Are you in Rio for the Olympics? Looking to go out in Rio de Janeiro? The Rio Scenarium is a mythical place to drink and dance, but what about its restaurant?

Surely you’ve heard of the famous Rio Scenarium Pavilhão da Cultura, one of the 10 best bars in the world by The Guardian. We tried it and to be honest, it is better to go there only for the bar and music.

How good is the Rio Scenarium restaurant?

The restaurant is actually bad and the food served is anything but sustainable. Indeed, we were very shocked that they are serving an endangered kind of fish disappearing from the Amazon River called the Pirarucu! Do not eat it! It is one of the most endangered Amazon fish species … We asked the waiter (who did not speak much English) if the fish was caught or farmed. He went to see his manager who confirmed that the fish was caught straight from the river.

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Please note that nothing is organic in Rio Scenarium, and they have absolutely no sustainable practice and we could grant them with a poor environmental rating.

However, the bar itself and the music are very friendly. The Rio Scenarium is a bar / restaurant on 3 floors with huge rooms in which have different decoration styles and different kind of music. In one room you could dance on samba rhythms. And in another one, you could watch a Bossa-nova live singer… The decoration is rustic but classy. We liked the decor and the bar, but the prices are very expensive (even for Rio) and you must also pay an entrance fee.

What to drink in Rio Scenarium ?

We heard the  Ruio scenarium caipirinhas were the best in Rio. Indeed, they were very good but not the best we’ve tasted. (The bests were at the Academia de Cachaca in Ipanema).

What type of music is played in Rio Scenarium?

You will hear mostly Brazilian music, with artists from all over Brazil who are all singing live in some rooms, while other rooms, the drums are punctuating the moves, as reminiscences of African music. Live bands, talented singers, bar worth its reputation for music and decor.

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How does the Rio Scenarium work ?

We did not quite understand at first, but you have 2 queues, those reserved for the bar and those who reserved for the restaurant. As on the website there is no difference between the bookings, you’ll have to make yourself known to the hostess in front of the building. Those who booked the restaurant will enter the place first. And those who reserved but don’t want to go to the restaurant are entering later but are ensured to enter because the bar is crowded very quickly especially on weekend evenings and it can happen that you wait 1 hour or more. So book in advance (at least 24h)!

Those who booked the restaurant enter the first and a host tells them where to go. Indeed right after you enter, there will be counters where you will be asked for an ID. The person at the counter will hand a card to you which will have all your evening’s consumption as well as the entrance fee. So you will pay everything only when you leave. The counters are for 1 person at a time, even if you are a couple, you will have 2 cards. Our bill? 75 euros for the meal and drinks in total with 5 drinks and the entrance fee worth about 13 euros in high season.

Dress up and do not wear flip-flops nor shorts.  That will make you feel uncomfortable and you will surely be refused at the entrance if you are not on a list. Our meal was at 20h, we went there at 19.40 and waited. There were already quite some people waiting to enter.

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