"THAT" RESTAURANT...

[Guest jjme]

I'd like, please, the actual name and address of that oft-mentioned, famous, hang-out restaurant in Rio close to the saunas. Thanks! Is the food actually good? Price range? Have you tried it for breakfast or lunch? What , exactly, is the late-night scene there and when does the scene develop and then usually, wing down? Finally, any other favorite eating places close to the Atlantico? (Exact locations would be appreciated). Cheers!

[trilingual]

RE: Corujinha

 

The name of the restaurant is Corujinha (which means "little night owl"). It's located on the corner of r. Hilário de Gouveia and Pça. Serzedelo Correia (which is bordered on the other side by Av. Copacabana, between Hilário and Siqueira Campos, the street the Atlântico and Point 202 are on). The restaurant is one block in from Av. Atlântica.

The food is OK, but not worth making a special trip for! Late at night, of course, it's convenient because it's open and it's easy. For late night food, I think the best bet is the "frango à passarinho," a deliciously garlicky pan-fried chicken cut up in very small pieces (somewhat like the Chinese do) and eaten as finger food while washing down good Brazilian beer. Second choice would probably be the pizzas. Off the top of my head I don't remember any other memorable dishes there. Well, not the kind that are on the menu, anyway! The scene starts around 11:00 p.m. and goes on until everyone gets tired or drunk or goes home or heads next door to the Incontrus disco. Earlier it's more neighborhood/family oriented.

 

For better food, an M4M favorite is around the corner from Corujinha on Siqueira Campos (heading towards the beach) called the Siqueira Grill. It's a "por kilo" restaurant, where there's a very extensive buffet where you serve yourself and then have the food you selected weighed and priced. You can eat as much as you want, and go back to the buffet as often as you like, as long as your portions are weighed and priced each time. It's a great system, because it eliminates the usual buffet incentive of overeating to "get your money's worth" when it's a flat rate charge. The "por quilo" restaurants are worth knowing because they can be quite reasonably priced, you can control your portions (which is important in Brazil when you're dining alone) and they all have a wide variety of salads which are otherwise hard to find in Brazilian restaurants.

 

Directly across the street from Siqueira Grill is a good, reasonably priced churrascaria rodízio (an all-you-can-eat meat Brazilian BBQ place). You pay a flat price for dinner (drinks and desserts can be extra). A few doors from Siequeira Grill, towards the beach, is Manoel & Joaquim, a somewhat hokey Portuguese tavern kind of place, which specializes in Portuguese hors d'oeuvres type delicacies, plus a wide range of other dishes (not all of which are something to write home about). On Av. Copacabana, facing the square, is a popular Italian restaurant, part of a chain called La Mole. A better choice for Italian, in my opinion, is La Trattoria, on r. Fernando Mendes, very close to Maxim's (the cruisy sidewalk cafe on the corner with Av. Atlântica). Trattoria is a personal favorite, and quite reasonably priced, but it doesn't take credit cards, so be sure to bring cash! Portions at Trattoria tend to be a bit more manageable than at many other restaurants, where they are gargantuan (they're designed to be shared by two diners). Venturing farther afield you will find many fine restaurants serving a variety of cuisines. You won't starve in Rio! Finally, remember that Brazilian hotels ordinarily include a VERY substantial breakfast buffet in your room rate. The Atlântico is no exception. So enjoy! :9

[Driver]

RE: Corujinha

 

The thing with Corujinha is not so much the food but the atmosphere. This fact gets lost some times so some first time visitors have not really understood its charm.

 

Be warned though, the restaurant has two phases, a more normal appearance until about 11:30pm then it empties briefly before filling up with the creatures of the night. Opps sorry my imagine ran riot a bit there. It empties a bit then fills up with an alternate scene and can be a hoot.

 

The service is haphazard at best and the waiters will leave you alone for as long as you want which is good also. If the tables are full you might have to wait for a table which can be galling if jabba has reserved his usual three tables which will be sitting empty. Maybe October will be a little payback time in that respect.

 

Regarding the food. I have never had the chicken but I have had the pizzas which were nice if but a little oily. The fish dishes are nice as is the crab starter. I ordered a half portion of olives once just to nibble on and there were 75!

