Until July 2008, Garcia & Rodrigues occupied the first place in my heart when it came to having breakfast in Rio. Until this month Aquim was opened. The place offers a true breakfast orgy: excellent bread, waffles, yoghurt, granola, cake with Sicilian lemon and pieces of chocolate. And the best of all: the warm chocolate milk (80% cacao). The cutest: the way they serve omelets in a mini-stewing pot. No better way to start a slow Sunday.
This orgy costs 38 R$, a very fair deal for the excellent breakfast and beautiful setting. The place was designed by architects Rogerio Ribas & Rodrigo Barbosa; the interior itself is worth a visit.
They also serve excellent lunches.
~ Café Aquim
Av. Ataulfo de Paiva 1240, Loja B, Leblon
Tel (21) 2512-4670
www.aquimgastronomia.com.br
Garcia & Rodriguez is one other rare 
address in Rio where you can excellent bread and French petits pains. The bread with olives is irresisteable.
The place offers breakfast and is combination of a bakery, lunch bar with excellent salads, quiches, croques and breads, an excellent ice-cream bar and a real restaurant at night. Hardly a week goes by without me visiting it. When you visit the place with your wife or girlfriend, have her try the Isabella cake (chocolate & praline combination) or the cake Anouk (chocolatge & framboesa), she’ll melt away. When to warm, try the absurdly deliciously creamy ice-creams. You can’t miss it when in Rio.
The only disadvantage: the place is crowded: be early at lunch or reserve at night. When full you can always consider home-delivery.
~ Garcia & Rodriguez, Av. Atauflo de Paiva 1251, Leblon, Rio de Janeiro.
Tel (21) 3206 4100
www.garciaerodriguez.com.br
Finding good bread is a challenging task in Rio. Casa da Tata is one of my preferred addresses to get bread and petits pains in Rio.
It’s also an excellent address for an excellent lunch, especially on a lazy Saturday.
Casa da Tata opens every weekday from 8h00 – 20h00, on saturdays from 8h00 – 18h30 and Sundays 9h00 – 14h00. No dinner served in the evening, only an excellent soup. The weekly changing meny can be found here.
In June and July, they also have the tradition of serving a “banquete junino” (Café Caipira) which consists of sandwich with coalho cheese and an excellent corn broth, cheesebread and pamonhas, conjica and sweet rice. You really ought to try this innerstate food when you have the change, it’s delicicous. Especially the pamonha is a hit of the house. The Café Caipira is served from June till at least July 31st and costs R$ 20,00.
Casa da Tata also allows you to order a delicious breakfast home-delivered the day after; excellent when you have plans for a romantic morning / day-after.
~ Da Casa da Tata: Rua Professor Manuel Ferreira, 89, Gavea
Tel (21) 2511-0947.
www.dacasdatata.com.br
