I know it’s a bit strange to be eating mexican in Brazil, but I had read a number of good reviews about this place and didn’t really feel like any of the heavy Brazil options for dinner. One of the reasons Azteka, located on the main tourist street in Ipanema, gets good reviews is that it is owned by mexican owners and the food is apparently very authentic.

They serve a pretty strong caipirinha.

And, of course, they make a mean margherita as well.

Inside they have a TV screen that proved popular with Brazil playing in the Confederation Cup and probably about eight or ten small tables inside with room for a few more on the street pavement outside.

I opted for some nachos while I waited which turned out pretty tasty. The chicken topping was flavoursome and the cheese just starting to melt. The chips were light, and tasted like they had been freshly made. All very good signs.

By this time I had finished off one of my drinks and was starting to get a bit more peckish. I was a bit undecided since there looked to be so many good options.

I ended up ordering a mole-chicken burrito with a spicy (piccante) sauce. Knowing that Brazilians don’t really use a lot of chili, I was interested to see if spicy was actually going to be really spicy. It was hot, pleasantly so and a good balance of flavour. It wasn’t really like the deep flavoured mole chicken really needed it. This burrito was also slightly different since it also had a been toasted afterwards, a pleasant surprise that worked really well.

All in all, I was pretty happy with this food choice and can highly recommend this place.

Name: Azteka
Found at: Rua Visconde de Pirajá, 156 – Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Website: http://www.azteka-rio.com/