 

Sitting outside watching the world go by and come back again can be very relaxing. The sauna boys will come round and maybe you will be joined by one of your sexual conquests for a liitle bit of company before he goes home. Some clubbers will pop in and out of Incontrus will you are sat there and certainly the locals will hang out on the gaming machines or leaning on the cars opposite flexing their chests and poncing cigarettes. The will be musicians and shoe shiners and those asian trinket sellers trying to burn your eyes out with their lasers.

 

I go there almost every night and the waiters will recognise you and greet you but they are very busy. The sauna boys can be very demanding it seems to me and its amazing the waiters keep their cool sometimes.

 

There are much better eating places to be sure, all of the places mentioned in the last post I have been to and enjoyed but I will keep going back to Jabbas hut for a little bite to eat every night before returning to my hotel. It caps the evening off nicely.

 

I tended to eat breakfast, skip lunch then have dinner fairly early. That leaves time for sauna and room for my snack later.

 

For more comments search the archives for (1) Jabba (2) owl (3) coruljihna (4) awning (5) yellow LOL

 

I have gone off of Maxims I have to admit. It is very popular at times with the Gay tourist but those fixed grins and the waiters fighting to get you to sit at their tables piss me off. Only the location really is a good point.

 

Hmm said a bit more than I intended to there but hope it prepares you for "CORUJINHA the experience 2003" (perhaps a mug and T-shirt stand might be an idea)

[Guest Tomcal_]

RE: Corujinha

 

I agree with Driver, My first 3 visits to Rio I would go to Maxims in the early afternoon for lunch(good location and several times I picked up guys there in the afternoon) and then at midnight after the suanas. Food so/so. Then I found "Jabba's". I agree with the Tri the chicken is a good snack food. the salads arn't bad and the company is great! Some nights in April we had 5 tables pulled together and upwards of 20+ guys. By slipping the waiter a $20. reias bill at the end of the evening, it assured us of having 3 tables reserved for us at midnight each night. Part of the charm is the camradierie of fellow travelers, seeing many of the boys from the suanas, and trying to "wind" down from the previous 4 hours in the saunas. Then for several of us, each night at Corujinha's is when we decided who we would spend the night with. There was always alot of boys to choose from. One caveat mentioned before, there will be a dozen or so guys standing along the cars or across the street, not in the restaurant proper, that are the local hustlers, some are very cute! but, unless you know what your doing, stick to taking one of the known suana boys home with you!!! I have taken some of these guys home, but checked them out beforehand with a couple of the guys from the suanas who I have been with many times and made sure their investment(ME!) was going to be ok, by informing the boy that I was their friend and they would take it very personally if I wasn't happy with the outcome....worked great!!(Carlos, Fabio, Edurado were my emmissaries) All of the M4M's took guys home from the restaurant and none of us had a problem, but they were the known guys from the saunas. With the exception of Fabio(mentioned in one of Gulliver's recent posts) I met him at Corujinhas's and he was talking to a table of local guys and I thought he was very sexy! I had over the course of the the last year and half gotten to know some of the local guys, one is a former IBM manager and another is a Law Professor and since they spoke excellent English they would translate at the Saunas for me on my first couple of visits to Rio. I asked them about Fabio and they gave him a great reference. He would meet me at 202, each evening and after we were done, he would leave and meet up again at midnight at the restaurant to have a drink and talk. He has also been at both M4M parties, all this from meeting at Corujinha's! I love the place!!

[Driver]

RE: Corujinha

 

i have gone back to my previous posts to see what information I had regarding prices and I have cut and pasted the following:

- - - - -

We went to Corujinha to eat and it wasn’t nearly so busy as the night before.

We both ate fish and with three drinks it came to $R47

- - - - -

Firstly during Dalton's and my meal last night which was at La mole i believe, i ordered a beef kebob (their spelling) with black pepper sauce, they must have thought i wanted peppared steak because thats what i got. Dalton had what looked like fillets of beef with greek rice. It came to 53 real including his orange juice and my kaiparhina (hmm not sure of that spelling)

- - - - -

Guyedes appeared later and i invited both of them to jabbas place and we all ate a nice meal for R$106 - they both had steak and i had fish.

