RIO DE JANEIRO RESTAURANT REVIEW: Oro

Adrian Subrt

01 Sep 2025 • 6 min read

When traveling to a new major city, it can be challenging and even a bit overwhelming when trying to decide where to eat. There are guides and rankings and lists, but often there’s only one shot at eating at a great restaurant, and you don’t want to screw it up. For this trip to Rio, I had it narrowed down to three options, but was torn and couldn’t choose one. I reached out to a Brazilian friend who said that this was his favorite restaurant in the city, so fortunately that made the final decision easy. And I am so glad I listened, because this place was amazing.

Located on a quiet corner in the leafy posh neighborhood of Leblon, Oro was awarded two stars in the most recent edition of the Michelin guide. A small dining room with maybe ten tables (plus two more and a bar upstairs) is quite imaginatively designed, from distinctive light fixtures to eccentric table materials to the open kitchen with a gorgeous copper vent hood. That inspiration spills over into the food, where presentation and even the plates and dishes themselves were quite unique, almost Alinea-esque at times.

It’s a degustation menu with two options: either the Afetividade (aka “affection”, two main courses) or Criatividade (“creativity”, four mains). Both include a large number of truly exceptional “snacks” best eaten by hand, as well as a choice of three desserts. While the general structure tends to remain intact, individual items seem to change a bit seasonally, if earlier online reviews are to be believed. The eleven (!) small starters come out at a furious pace in five separate courses (a Fast Five, if you will… after all, THIS IS BRASIL!!). First was a raw oyster with guava sorbet and small pieces of green pepper. I don’t particularly care for non-cooked oysters, but this ones’ brininess was mitigated a bit by the ice-cold tangy guava.

Next was an Olympic podium (perhaps an ode to the 2016 summer games?) trio of Spanish-inspired surf and turf bites. In the gold position were shaved sea scallops and heart of palm (an interesting interpretation of “turf”, but I’ll allow it) atop a tartlet crust. Flanking this were an Oreo-esque sandwich with sweet potato crisps enclosing a bounty of cod and kale, and a puffed rice cracker with delightfully salty Iberico ham, tomato, and dabs of whitefish puree. All three were medal-worthy, but the latter really captured the essence of land and sea in an interesting and fun way.

The next three were, I think, versions of traditional Brazilian dishes. “Casquinha de siri” are crab cakes served on a shell, but in this case they took the form of a pastry puff, sweet and earthy, topped with some salty salmon roe (ovas de salmão, if you like). Adjacent was another puff, this one of the cheese variety (pão de queijo), topped with a Brazil nut praliné, essentially a very nutty paste. Completing the triumverate was a little pot with carabinero (an Eastern Atlantic prawn) and pumpkin squash at the bottom, beneath some sort of foamy green crema which I must admit I couldn’t identify. Helpfully, a cheese crisp “straw” was provided to scoop and slurp. While every single item throughout the night was delectable, none of these three were among my favorites.

Following these was the “Asian sequence”, another tripartite course based on the flavors of the largest continent. An adorable mini temaki with steak tartare and egg yolk was the cutest thing you’ll ever see, and with surprisingly thick nori that I’m not accustomed to but quite appreciated. Following was a very unusual tempura bite with katsuobushi (shaved dried skipjack tuna), beef jerky, and corn, topped with aioli and a bit of arugula. Finally, a squishy little mochi blob, savory with shrimp and chayote, a Central American gourd, and an umami-heavy broth. Mochi always has a peculiar texture, but it might be better in a salty preparation here, versus the usual sweet. As you can see in the photo below, all three of these items came on their own serving receptacle, along with an empty plate for some reason.

The last of the many hors d’oeuvres was the best, called “Cervantes” after the eponymous late-night restaurant in Copacabana that is famous for its pork sandwiches. Oro’s version consisted of the softest slider buns with grilled pork, kimchi pineapple with gochujang, lettuce, and aioli. This is almost certainly the best slider I’ve ever eaten, as it had some heat and sweetness from the fermented fruit and incredible barbecue flavor from the pig. Exceptional!!

After all that it was time for the mains, and even though the portions were small, I’m sure you’ll understand why we opted for the option of two rather than four. Fortunately, though, due to some dietary preferences, we ended up ordering all four between the two of us. I opted for gnocchi with porcini mushrooms, Tulha cheese (a Brazilian aged Parmesan variant which apparently won a gold medal at the 2016 World Cheese Awards, lol), and topped with coffee powder. Loyal readers and friends will remember that two of those four ingredients are things I don’t normally enjoy, but the melty cheese was so delicious and the pasta so well-cooked that it hid those dastardly ingredients remarkably well. Don’t tell anyone, but I actually kind of dug the coffee flavor, subtle but accentuating in all the right ways.

The two entrees I didn’t select but still got to taste were a stunningly plated shrimp atop charred leek and pistachio cream, as well as the fish of the day (sea bass) with baby corn and a fish broth. Both nice dishes, but I don’t regret anything, because my last one was an absolute showstopper. Perfectly grilled Brazilian beef was served with cashew puree and ribboned celery. The two pieces of meat were so tender and well-seasoned, and the unexpected complement of the cashews flooded my brain with dopamine. I really respected the use of negative space on the plate (see photo below), but I would have been happier if the entire thing was covered in this phenomenal steak.

Exhale. Last but not least, dessert. For me, “Everything Chocolate”, which was certainly thus: a molten lava cake, white chocolate ice cream, ganache, a chocolate shard, and some nibs and morsels, along with little dabs of apricot for some degree of fruitiness. This was certainly a celebration of cocoa, and a rich way to end the meal. There’s also “Everything Coconut”, which had a similar variety of textures and flavors based on the drupe of the palm tree.

I know most people reading will not be visiting this restaurant any time soon, but if you happen to be in Rio for any reason, it is an absolute must-try. And while you’re in the area, also check out Jobi, an immensely popular divey beer bar, and Liz Cocktail & Co, a tremendous cocktail bar around the corner with a creative storybook menu.