Nova Capela Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Região Geográfica Imediata do Rio de Janeiro

Visited in June 2024. Brazil. Rio de Janeiro.

Our tour guide on our food tour showed us this place and it was a total gem! It felt like a real local spot, not touristy at all. The interior is a little old and tired, but that adds to its charm. The waiters are in white suits, the portions are huge, it’s a real Brazilian restaurant with a history.

Food:

We went to this restaurant twice, and here are our favorites: the codfish croquettes - so crispy on the outside, with a thin crust and super tender and juicy on the inside. You could really taste the fish, the first time we had the croquettes they were seriously good. Then there was the grilled octopus with garlic – the best octopus I've ever had, and the best I've tried in Brazil. It was so soft and tender, with a crispy crust. Perfect balance of flavor and garlic. And their signature dish, the slow-cooked lamb roasted until crispy, with tender meat inside and a crispy crust, what could be better? Also, the rice with broccoli was phenomenal.

Service:

They have a menu in English, and some of the waiters speak English too, which made it super easy to navigate. The service was overall really good, the dishes came out quickly, and they cleared dirty plates right away. The waiters' uniforms were amazing.

Overall:

I highly recommend this restaurant. The decor might seem outdated, but it’s all part of the history. This restaurant has been serving guests for a long time. It was a real...

We went there for lunch. Horrific! The food was not great. The bife was way over cooked and way too salty. They served with this dish chips AND rice AND another starch. We also ordered and breaded hake. The saddest breaded fish we ate. Obviously a frozen fish sadly breaded and deep fried. We also ordered dessert. We ask what desserts were actually made in-house, the pudín (basically flan) and the mousses- chocolate and maracuyá. The mousse was obviously industrial quality and not homemade. When we asked the waiter about it, he just shrugged. This place was way over priced. 90€ for terrible food and a not so good experience. The house wine was good though and the cod and cheese buñuelos. We will never return....

Every time me and my Carioca partner come to Rio, we eat at Nova Cappella. We have eaten there with friends many times, at least a dozen.

We are glad Belmont Group saved them from bankruptcy and they are still open.

Glad to see our old friends, the waiters still there and still employed, giving great service, as always.

Also glad to be able to enjoy Brahma Black Chopp, the best beer in the world, which we enjoy at Belmont in Copa and Ipanema.

The cod bolinhos are still super.

But cabrito is young goat, not lamb. The lamb is good but it is not goat. Sorry does not taste the same. No matter what the waiters loyally claim, is nor what was served before too bad! But still a restaurant worth...