Restaurante Mee — Restaurant in Região Geográfica Imediata do Rio de Janeiro

On June 6, my husband and I ate at Mee the first night we stayed at the Belmond Copacabana. We ordered their Tasting Menu and were disappointed at the service and the quality of the food. The first dish was scallop, nicely presented, but not very fresh, had a fishy taste. The shiromi was the worst – I ate two pieces and left the third untouched. The third dish (zushi) was a ball of white rice wrapped in beef, tuna tartare, and eel; could have been better if the rice was soft, sticky, and seasoned like how sushi rice is supposed to be. The rice was dry and had no flavor which is shocking for a Japanese restaurant, not to mention one with a 1 Michelin star.

The Trio Snack was the best among the nine dishes. The grilled wagyu beef in a skewer was flavorful, the tuna tartare was fresh, and the chicken panko was crispy and tasty. Of the last three dishes (shrimp, noodles with pork belly, and Korean bibimbap), the bibimbap was the most disappointing in taste. It was nicely presented but lacked in flavor.

Of the two desserts, the mochi was OK, but the strawberry mousse was pretty good! With water and three small bottles of Sapporo, the total came to R$2.026,20 (roughly USD$363) – totally not worth it. As for service, it was quick and smooth the first half because there were only three tables with customers. As the restaurant started to fill with more people, service lagged, and there were gaps of 15 – 20 minutes between the last couple of main dishes. We had to ask the server to check on our dishes more than a couple of times.

We enjoy dining at Michelin star restaurants, and unfortunately, Mee has been our worst experience. It’s hard to imagine how Mee got their one star. Perhaps their past dishes were delectable, but the Tasting Menu we tried in June was not to the standard and quality of a Michelin...

With high expectations and positive anticipation we entered the beautiful one star Michelin restaurant. First we had one drink each in the bar, made by a pleasant and professional bartender. The drinks where expensive but high quality and very good. The seating premise is nice and most materials are high end.

Moving on to the food. We had the tasting menu which included around 7 dishes. I want to be clear, i have been privileged enough to have dined at multiple guide michelin restaurants around the world, ranging from 1 star up to 3 stars. It really saddens me to say, that this was by far the most underwhelming food experience. However, the staff where accommodating and kind but it did unfortunately not make up for the low level in the kitchen. On to some constructive criticism. The first dish was one of the best. The muscle was a bit to cold in the middle and the foam was tasteless. Although the star of the dish lacked a bit the rest was nice. The second dish was a joke, get rid of the salad and 4 tomatoes? Insane ratio. The sushi was OK, the tuna was very nice. The wagyu was to salty. The tartar was the best dish of the night, but! Its the safest dish. Nothing difficult about it, the product is high quality. But the chef risks nothing. Disappointed. The wine was very fine and the service on refilling was quick and elegant. The soup. Just no. So simple and it blows my mind how you thought this was a good idea. The pasta was so weird. It almost felt like we were used as someone to test strange ideas on. Its a good thing to try new things, it adds to the Guinea pigs sensation but in this case it lacked any positive lining. The mochi was sloppy. The final dessert was clean, easy and fresh. Skip the thick jelly. Try something more exotic...

MEE was one of the most expensive meals I had in Rio—and unfortunately, also one of the most disappointing.

First, I want to emphasize that our waiter was fantastic—attentive, warm, and truly made us feel welcome. However, the overall experience fell far short of what I would expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant.

From the start, our arrival was uncomfortable. A friend was nearly denied entry due to their footwear—open-toe sandals—despite the booking confirmation stating “no open-toe shoes” without specifying flip-flops. While we understand the importance of a dress code, the way the door staff handled the situation was embarrassing, especially as we noticed other diners inside wearing flip-flops and open-toe shoes. It left us feeling unfairly scrutinized rather than genuinely held to a policy.

Unfortunately, the food didn’t make up for the rocky start. The green curry, for example, was essentially a plate of vegetables with sauce poured on top, and the fish dish followed the same uninspired formula. While the flavors were decent, the execution was far from exceptional and certainly not worth the steep price tag.

Adding to the discomfort, the restaurant was uncomfortably cold. When we mentioned how chilly it was, the staff kindly offered us pashminas, but I don’t expect to need extra layers to enjoy a meal at a fine dining establishment.

Overall, I would rate my experience a 4/10. The service was the only highlight, but the food, ambiance, and treatment at the door fell far below expectations. I truly don’t understand how MEE holds a Michelin star, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone seeking a true fine...