While zingy fresh juices and fast food often provide easy sustenance in laid-back Rio de Janeiro, three recent additions to the city’s gastro scene offer refreshing alternatives when eating on the hop simply won’t do. From delectable pan-Asian dishes to contemporary Mediterranean and the rebirth of traditional Brazilian cuisine, this trio of restaurants is a sure sign that Rio is raising its culinary game.

While the traditional boteco rules the late-night roost in fun-loving district Lapa, Casa Momus is making a concerted effort to shake it up with its contemporary Mediterranean outlook. Run by three friends including Turin transplant Costanza Assereto, this lovingly restored, former 1920s warehouse has art and design at its core: its focal sculpture is a vast red-and-white beaded chandelier by Jacopo Foggini, while rescued floorboards have been resurrected as tables.

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