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21-22246021, 21-96466126
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Rua Primeiro de Março, 24, Sobreloja (at Praça Quinze de Novembro and Rua Do Ouvidor), Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Restaurante Tempeh is a self service buffet. All you can eat for around 25R, or you can pay by weight. Has organic wine. Open Mon-Fri 11:00am-3:30pm.
Categories: Vegan, Buffet, Salad bar, Beer/Wine, Take-out, Brazilian
22 Reviews
First Review by kennyp353
Contributions +625
Nice food - Edit
Tempeh is a pay-by-weight buffet style vegan restaurant in Rio’s city center. The restaurant isn’t too small, but gets packed up really quick during lunch hours. Different dishes are served every day, and vegan snacks, chocolate and ice cream are also available at the cashier. It's pretty affordable, perfect for a quick lunch.
Contributions +105
You won't be disappointed! - Edit
Especially if you were having a hard time as a vegan in Rio to find something suitable (without having to tweak your dish in another non-plant-based joint). Go here if you want to treat yaself! At first I wasn't sure if every bit on the menu was animal-cruelty-free (nor if all was organic, if that's your criteria), but to be perfectly honest I relied on my gut feeling & just went for it. Had a feast with a plate by weight, a 'living sprouts juice' & a fruit salad. I cannot recall the names of each meal, but everything I tried was delicioso! One of the owners (the guy at the pay desk) speaks English & was very helpful. As others pointed out, the venue is a tad bit hard to find & may seem a bit odd. Also, it's not inside the fancy neighbourhoods of the likes of Copacabana, Ipanema or say Botafogo (where you might reside), but what counts in the end is the quality you get for a reasonable price & the satisfaction of your starving stomach =) Therefore worth a trip 100%. In fact I was so stoked by the food, I even bought some take out to save for later & was so strenghtend by it, I walked all the way back to my apartment in Laranjeiras (roughly 1h by espadrilles)!
Updated from previous review on 2017-01-30
Pros: Variety, quality, delightfulness
Cons: Slightly hidden, pobably not next to your place of stay, needs clearer labeling. Everything vegan/organic?
Contributions +27
top top - Edit
Great food. Good, beautiful and cheap. Various food options. Great 10!!! I loved this place.
Cons: Extremely good value for money.
Contributions +11
Maravilhoso - Edit
Um dos melhores !!
Contributions +28
a hidden jam - Edit
Great vegan place with a variety of options! I had lunch there and was surprised by the variety of foods- from vegan food to mini pastries to spaghetti and more
Contributions +174
Reasonable price and good food - Edit
There are a nice range of options for lunch. Everything I tried was tasty and I really like the rustic environment. Only pay attention (as mentioned on an early comment) to the itens at the "emporium" near the cashier: lots of them aren't vegan, or not even vegetarian, like bubblegum.
Pros: location (even if it's a bit hidden)
Cons: not sure if it should be considered vegan
Contributions +99
delicious! - Edit
Absolutely delicious! There are so many options of both hot and cold food. Every dish I tried was so tasty, I enjoyed it so much I had to get two plates! It is reasonably priced but there is no all you can eat option, it's is purely pay per kilo.
Contributions +84
great food! - Edit
Great food with fair prices! Awesome variety and real food
Contributions +50
Vegan variety - Edit
It's a hidden place in downtown, even a little bit sketchy. But the food is good and there are plenty of options. They also have a good green juice. I had my meal and the juice for 26 reais, not expensive. Found interesting that there's a great variety even though the buffet is small, eg. veggie fish made of cará
Pros: Vegan buffet , Affordable
Cons: Sells products like candies that aren't vegan, Place a bit weird
Contributions +58
Excellent on all fronts - Edit
Great location in centro, although you'll need to be looking for #24 because there's no sign out front. The decor is lovely rustic Brazilian, and the food is fantastic, with tons of all vegan options. For about $9 I had way more Thani could finish. This is buffet by the kilo and the selection was very broad. The mouceca was really special, and everything was excellent. Two thumbs up! A previous reviewer mentioned that the atmosphere was sultry and warm, but the a/c was working great as of January 2015.
Pros: Great variety and excellent quality , Great centro location, Fun decor
Cons: No sign out front, It's thousands of miles from home!
Contributions +553
Delicious food but sultry - Edit
The food is really interesting.
But the place is sultry, specially in the Rio's summer.
The food cooked at there ir vegan, but the restaurant sells no-vegan industrial third-party products, like non-vegan wines, milk candy and honey-based desserts. Be careful if you are vegan.
Beyond some weight limit the price you pay does not increase anymore. I like to go starvated at saturdays (for not sleep at work) and eat two full plotes paying a little more than US$10.
Pros: Variated vegan food, Slightly expensive
Cons: Not wheelchair accessible, Sultry place, specially in summer, Kitchen has bad appearance
Contributions +24
Interesting variety but way to cold - Edit
Went there for lunch today. We got there about 1:45 and though the food was interesting and varied, it was way too cold. If you are going to offer a buffet you need to keep the food in a Bain Marie and the water in the Bain Marie hot so the food stays hot. The food here is just layed out on a bench and, though it tasted interesting, was way too cold - tepid at best. I enjoyed the manioc dish and the kibbeh, the tropical juice, orange, pineapple and banana was also good, just a shame it was all so tepid. This can end up being a health issue as bacteria loves to grow freely at these temperatures.
