Headed down to Rio for the first time from April 7-11. I will be staying down in Ipanema at the Everest Park (sister to Everest Rio) Hotel.

Does anyone have any restaurant suggestions, inexpensive to splurge, in Ipanema or outside?

Side question: anyone have any comments/experiences with the Everest Park or Rio? I researched hotels and the Park had good location & reviews and I can use the amenities of the more deluxe Rio for free. It is US$101/night + 5% tax. It seems that even less deluxe hotels don't get much cheaper than US$80-85 per night plus taxes in Rio unless you want to do hostel type accomodation.

We were in Rio for 8 days over New Year's and had a fabulous time. All the restaurants we went to were VERY cheap. There is a little chain of cafes called Cafe Ina that had yummy sandwiches for a late afternoon lunch. If you plan on spending anytime on the beach I would recommend camping out around Barraca de Marcelo which is right across the street from the Cesar Park Hotel. The staff there were wonderful and very helpful. We would eat and drink all day and our most expensive bill was R$100 (~30 USD). This was probably highway robbery by Rio standards but consideriing we drank tons of bottled water, alcoholic beverages and had lunch, and this price also included our lounge chairs and umbrella rentals for two people we thought it was a bargain. What resort in the US could two people eat and drink and rent chairs for a total of thirty bucks!

For more info on our trip you could read my trip report if you are interested.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=386850

Porc�o on Rua Vinicius de Moraes (corner Rua Bar�o da Torre), a few blocks from Everest Hotel. Also on the same street are Bar Vinicius de Moraes (restaurant and bossa nova place) and Bar Garota de Ipanema, supposedly the place where Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim wrote the famous song, Girl from Ipanema.

If you want a quiet place where locals dine, go for Mistura Fina on Avenida Borges de Medeiros in Lagoa, a mere 10 reals ($4) cab ride from your hotel. They have samba/pagode/chorro (live) music on Sunday nights (open till midnight).

For a night of fun, go to Scenarium in Lapa but don't go before midnight since nothing happens before then. When clubbing, make sure you keep the piece of paper or card they hand you when you enter the club. All of your consumption is recorded on the paper (or card) and you settle your bill when you leave. You do not need to tip waiter/bartender since the tip will be included in the final bill.

Ipanema is mostly residential (read: few hotels); the vast majority of the hotels (read: restaurants, shops, ATMs, etc.) are located in Copacabana. If you're looking for an ATM, try Banco do Brasil machines marked "Saques" and look for Plus/Cirrus/Visa/Maestro sign. Not all banks, Banco Itau for example, accept foreign ATM cards.

I also recommend using cash instead of credit cards to avoid double swiping of cards (apologies for the insensitivity). Also, do what locals do before paying, check every item on your bill and if must use your credit card make sure the amount corresponds with the bill.

And a final thought: in Brazil, education is free and compulsary. Resist giving money to child beggars; it encourages them not to go to school.

Another vote for Scenarium downtown. Had a wonderful night there on a Saturday a few weeks ago.

There are some good sushi places in Ipanema and in Copacabana also.

Moderate price, very authentic Feijoada (local feast of beans rice pork and lots of other things, usually eaten on Saturdays) in Ipanema is at the Casa do Feijoada. Just a few blocks in from the beach, at the corner of the park where the Hippy Fair is held. Great for visitors because they do the complete Feijoada every day of the week.

When I found this place I finally began to relax in Rio and enjoy myself -- I felt like a local.

Rua Prudente de Moraes 10
Phone: 021 2523 4994

Rio also has a huge Italian influence, and one of the better Italian restaurants we've eaten in anyplace in the world (and we are picky about Italian) was Alfredo's at the InterContinental.

And believe it or not, the cafe on the way up the hill to the Christ Statue puts out a totally wonderful spread for lunch, get the fresh fruit plate, it's to die for.

I stayed at the Everest a couple years ago while there for a wedding. Overall the hotel was fine. Some of us managed to negotiate a rate for suites on higher floors which, compared to the standard rooms, were obviously much nicer.

A modestly priced but very fun restaurant with some touristy kitsch is Garota de Ipanema. According to legend, that's where Jobim and Vinicius were sitting when inspiration hit for the song.

If you are in Copacabana - here is the absolutely best choice for dinner. Inexpensive, upscale, memorable:

MARIUS - Av. Atl�ntica, 290
Copacabana

http://www.frommers.com/destinations...ro/D50104.html