The restaurant darling of the fashionable Leblon neighborhood, Zuka does Brazilian fusion with foodie flair in a destination eatery that’s outlasted much of the area competition. Cast in an architectural dining room, a slatted teak facade leads to a glassy entryway and small bar for guests coming and going from the ideal late-10pm reservation. Captured in crisp white resin chairs, cement walls and butcher-block tables; a large eating area and small private dining room are accented in a professional set of couples and affluent singles from Rio’s posh Leblon neighborhood.
The Food
A seasonal menu of Brazilian specialties emerges from a well-staffed open kitchen yielding appetizers of heirloom tomato salads or hearts of palm with Parmesan-balsamic reduction. Seafood dazzles with tropical presentations of traditional salmon or less conventional cashew-crusted tuna or fish cake wrapped in banana leaves. Daily selection of grilled meats are cooked on an open flame and presented sizzling and oftentimes cooked an unavoidable medium despite your request for rare. For dessert, don’t miss the roasted bananas with sugarcane molasses.
Last Word
Be sure to ask for recommendation from the wine list, as many smaller South American reserves are set aside for special requests.
