Rio de Janeiro’s restaurants won’t disappoint visitors experiencing the city through their stomachs. The areas of Ipanema, Copacabana, Leblon and Leme restaurants offer some of the most innovative Brazilian food as well as the best international dishes in the city. Food connoisseurs can expect to pay $20 to 35 for a nice meal at one of the more uppity restaurants in town. But penny-pinchers don’t fret. Budget travelers can taste a bit of Rio for $5 to 15 at the many cafés and lower-end restaurants.

Cariocas (residents of Rio) can be seen juicing up at one of the many juice vendors on the street or in cafés. Menus feature more fresh-squeezed choices than health junkies could ever imagine. Gourmet cafés sprinkled throughout the city also offer fresh salads for those hoping to keep their bikini bodies trim.

Although most cariocas eat a heavier lunch and a lighter dinner, restaurants in Rio have some of the best night eating. After a day on the beach, you can’t beat fresh seafood, yucca flour crepes, creative bean dishes or one of the many unique Brazilian dishes these restaurants recommend. Start the night off with escondidinho, an appetizer composed of dried beef topped with yucca and cheese. Those with a big appetite can head off to a churrascaria, an all-you-can-eat beef restaurant. After dinner, help your stomach digest with a cup of Brazil’s strong java.

Before dinner entrées are served, many restaurants give customers a basket of bread and a plate of spreads. Let the budget travelers be warned that this isn’t free, nor are the cocktails that waiters try to entice you into ordering. Not all restaurants accept credit cards and many add a compulsory tip to the total. Be sure to ask about restaurant policies to steer clear of complications.