- - - - -

Well marcos was waiting in the bar and we went to ipanema on his suggestion and we ate at Garcia & Rodrigues. I had fish and marco had chicken. it was very nice and with drinks it came to R$154

- - - - -

Evening meal at Jabbas place. Sequihna de siri for starter (crab meat mixed with something) followed by garlic and olive pizza (BTW the most expensive dishs there are all fish at R$22 Black lable whisky R$10)

- - - - -

 

I did not post as much information as I thought I had- next visit i shall be more diligant. I need a palmtop with a portuguese to Englise translation program LOL

[sf traveler]

RE: Corujinha

 

Just to add my 2cents, I love the atmosphere, the friendly batter, THE BOYS, the overall scene at Corujinha but I find the food passable at best. I'm kind of a foodie (in San Francisco too, the worst kind) and while I've had plenty of good food in Brazil, it wasn't at Corujinha. I have a tendency to eat a late lunch in Rio, often at the Siqueira Grill that Tri mentioned, and then skip dinner. That leaves me hungry and ready to eat the food I'd rather skip at Corujinha. SF Traveler

[gulliver]

RE: Corujinha

 

at Corujinha one cannot go wrong with the mixed salad - a hube platter including tomatoes, hearts of palm, and 5 other vegetables. The kabab is great a la Greque and the waiter will have the kitchen make a delicous vegetable kabob for you. THe spagetti a la Parisienne or carbonara are both good but a little heavy for 1 AM.

My favorite Rio moments are sitting around a group of tables with the posters and the sauna boys for hours. It almost equals the time at the saunas. I think we can credit Tomcal for starting the tradition of grouping tables togethor and hanging out en masse.

the sauna boys seem to like the bowls of chicken soup and my frined Floridarobb certainly gets a bargain on his Baccardi and cokes as he pours his own.

Dont bring unknowns back to the hotel. Even the most sweet looking frat type twink has been known to get violent with friends of mine.If no one you know has personal knowledge of the boy you wish to hire for an overnight - DONT HIRE !!!!!!!!!!!

You have at least 20 or so knowns to choose from - why risk anything>

[+ Axiom2001]

RE: Corujinha

 

...liked Tri's suggestion regarding food at this place. I ate the same at Maxim's and liked it very much. At C's, I did not like what I had at all-- even cannot remember now, but I've decided when I go there again, I'll order what has been suggested here!

 

There are many wonderful restaurants in Rio; read the guides, this board's archives, and surf the net at websites which have been mentioned here at this forum.

[Guest Tomcal_]

RE: Corujinha

 

There is a restaurant which we ate lunch at frequently. It's across Sequiero Campos and down 1/2 block(toward the beach)on the south side of Sequiero Campos from the Atlantico Hotel. It has a Deep Blue Awning and seating in a covered Patio. It also has a bakery counter with some very good desserts.

I don't remember the name(Blue something) but "Really Easy" to find! Their pasta dishes and their salads were good. perfect for lunch before heading to the suanas. Sitting there at lunch with a table on the railing, we would see anywhere from 3 to 8 boys we knew from the saunas walking by between 1 and 2:00 each day. You also will see alot of eye candy walk by, as this is a busy pedestrian street and the intersection of Sequiero Campos and Tonelero where the Atlantico is, is a busy area because the Metro line ends at that intersection.

[Guest jjme]

RE: Corujinha

 

Thanks guys for the restaurant reviews. I've printed them and taped them inside one of my guidebooks! Some of the posts did bring up a question for me though. As I'm making my first trip (starting next week!!!) and as I'll be by myself, how do I learn who the dependable, known boys are? Might it be better for me to make arrangements for an overnight while at the sauna itself? Is it a solid rule that all the boys who work at the saunas are safe and recommended? Let me know... quickly! Thanks and cheers.

jjme

[+ Axiom2001]

RE: Corujinha

 

It's been advised here over and over again not to take anyone from the street. The advice has been to take one of these guys to a sex motel; some are listed on Carlo's site, I think; I know some are listed at http://www.ipanema.com or http://www.riodejaneiroguide.com (a very outstanding site which gives you the in's and out's from a gay perspective).

