where Niterói rediscovers its rural side and reveals surprising gastronomy

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At the heart of the neighborhood is the Haras São Francisco, which perpetuates the region’s equestrian tradition. With wide open spaces and mountain views, the space offers guided horseback rides and, on weekends, welcomes visitors with its own restaurant, live music and outdoor tables.

A few minutes away, Cantinho da Roça has become a program for families, a hit with children. Opened after the pandemic, the space operates on a farm belonging to César Botelho’s family and brings together home cooking, sport fishing, horse riding, contact with animals like pigs and rabbits and a small artificial waterfall, made with spring water.

— Children can hang out with the animals, run, play. There are people who come from Rio just for this reason — explains Botelho, who is currently working to expand the space and include a wood stove and dishes from Minas Gerais on the menu.

Vitória Ferreira visited with her husband and 6-year-old son, who loved fishing.

— Children spend a lot of time on screens. It’s great here to play, run, get away from your cell phone. There should be more spaces like this in Niterói — she says.

Engenho do Mato is also home to Quilombo do Grotão, a cultural space recognized as an urban quilombo and a reference in the preservation of Afro-Brazilian traditions. There, jongo circles, samba, workshops and a famous feijoada take place which attracts visitors from all over the city, reinforcing the role of the neighborhood as a territory of resistance and belonging. Today, Quilombo leaves his home and performs a free samba circle in Praça do Engenho do Mato, starting at 12:30 p.m.

The neighborhood also inspires art, nursery rhymes and hip hop, in the Roda Cultural do Engenho do Mato, which is celebrating its 12th anniversary. Ponto de Cultura, the collective was strengthened thanks to the creation by young people of a community library in a space previously abandoned by the State.

— Our mission is to promote local youth and the neighborhood, by understanding the richness of the territory. We live in a true ecological sanctuary, and this certainly inspires the project, in its educational character — adds Aline Pereira, coordinator of Roda do Engenho do Mato.

In recent years, Engenho do Mato has consolidated a gastronomic circuit that surprises with its quality and original proposals. Restaurants located among trees, hills and gardens create an environment where nature meets good food. In this atmosphere of exclusivity, they only open on weekends and public holidays, and reservations are recommended to guarantee a table.

One of them is Mr. Lang, born in 2020 in the garden of chef Sven Lang’s house, in Itaipu, and who acquired a new life in 2023 by settling in Chácara do Alto.

— We have five thousand meters of greenery, views of the sea, the islands of Rio and the mountains. And in the distance, Pedra da Gávea, where the sun hides in the late afternoon. When people first arrive, the visual impact is great. Even locals say they couldn’t imagine having a place like this in Niterói — describes Lang.

Freshness is the hallmark of the house, focused on seafood. The menu includes grouper, grouper, chum, yellow hake, tuna, lily, cavaquinhas, shrimp and VG mussels, as well as vegan and carnivorous versions. Live music, jazz and bossa complete the atmosphere of a gastronomic refuge.

— The octopus is our flagship product and it comes to me alive. And the fish comes directly from the fishermen, everything is extremely fresh. The difference in quality is absurd, says he, who, before opening the establishment, practiced underwater fishing.

Created by the couple Cláudia Souza and Max Freitas, Bistrô Ancestral was born from the desire to transform the old habit of cooking and entertaining friends into a business. Bahian and linked to Afro-Brazilian religions, Cláudia brings to the menu elements of ancestry, family histories and cultural references that permeate her upbringing, something also reinforced in the atmosphere, the music and the way of welcoming. The choice of Engenho do Mato came from their connection with the neighborhood where they live and the bucolic atmosphere that they wanted to preserve.

— Cláudia is the star of the business, I play a supporting role. We always wanted Ancestral to be more than a place to eat. We try to convey our philosophy in a loving way, which embraces the customer — says Freitas.

A classic of the region, Taberna do Darwin, run by chef Sabino and present in the neighborhood for 16 years, pays homage to the famous English naturalist. The name refers to the Darwin Trail, a historic trail in the Serra da Tiririca that begins in Engenho do Mato and follows part of the route attributed to Charles Darwin when he explored the region in the 19th century. With the urbanization of the surrounding area, the restaurant has a new terrace under preserved trees.

— With the paving work, access has improved and demand has increased. They’re installing this interlocking floor, and it’s beautiful. I bought land next door to increase the space and we built the terrace without cutting down any trees. People love it. My slogan has always been: “Get out of the routine without having to travel”. And that’s what guests feel when they travel to Niterói, says Sabino.

The best-known dish remains the grouper loin with plantain and paprika butter, which has been on the menu for 12 years.

— There are people who come just because of him — specifies the chef, who also offers accommodation in a chalet integrated into the restaurant, reinforcing the refuge atmosphere.