Restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Michelin-recognised Portuguese sharing plates, $$ prices.
Henriqueta holds a 2025 Michelin Plate for its focused Portuguese tasca cooking in Leblon — shared plates, an open kitchen, and ceramic-tiled room at the $$ price tier. It is one of Rio's most accessible Michelin-recognised tables and easy to book. Order the octopus a lagareiro and the bifanas açorianas; come with two to four people for the full effect.
Henriqueta earns its 2025 Michelin Plate with a focused, no-frills approach to Portuguese tasca cooking — shared plates, quality ingredients, and a room designed for the kind of long, relaxed meal that suits a date night or a small group celebration. At the $$ price tier, it is one of the most accessible Michelin-recognised tables in Rio de Janeiro, and it is easy to book. If you want serious Portuguese cooking in a neighbourhood setting rather than a tasting-menu marathon, this is where to go.
The room sets the tone immediately. A glass façade brings natural light into a space decorated with Portuguese ceramic tilework — the visual cues are deliberate: this is a tasca, a traditional Portuguese tavern format, transplanted to the southern end of Rio. The open kitchen keeps the room honest. You see the work, you understand the food, and the atmosphere stays grounded rather than theatrical. For a special occasion that does not require white-glove formality, that balance works well.
The cooking at Henriqueta is built around sharing, which makes it a strong choice for two to four diners. The menu avoids elaborate plating in favour of dishes where the ingredient does the justifying. The Michelin citation specifically highlights the bifanas açorianas , a crispy bread sandwich of pork escalope marinated in wine and garlic, a Portuguese street-food reference done with care. For a main, the octopus a lagareiro is roasted in oil and served with onion confit and mashed potatoes: the kind of dish that earns its reputation through technique and restraint rather than novelty. To finish, the toucinho do céu , egg yolk, almonds, and cinnamon , is an authentically Portuguese dessert that closes the meal without compromise. These are not invented descriptions; they come directly from the Michelin citation for this restaurant.
Google rating sits at 4.5 across 279 reviews, which at this price point signals consistent execution rather than occasional excellence. Henriqueta is not trying to be Rio's most ambitious restaurant. It is trying to be reliably good at a specific, well-defined thing , and the evidence suggests it succeeds.
Henriqueta's menu is built around dishes that are inherently suited to communal, in-room eating: slow-roasted octopus, confit onions, mashed potatoes, egg-yolk-based desserts. These are preparations that depend on timing and temperature in ways that delivery compromises. The bifanas açorianas, with their crispy bread component, would lose structural integrity in transit. The toucinho do céu is a dessert that rewards being eaten in context. If you are weighing an off-premise order against a table booking, the in-room experience is meaningfully better here , the shared-plate format, the open kitchen, and the ceramic-tiled setting are part of what makes the meal. If convenience is the priority, this is not the right choice. If the occasion merits sitting down properly, book the table.
Henriqueta is at the accessible end of the Rio de Janeiro booking difficulty scale. Given its $$ price tier and neighbourhood location in Leblon, you can generally secure a table without the weeks-in-advance planning required at Lasai or Oteque. For weekend evenings or a specific occasion date, booking a few days out is sensible. The address is R. Aristides Espinola, Leblon , a well-connected neighbourhood with direct access. Hours, phone, and website are not confirmed in our database; check current listings before you go.
Reservations: Easy to book; a few days ahead for weekends is advisable. Dress: Smart casual is appropriate for the setting. Budget: $$ , accessible for Rio, particularly relative to the Michelin recognition. Group size: Two to four diners is the format this menu is designed for; sharing plates work leading at that scale. Occasion fit: Date night, small group celebration, or a relaxed business dinner where the conversation matters as much as the food.
See the comparison section below for Henriqueta against Rio's wider restaurant set.
Portugal's culinary tradition has genuine representation in Brazil, and Rio has a few good options in the category. If you want to explore how the tasca format operates elsewhere, Tasca by José Avillez in Dubai and Vinha in Vila Nova de Gaia offer useful reference points for what serious Portuguese cooking looks like at different budget levels and in different contexts. Closer to home, if you are travelling Brazil more broadly, the Michelin-recognised table network includes D.O.M. in São Paulo, Manga in Salvador, Manu in Curitiba, Mina in Campos do Jordão, and Orixás | North Restaurant in Itacaré for wider context on the country's restaurant scene. Also worth noting for Rio visitors: Quinta da Henriqueta is a related address worth considering alongside this one.
Henriqueta fits naturally into a Leblon evening. For broader trip planning, see our full Rio de Janeiro restaurants guide, our Rio de Janeiro hotels guide, our Rio de Janeiro bars guide, our Rio de Janeiro wineries guide, and our Rio de Janeiro experiences guide.
Start with the bifanas açorianas — crispy bread filled with pork escalope marinated in wine and garlic — then move to the octopus a lagareiro, slow-roasted in oil and served with onion confit and mashed potatoes. Finish with the toucinho do céu, a traditional Portuguese dessert made with egg yolks, almonds, and cinnamon. These three dishes represent the clearest case for the $$ price point and the Michelin Plate recognition Henriqueta holds in 2025.
The venue database does not confirm a bar counter specifically, but Henriqueta's open kitchen and glass-façade layout suggest a casual format where solo seating options are likely available. The tasca style — designed around sharing plates rather than formal table service — typically supports flexible seating. Confirm directly with the restaurant when booking.
Reasonably yes, with one caveat: the menu is built around sharing dishes, so a solo diner will either order less variety or end up with more food than needed. At the $$ price tier, over-ordering is low-risk financially. The bright, open room with a glass façade and open kitchen makes solo dining comfortable rather than isolating. For a fuller solo omakase-style experience, Rio's higher-end counters suit better, but Henriqueta's Michelin Plate credibility at accessible prices makes it a sound solo lunch option.
Henriqueta is a tasca-format restaurant, not a tasting-menu destination. The format is shared plates ordered à la carte, which is where the value sits. If a set menu is available, the database does not confirm it — but the food philosophy here prioritises ingredient quality over elaborate coursework. For a structured tasting-menu experience in Rio, Lasai or Oteque are the relevant alternatives; Henriqueta's case is the opposite: honest, focused Portuguese cooking at $$ without the ceremony.
It works for a low-key special occasion — a birthday dinner or an intimate celebration where the emphasis is on good food rather than theatrical service. The Portuguese ceramic décor and open kitchen give the room a genuine character, and the 2025 Michelin Plate adds credibility if you need to impress. For a high-formality celebration where occasion dressing and grand gesture service are part of the brief, Oro or Oteque in Rio suit that expectation better. Henriqueta's strength is quality without the performance.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
