Forget Beaches: Food Tours Are The Best Way To Discover Rio De Janeiro

Forbes

28-04-2025

Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the Dois Irmaos mountains in the background, circa 1960. (Photo by)
If you watched the Somebody Feed Phil episode set in Rio de Janeiro (Season 4, Episode 1 on Netflix), you may recall Phil Rosenthal's unofficial food guru: a relaxed, big-hearted British expat named Tom Le Mesurier. In a city layered with history, music, and sun-soaked beauty, Tom offered Phil—and by extension, all of us—a delicious reminder: the surest way to understand a place is to eat your way through it.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine mentioned Tom again. He'd returned from Rio raving about Tom's Eat Rio Food Tours, which take visitors into the city's quieter, tastier parts—the vibrant markets, old-school botequins, and under-the-radar açai counters. My friend (truly, the most sophisticated traveler I know) said he tasted everything from rare Amazonian fruits to bite-sized squares of tapioca flour dough still warm from the pan. It made me want to get on a plane immediately and head to Brazil.
Eat Rio Food Tours founder Tom Le Mesurier and a very large avocado.
You can experience Rio in a lot of ways. Tour companies like Rio Cultural Secrets will drive you up Corcovado for sweeping Christ the Redeemer views or guide you through the mosaic wonderland of Escadaria Selarón. Outfitters like Rio Adventures will strap you into a harness and send you paragliding above Ipanema beach. Tours by Locals can arrange private walks through Rio's colonial past and emerging design scene. All are worthwhile, depending on your mood (and the online reviews).
But Tom's Eat Rio Food Tours get you closer to the soul of the city. As I've said before, the best way to experience a new or unfamiliar destination is to devour it—and in Rio, Eat Rio is hands down the way to do it. Instead of ticking off landmarks, Tom helps you experience the place one spoonful (or sip or juicy slice) at a time. It's an experience that feels less like a tour and more like meeting up with an old friend who can't wait to show you why his favorite city tastes so good.
Recently, I caught up with Tom to hear more about his journey, his approach to food, and why the best way to know Brazil is by taking a great big bite.
David Hochman: You're a British guy leading food tours in Brazil Do people ever give you side-eye for that? What does being an 'outsider' let you see that locals might miss?
Tom Le Mesurier: Officially speaking, I am now British-Brazilian. I went through the process of naturalization about five years ago. But I take your point. Although my Portuguese is fluent, I'll never lose the accent and in the eyes of most Brazilians I'll always be a foreigner, and I'm OK with that.
Every food guide brings their own background and experience to a tour. While my Brazilian colleagues can recount childhood memories of family churrascos, they almost certainly can't remember the first time they tried feijoada, or countless other culinary delights. And while I'm an 'outsider' so are the majority of our guests, meaning I can probably identify with them and their experience of being in Brazil for the first time in a way that a born and raised Brazilian can't.
Moqueca, feijoida, tapioca—it's all on the menu during a tour with Eat Rio.
David Hochman: There's a global stereotype that Rio is dangerous and chaotic. But it's also called the 'Cidade Maravilhosa.' What do people get wrong about Rio and what's the moment on your tour when people feel that marvelous magic crack through their fear?
Tom Le Mesurier: Rio does have its dangers, but it's also undeniably marvelous. It's a dazzling city of contradictions. It's simultaneously beautiful and ugly, hilarious and tragic, depressing and frustrating at times, but also inspiring and uplifting. It's all these things at once.
What people get wrong is that they think Rio is a complete war zone. Then they get to the street market and sense the warmth and kindness of the locals; they see jovial octogenarians buying groceries, children sharing a joke on their way to school, mothers pushing buggies and realize it's not nearly as terrifying a place as they had been led to believe. I would never want to airbrush out the dangers or suffering that exists here, but compared to reality, many visitors need to have their image of Rio majorly readjusted in a positive direction.
David Hochman: Practical travel question: If someone only has 24 hours in Rio and wants to avoid missing out — where do you send them, and what do you make them eat? What's the dish that's most likely to blow a skeptical traveler's mind?
Tom Le Mesurier: I would always steer people towards one of Rio's daily feiras (street markets). These run every morning from 7 am to 12 pm and are a riot of exotic fruits, delicious street food dishes and a great way to connect with the locals. In the afternoon, I'd recommend a stroll around the beautiful, bohemian neighborhood of Santa Teresa. Its cobbled streets, stunning views and artsy vibe is so much more interesting than the hotel-lined beaches, in my opinion. Everyone knows about Brazil's barbecue culture, but more people should know about the Afro-Brazilian food and culture. I'd send them to Yayá Comidaria to eat moqueca baiana, a rich seafood stew flavored with coconut milk and red palm oil. I've seen hundreds (possibly thousands) of people declare it their favorite Brazilian dish.
David Hochman: You've spent over a decade helping people taste Brazil. What's something about the culture or food that still resists translation — something that doesn't quite fit into a tidy tour explanation?
Tom Le Mesurier: Brazilian food and culture can't be rushed. You can come here on a three-day whistle-stop tour and see the sites, have a lot of fun, and tick a bunch of things off your lists, but you'll miss out on the real magic. Our food tours get our guests off to a great start - they'll eat, drink and experience many of the 'best bits' and they'll be set up with recommendations and itineraries for the rest of their time in the city.
But to really 'get it' you need to slow down - spend an afternoon snacking and drinking in a bar while you watch people pass in the street, notice how the waiters interact with their customers. There's something beautiful about the way people treat each other here, but you could miss it if you're constantly rushing off to see the next 'must see' highlight.
David Hochman: If Eat Rio were a person, what kind of personality would it have at a dinner party?
Tom Le Mesurier: Ha. I hope Eat Rio would be fun, interesting, irreverent, and unafraid to be honest about how things really are in the world. Basically, Anthony Bourdain.
David Hochman: Eat Rio has already taken hundreds of people through the heart of the city's flavors, so what's next for you? Are there neighborhoods, regions, or experiences you'd like to add to the repertoire?
Tom Le Mesurier: The pandemic and then fatherhood (I've got twins boys!) put a lot of my plans for world domination on hold for a while, but now things are starting to move forward again. Together with my friend and colleague, sommelier Marcela de Genaro, I recently launched the Brazilian Wine Experience, an indulgent afternoon of Brazilian wines paired with food—and dazzling conversation of course. We will also soon be launching our dedicated tour of the botecos of Tijuca, Rio's criminally overlooked heartland of eating, drinking and samba. And later in the year, we'll be opening our long-awaited food tours in an assortment of other popular destinations across Brazil.
David Hochman: If you ever need a professional moqueca taster, you know where to find me.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.