3 Best Restaurants in Minas Gerais, Brazil

One of Brazil's best restaurants for comida mineira, the Viradas do Largo (also known as Restaurante da Beth) serves dishes such as chicken with ora pro nobis (a Brazilian cabbage) and feijão tropeiro with pork chops. Some of the ingredients, such as the borecole (kale), are cultivated in the restaurant's backyard. The portions are generous, enough for three or four people, but you can ask for a half order of any dish. The restaurant is also a market, with typical arts and crafts from Minas Gerais. Reservations are essential on weekends.

Within the same building as the Tourist Information Office of Praça Tiradentes, Café Cultural is the perfect place to rest a bit and enjoy a cold drink and a quick bite. Quiches, little appetizers, and cakes are served, and the extensive beer list includes local gems such as the Backer beer. Ambient music and comfortable sofas allow you to sit back and watch the world pass by the café's large windows. A small bookstore and a collection of teas and local craft items are also available for purchase.

An excellent restaurant just oozing with charm, O Passo serves local meat and pasta dishes in addition to pizza. Large bay windows, subtle colors, and candlelight—as well as jazz and Brazilian popular music (MPB) played live on weekends—create a sophisticated but accessible atmosphere that attracts young couples and families. Among the many tantalizing pizzas worth a try, the calabresa with azeitona (wafer-thin slices of cured pork sausage sprinkled with black olives) and the quatro funghi (with four types of mushrooms) stand out. An extensive list of artisanal beers is also available. Try to book a table outside with a view of the river.