Cidade Baixa

Almost immediately upon opening in 2005,
Amado (Av. do Contorno 660, Comércio, tel. 71/3322-0283, from 11:30 a.m. daily for lunch, from 6 p.m. Mon.–Sat. for dinner, www.amadobahia.com.br [1], R$50–60) was crowned as Salvador [2]’s undisputed king of contemporary cuisine. Self-taught Brazilian wonder-chef Edinho Engel holds court in a spacious modernist warehouse suspended above the Bay of All Saints [3] where the ocean fuses perfectly with the restaurant’s wood, glass, and jungle of potted plants. Local ingredients—with an emphasis on seafood and fish—receive daring and sophisticated treatment and the impressive wine cellar features more than 3,000 bottles. If you want to splurge in style, this is the place.

If you visit the Igreja do Bonfim [4], take advantage of its proximity to the Recanto da Lua Cheia (Rua Rio Negro 66, Mont Serrat, tel. 71/3315-1275, 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Wed.–Sat., 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Sun., R$20–30). The ocean views are just as mesmerizing (if not more so), but the food, ambiance, and clientele are completely different at this typically Soteropolitano restaurant and bar whose tables are shaded by a canopy of tropical fruit trees. The owner began her culinary career by serving moquecas out of her garage. As word caught on in the neighborhood, her enterprise grew. Now locals flock to catch the sunset or to while away a Sunday afternoon. At night, there’s often live music. The house specialty is the moqueca de peguari, made with shellfish from the island of Itaparica [5], famed for its aphrodisiac qualities. If you come around happy hour, order a fruit roska and a pastel de siri, a deep-fried pastry stuffed with fresh crab meat.

Nearby Sorveteria da Ribeira (Praça General Osório 87, Ribeira, tel. 71/3316-5451) is an ice cream parlor in the pretty seaside neighborhood of Ribeira that has been around since 1931. Local tour buses make the trip out here just so out-of-towners can sample a scoop or two of the 50 homemade flavors, including toasted coconut, guava and cream, tapioca, and tamarind.