 

Other advice that veteran travelers have related is that primarily the sauna guys are safe, just don't leave valuables out or exposed, and to treat the "boys" with respect.

 

When I was in Rio last February/March-- I had a sauna guy visit me the next day after I'd seen him the night previously at the sauna; he was fine; I also hired one of Apollus's escorts freelance. Although he checked in at the desk; the sauna guy just came up. When the agency escort left-- the hotel personnel rang my room to inquire about my safety; I was so ecstatic that I politely stated that I was quite fine...

 

Check those 'ives if what you desire here is easily accessible! Have a wonderful trip, and do post for the benefit of all of us!:9 :9 :9

[Guest Tomcal_]

RE: Corujinha

 

As a general rule, the suana boys are safe, they are known by the owners at the sauna and have presented I.D.'s to work there, to make sure they are over 18. This being your first trip there is no reason to go with anyone other then guys from the suanas, you will have a 100+ guys to pick from between 202, Estacio and 117. I have taken many back, and never had a problem. but if you want to feel really safe, pick one of the guys that are talked about here on the board(Carlos, Juan Carlos, Dalton, Fabio, etc.)or that you recognize from the photos that myself, robbguy or Florida Robb have posted on Ofotos. all of those guys are Safe(and Fun!)!

[robbguy]

RE: Corujinha

 

Hi,

I agree with Tom and the rest. The sauna guys would probably be the safest , as they have a lot to lose if they try to rip you off. The word would get back to the saunas and they would be blackballed and wouldn't be able to find work anywhere else. The only time I experienced being fleeced was when I took a boy (who claimed to be a vacationing Sao Paulo policeman but I doubt that very much) back from Corujinha, a boy that even some of the M4M'ers I was with vouched for, stole three bottles of cologne from the bathroom of my hotel room. Not a big deal but it did bother me a bit. Funny thing is, I would probably have given them to him had he asked. It could have been worse, but I took the advise of one of the M4M'ers when we were leaving C's for the hotel and placed all my valuables, including my camera and wallet, in the hotel safe box in the room. I don't usually do this but for some strange reason, did that night. I don't know if the boy would have stolen anything else had they been out and available, but who knows? From that point on, I locked everything of value. It does give you peace of mind. Usually if someone vouches for the boy, he is safe to take back, but there are exceptions. And Tom, I think the name of the restaurant you wrote about is Blue Bell. I ate there a couple of times and liked it. Also, I ate at Confeiterio Colombo in the Centro district twice and thought it was outstanding. Such beautiful surroundings and delicious food. As far as Corujinha goes, food is alright but nothing great and I think I sampled almost everything on the menu, from the chicken soup to hamburgers, salad, chicken, steak, spaghetti, pizza,.... But who goes to Corujinha for the food? We had a ball every night, arriving around 11:30pm-12:00, with several tables pulled together with Gulliver, FloridaRobb, Sucker, and many other guys and many boys joining us for a snack or meal while we checked out the boys strolling around looking for a hook-up. It's a real smorgasbord and I am not talking about the food at the restaurant. You can see in my pics some of the street boys who hung around and posed. Talk about eye candy. It was a ritual every night and I know I looked forward to it almost as much as the saunas. If you haven't tried it, don't miss it. Take care. Robb

[trilingual]

RE: Corujinha

 

The restaurant you're referring to on Siqueira Campos, near the Atlântico, is called Bella Blu. It has both a sidewalk café section and indoor seating, and features pizzas and Italian food.

 

Some other possibilities could include the following:

 

Carretão Churrascaria, across the street from Siqueira Grill (among other locations)

 

Arab, on Av. Atlântica on the same block as Maxim's. Middle Eastern food (very popular in Brazil). "Por kilo" lunch buffet, a la carte service evenings.

