Chácara 77, Lago Oeste, Sobradinho, @brasisateliegastronomico

Home Almeria
CLS, qd. 104, bl. D, Asa Sul, casa_almeria

Treat
SCL, qd. 205, bl. C, store 25, @mimobarbsb

Restaurant Térreo B Hotel
SHN, qd. 5, it. L, bl. J, North Wing, @bhotelbrasilia

Taypá
IQ, qd. 17, Comercial, bl. G, stores 208/210, Fashion Park, Lago Sul, @taypadelperu