Updated from previous review on Tuesday June 03, 2014
Pros: Interesting and different tastes
Cons: Food way too cold
Contributions +832
fantastic Carioca oasis - Edit
Make no mistake, this is a great place. Pay no mind to people who complain about the atmosphere or the (somewhat suspicious) post about supposed lack of hygiene. This is a clean, interesting, well-respected place with deliiiicious vegan options every day except Sunday.
It's in an old part of downtown Rio in a historical building, so it doesn't have that trendy atmosphere that places on the south side might have. Still worth it, decent prices, friendly people, and to top it off, Rua de Ouvidor is right next door, filled with music and people enjoying the street – especially on Saturdays.
Pros: delicious, affordable for Rio, friendly
Cons: not many!
Contributions +130
Tasty vegan lunch in Rio - Edit
We went to this place around 1 pm for a price-by-weight lunch. They didn't offer an unlimited buffet option during my visit. We had a filling amount of vegan food for about $13 each. Best options were the faux meatballs and moqueca! Kinda silly that the soup cost extra; I wouldn't get that again (a corn chowder-type soup). The guy who owns this place is awesome and speaks English. His uncle opened the first vegetarian place in South America in 1971, and good veg food apparently runs in their blood. :) This is one of the better vegan spots in Rio, in my opinion, and it's a quick walk from the Carioca or Cinelandia metros.
Pros: Low price, Good faux meats, All vegan
Cons: Price by weight, Not open for dinner
Contributions +620
Excellent vegan buffet - Edit
I came here for lunch today and the food was excellent! They had a huge range of really delicious vegan dishes priced on a per kilo basis, and all the dishes I tried were great. I tried one of their juices too which was also very good. Although not the easiest place to find, I was really glad I came here and will definitely be back again.
Pros: Great food and drink, Good value, Calm and relaxed atmosphere
Cons: Slightly hard to find
Contributions +545
awesome! - Edit
One of the best places to eat in downtown area.
Everything tastes great: the seitan, the sushi, the tempeh. Don't miss it.
Contributions +47
Hidden little gem in downtown Rio - Edit
We came here on a Saturday - trying to find the place was a challenge. It is located on the second floor, up a narrow staircase, and there is only one small sign above the doorway indicating the restaurant's name (most businesses on the same street were closed). Contrary to what the other posters found, on the weekend we had the option to pay by kilo, or chose an all-you-can-eat buffet for about 25 Reals. We did the open buffet, given that they had literally dozens of food choices, all of which were great. The selection was incredible. Tons of salads, "sushi" rolls, vegetables and tofu on a grill, mock meats, soups... you name it. Even a great vegan stroganoff. Juices were available for order, too. This place made for a great break while exploring the historic Centro. The place also sells a small selection of health foods. Credit cards are accepted.
Pros: Great selection, Tasty
Cons: Hard to find
Contributions +195
Very good, laid back, great location - Edit
Having eaten at the excellent Refeitorio Organico the day before, we thought that would be a tough act to follow. Well, Tempeh comes very close. It has a large variety, lots of hot cooked items, sushi and spring rolls, soups. Juices and desserts are extra. Juices are all fresh and were very good. The pricing here is by weight including soup.
This is amuch more laid back place on the first floor up a very narrow stairway right on one of the busiest streets in Centro. Once upstairs, it is an oasis and a big relief from the hustle bustle downstairs. There was Hindi film music playing softly in the background. The entire space is very serene and not too crowded.
Pros: Variety, Location, Value
Contributions +114
GREAT SCRAN - Edit
Great food here, really good scran.Tasty and filling, good range of tofu and related foods.Only drawbacks are the very steep stairs and the lack of an all you can eat buffet..the buffet here is pay by kilo.
Pros: vegan, tasty, healthy
Cons: pay by kilo, stairs are steep
Contributions +141
excellent! - Edit
The best vegan buffet I've been to so far!
The variety is amazing, I couldn't taste everything but everything I had was delicious.
The only thing I can criticize is that I thing sushi should be made with white rice. Brown rice definitely doesn't work in the sushi.
Don't miss it if you are strolling around the center in Rio.
Pros: excellent food, variety, good value
Contributions +20
One of the bests... - Edit
Of rio. The only vegan restaurant that is better is Refeitório Orgânico, whose owner is Tempeh Owner's brother.
Pros: Excellent food, friendly staff
Cons: not so cheap
Contributions +293
Decent buffet in a charming rustic setting - Edit
This place will satisfy the most hardcore vegan, but more mellow vegetarians will also enjoy it. The dining room is the best laid-out of the lot - rustic wooden chairs with exposed brick walls give it a touch of class. The Swiss lemonade with muscovado sugar looks disgusting but tastes incredible. Something at this restaurant however upset my stomach - I think it was the banana cream dessert. And you'll take your life into your hands with the fierce light switch in the gents restroom :)
Pros: Wide variety, Many vegeburger variants, Swiss lemonade
Cons: A little bit too tree-hugging, Something here upset my stomach
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