Restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Two Bib Gourmands. Easy to book. Go.
Pici Trattoria holds back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition (2024 and 2025) at a $$ price point — making it the clearest value case for Italian dining in Ipanema. Chef Allan Hernandez runs a trattoria format built around execution over concept. Book a few days out, eat in rather than order delivery, and expect quality that outpaces its price tier.
Two consecutive Michelin Bib Gourmand awards (2024 and 2025) at a $$ price point make Pici Trattoria one of the clearest value propositions in Ipanema's dining scene. If you want Italian cooking that has earned formal recognition without the tasting-menu price tag, book here. The Bib Gourmand designation exists precisely for restaurants that deliver quality above their price tier, and Pici has held it two years running — that consistency is the signal you need.
Pici Trattoria sits on Rua Barão da Torre in Ipanema, one of Rio de Janeiro's most walkable dining streets and within easy reach of accommodation across the Zona Sul. Chef Allan Hernandez runs the kitchen, producing Italian trattoria cooking in a city where genuinely recognised Italian restaurants at this price level are scarce. The 4.5-star Google rating across 2,054 reviews tells you this is not a one-hit critical favourite — it sustains quality across a high volume of diners, which is harder to fake than a single glowing review.
For context on what the Bib Gourmand means in practice: Michelin awards it to restaurants that offer two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for a defined budget threshold, with quality that the inspectors would otherwise consider worthy of closer attention. Holding it consecutively signals that Pici is not gaming a single inspection cycle. If you are travelling from elsewhere in Brazil or internationally and building a serious Rio itinerary, Pici deserves a slot alongside heavier-spending options , not as a consolation choice, but because the Italian trattoria format done well at this price is rare in this city.
The trattoria format itself is worth understanding if you are deciding how much of an evening to give this. Italian trattoria cooking is built around handmade pasta, direct proteins, and a kitchen philosophy that prioritises execution over concept. At its leading, it rewards diners who slow down , a plate of well-made pici (the Tuscan hand-rolled pasta the restaurant references in its name) is a dish that shows its quality in texture and sauce cohesion, not in visual theatre. If you are looking for elaborate tasting menus or modernist plating, this is not the right room. If you want a satisfying, well-priced Italian dinner in one of Rio's leading neighbourhoods, it is difficult to find a better-credentialled option at this tier.
The editorial angle worth addressing directly: does Pici's food travel well for takeout or delivery? The honest answer is that handmade pasta is among the most delivery-hostile categories in Italian cooking. Fresh pasta continues to cook in its sauce during transit, and the texture that makes a well-executed pici worth ordering in the first place degrades meaningfully by the time it arrives at a hotel room. The Bib Gourmand recognition is a judgment of the in-room experience, not the packaging. If you are in Ipanema and can walk to Rua Barão da Torre, eat in. If your situation requires delivery, be realistic: the sauce and any braised components will travel reasonably, but the pasta itself will not be at its leading. This is a trattoria that rewards sitting down, not ordering in.
For food-and-travel enthusiasts building a Rio itinerary with depth, the practical move is to treat Pici as a sit-down anchor on an Ipanema evening rather than a logistics solution. Rio's broader dining scene across the Zona Sul gives you plenty of delivery-friendly options for nights when you are not leaving the hotel. Save Pici for when you are present.
Booking difficulty is rated easy for Pici Trattoria, which is a genuine advantage given the Bib Gourmand status. Many comparably awarded restaurants in Rio's peer set at the $$$$ tier require planning weeks out. Here, a reservation a few days ahead should be sufficient for most evenings, though weekend bookings and peak holiday periods in Rio (particularly the pre-Carnival stretch in late January and February, and the summer school holidays in December and January) warrant earlier contact. The specific booking method is not confirmed in available data, so check current availability directly via the restaurant's current contact channels. Given the address is on a high-traffic Ipanema street, walk-in viability on quieter weeknights is plausible, though not guaranteed.
For explorers interested in how Pici sits within the wider context of recognised Italian cooking internationally, it is instructive to compare. 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong and Cenci in Kyoto represent Italian cooking transplanted to Asian cities with serious critical recognition. Pici occupies a different tier and a different mission , trattoria accessibility rather than fine-dining ambition , but the Bib Gourmand credential places it in credible company globally at its price point.
Closer to home, Rio's Italian dining scene has other options worth knowing. Cipriani, Artigiano, and Babbo Osteria all operate in the city's Italian space. For Italian at the contemporary end, Oro runs a $$$$ contemporary Italian-Brazilian programme with its own critical credentials. Pici's position is distinct: it is the only Bib Gourmand-recognised Italian option at the $$ tier with this volume of sustained positive reviews.
If your Rio trip extends to broader Brazilian dining exploration, the national context is worth having. D.O.M. in São Paulo, Manga in Salvador, Manu in Curitiba, Mina in Campos do Jordão, Orixás North Restaurant in Itacaré, and Castelo Saint Andrews in Gramado represent the range of serious Brazilian dining outside Rio. For planning the full Rio leg, see our full Rio de Janeiro restaurants guide, hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pici Trattoria | Italian | $$ | Easy |
| Lasai | Regional Brazilian, Modern Cuisine | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Oteque | Modern Brazilian, Modern Cuisine | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Oro | Contemporary Italian, Brazilian, Modern Italian | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Lilia | Italian, Brazilian | $$ | Unknown |
| Casa 201 | French | $$$$ | Unknown |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Booking difficulty is rated easy, which is a real advantage for a two-time Bib Gourmand recipient. Most comparable Michelin-recognised spots in Rio require planning days or weeks out; Pici is more forgiving. That said, weekend evenings on Rua Barão da Torre fill quickly, so booking a few days ahead is still sensible rather than assuming walk-in availability.
Bar seating details are not documented in available venue data for Pici. The safest approach is to check the venue's official channels or confirm at booking. For a trattoria format at this price point, counter or bar dining would be a bonus rather than a standard feature.
Specific dietary accommodation policies are not listed in the venue record. Italian trattoria menus are typically pasta-forward, which can limit options for gluten-free diners; confirm directly before booking. Chef Allan Hernandez leads the kitchen, so reaching out ahead of your visit is the practical move for any serious restriction.
A dedicated tasting menu is not confirmed in the venue data. Pici's Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition — awarded in both 2024 and 2025 — is specifically a value-for-money distinction, meaning quality food at a $$ price point rather than a multi-course prestige format. If a tasting menu is your priority, Oteque or Lasai are better fits at a higher price tier.
It works for a low-key celebration where the food does the talking rather than the setting. Two consecutive Bib Gourmands give you a credible story to tell, and the $$ price point means you are not over-spending for the occasion. For a milestone dinner where ambience and a longer format matter as much as the food, Oro or Lasai would be stronger choices.
Yes, clearly. Back-to-back Michelin Bib Gourmand awards in 2024 and 2025 exist specifically to flag restaurants where quality exceeds what the price suggests. At $$ in Ipanema, Pici is one of the more defensible bookings in Rio for Italian food. You are not paying a premium for the neighbourhood or the name.
For Italian specifically, Casa 201 is worth comparing at a similar tier. If you are open to moving up in price for a broader fine-dining frame, Oteque and Oro both hold Michelin recognition and offer more involved tasting formats. Lasai is the pick if sustainability-focused tasting menus interest you. Pici is the right call when you want Italian, value, and a straightforward booking.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
