7 Ways to Keep Kosher in Brazil During the Olympics
As someone who lacks all athletic talent, I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I have little to no interest in watching the Olympics. I always feel badly about myself when watching these super-fit gymnasts jump 10 feet into the air while I give myself a pat on the back just for getting up and walking to the fridge.
This year, the Olympics are taking place in beautiful Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which motivated me to watch the Olympics. I learned recently that Rio has a pretty big Jewish population (however, not as big as San Paolo, which has the largest one in Brazil), which means there are actually some kosher-food options in Brazil. Who would’ve thought?
You can bet my interest was piqued after learning this.
Here’s where to grab a kosher nosh if you happen to be in Rio for the Olympics:
Kosher Planet
Rua Constante Ramos 93A, Copacabana, Río de Janeiro
Visit this dairy restaurant located near some of the most beautiful beaches in Brazil to sample a variety of healthy vegetarian pasta plates and other dishes.
Bar-Ilan Restaurant
R. Pompeu Loureiro, 48
Don’t feel like leaving your hotel? That’s okay. Bar-Ilan will deliver kosher food to you at your hotel!
Deleite Pizza & Pasta
Rua Anita Garibaldi, 83
Because carbs are the only way to make sports better. Check out their Facebook page here.
Mehadrin
Rua Paulo Freitas, 31
Mehadrin is dedicated to serving healthy food to the kosher-keeping community of Rio. We appreciate you!
Shop Kosher
Rua Conde de Bernadote, 26
A grocery store, in case you feel like cooking your own meal. That’s one way of being athletic, right??
Roger’s Kosher Catering
Maracanaú 11
Call Roger’s Kosher Catering for any meal you need catered. They promise the best Brazilian kosher food Rio has to offer…
Roger That!
Shelanu
Barata Ribeiro St. 489
Recommended for lunch and take-away for Shabbat. Check it out here.
Side note: Products in Brazil that are kosher do not have kosher symbols, but a list of kosher products can be found here.
Isabel Goldstein is the summer food fellow at the Forward. Follow her on Instagram @IsabelHenia.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30