Barraca do Pará
Feira de São Cristóvão
Rio de Janeiro
We had our first experience with Northern-style açaí at Amazônia Soul in Ipanema, and we were hooked. When we visited the Feira de São Cristóvão, a fair full of Northeastern Brazilian culture, music and food, we were expecting carne-de-sol and other savory northern specialties, but somehow didn’t think about açaí. However, we were overjoyed to stumble across Barraca do Pará in the labyrinthine Feira. As its name implies, this little restaurant specialized in cuisine from the northern Brazilian state of Pará, such as Tacacá or Vatapá, along with delicious Northern-style açaí. We actually visited this Barraca on two separate occasions and we were pleased by the quality and consistency each time.
The state flag of Pará greets you at Barraca do Pará
Value: 0/5. Our heaping bowl was very generous for R$ 15.
Taste: 14/15. Again, the açaí at Barraca do Pará had very strong flavor, similar to what we had at Amazônia Soul. This is pure açaí, with none of the fruit blend at Southern-style places. In order to get the desired sweetness, you were given a large tub of sugar, and you added your own amount. Regrettably, we never really reached the perfect sweetness level.
Amazonian Acai at Barraca do Para – add your own tapioca and sugar
Texture: 10/10. The açaí had an amazing texture. Absolutely no melting, even when we got to the bottom of the bowl.
Granola: 5/5. Again, we opted for the tapioca as the açaí topping, which was excellent. We also loved that the tapioca came to the table in a giant pouring container, so you can add all you want.
Extras: 5/5. There was tons of seating, a full menu of Paraense cuisine, unlimited toppings and 2 spoons – we’re in love!
TOTAL: 34/40 – A very good showing. This is our favorite Northern-style place yet.
Eating The World 