 

Confeitaria Colombo, downtown on r. Gonçalves Dias (metro Carioca). I can only second the previous comments; incomparable setting and very good food. "Light" meals and snacks downstairs (the sandwiches are big enough for two) and restaurant service upstairs (take the elevator). Excellent lunch time buffets plus a la carte service. Feijoada on Saturdays. Closed Sundays.

 

Dom Camilo, on Av. Atlântica near Bolivar. Sidewalk café, good food (unusual for the beachfront restaurants).

 

Iemanjá, in Ipanema on Visconde de Pirajá very close to Praça Osório (where the hippie fair is held on weekends). Excellent Bahian food.

 

Siri Mole & Cia., in Arpoador near the end of Copacabana. Excellent Bahian food.

 

Gula Gula, in Ipanema. Very smart, good food, varied cuisine.

 

Pax Emporium, upstairs in Praia Botafogo Shopping. Varied cuisine, with creative salads, and a billion-dollar view of Botafogo Bay and Sugar Loaf.

 

Food Courts on top two floors of Praia Botafogo Shopping. The usual suspect fast foods, plus some cafés, with the same billion-dollar view of Botafogo Bay and Sugar Loaf.

 

Viena, at Rio Sul shopping. Self-service buffet and/or sit-down dining. (Branches in other major shopping centers in Rio, SP and other cities.) Good food, reasonable prices, excellent salad bar.

 

Da Silva. Excellent "por kilo" place (lunchtime only) in Ipanema on Barão da Torre on the "back" side of Praça N.S. da Paz. Features Portuguese dishes.

 

Cipriani's, in the Copacabana Palace. A big splurge in deluxe surroundings. Superb food and service. Perhaps the most expensive restaurant in Rio, but not outrageous in dollars or to those accustomed to NY, SF or London prices. A recent meal for two, with drinks, wine and several courses, was about R$420, or about US$150. Worth every cent. Could be done for less if you skip the truffled dishes! :-)

 

Excelsior Hotel, on av. Atlântica across from Maxim's. Good, reasonably priced lunch buffet in a very attractive dining room facing the beach.

 

Le St.-Honoré, on the top floor of the Meridien. Dinner only. Very fine cuisine and birdseye view of Copacabana.

 

Cafe Fleuri, on the fourth floor of the Meridien. Brunch, lunch and dinner. Lunchtime buffets Mon. - Fri., focusing on different cuisines each day. Pricey, but nice.

 

Caesar Park Hotel, Ipanema. Famous for its Saturday afternoon feijoada in upscale version and surroundings.

 

Restaurants on top floor of Rio Design Center, Barra. A selection of very smart, chic places if you decide to venture out to Miami-in-Brazil. You can have lunch or brunch, window shop the various design showcases, shop in the nice bookstore upstairs, etc. Some of the restaurants feature outdoor dining on the building's terrace.

 

This is just a quick selection. There are TONS of restaurants in Rio, many of them extremely good. If you visit Rio frequently, go to a good bookstore and try to get the current guide (bilingual) put out by restaurant critic Danusia Barbara. The Guia 4 Rodas, available at any newstand, also lists and rates restaurants, with a Michelin style star system. The cultural section pullouts in the Friday editions of O Globo and Jornal do Brasil have restaurant guides (in Portuguese). So does the local Rio pullout section sold with Veja, the leading newsweekly, available at any newstand (it usually comes out on Sundays; in Portuguese).

[Guest jjme]

RE: Corujinha

 

Wow! With all this info on restaurants- and the boys- I think I'm all set. Thanks so much. Will post about my experiences. By the way, are there some internet centers around the Atlantico's neighborhood?

jjme

[trilingual]

RE: Corujinha

 

There's a terminal in the Atlântico's lobby. I don't know what they charge. There's also a cybercafé on r. Barata Ribeiro around the corner from Siqueira Campos, heading towards Ipanema, on the right hand side of the street. Walk-up usage is around R$9 an hour, but if you're a heavy user you can get it down to around R$2 an hour by buying one of their packages (something like 20 hours to be used within a 7-day period).

[Driver]

RE: Corujinha

 

What I did in the hotel lobby was type offline in notepad then cut and pasted my posts whilst online. Keeps the bills down.