Doni Clemons
One street over from Lapa, in the neighborhood Bairro de Fátima, exists a delightful corridor of seafood restaurants. Restaurants line shoulder to shoulder, taking up half of Rua André Cavalcanti, all with virtually the same menus featuring seafood as the star. Probably the best seafood you can get at the cheapest prices outside of Niterói. The restaurants all line up plastic blue tables on the outside sidewalks where most diners like to eat their fried fish or shrimp and drink cold beer al fresco. Even in winter months, crowds gather outside, sometimes trading the fried fish for a seafood stew and cold beer for mulled wine. A plate overflowing with freshly fried sardines, each about the size of a small woman’s hand is about $12 US dollars and beer is about $2. Locals have their favorite restaurants depending on personal preferences, but menus and prices are exactly the same between each of the restaurants to stay competitive and because seats fill up quickly, it’s best to grab a table you can get anywhere along the street. It’s best to bring cash to pay.
