Itacare Brazil is a heaven for those who love natural foods. Itacare islocated in the middle of a prime growing area for vegetables and fruits. You will have a choice of over 50 restaurants that will serve the local produce, fish, poultry and meat prepared in a variety of ways. The population of Itacare in 2006 was over 12,484 not counting tourist. The city has grown by an estimated 10-15%. I visited during the November period and felt very relaxed. There were not crowds or the hussle bussle of other typical tourist destinations. The restaurants all have someone in front who will show you their menu with prices and will give you a sales pitch on why their particular restaurant is better than the others. I did ...
Dining Itacare Brazil
Itacare Brazil is a heaven for those who love natural foods. Itacare islocated in the middle of a prime growing area for vegetables and fruits. You will have a choice of over 50 restaurants that will serve the local produce, fish, poultry and meat prepared in a variety of ways. The population of Itacare in 2006 was over 12,484 not counting tourist. The city has grown by an estimated 10-15%. I visited during the November period and felt very relaxed. There were not crowds or the hussle bussle of other typical tourist destinations. The restaurants all have someone in front who will show you their menu with prices and will give you a sales pitch on why their particular restaurant is better than the others. I did not meet many persons doing this who spoke English so it is best to familiarize yourself with some basic Portuguese to read the menus. Even if you do not know how to read in Portuguese you can still point out your selections. Most everything served up will be very tasty and palatable for the American, European and Australian palate. I recommend trying all the different Sucos (fruit juices) during your visit. There are about 20 to sample from. You will become a connoisseur of the Brasilian Fruit Juices and local cuisine. My favorite Sucos are Acai, Graviola, and Caja. There is also Caju which is from the fruit that produces the Caju nut. So you will need to differentiate between these 2 options when ordering. One I like the other I do not.
I dined in several of the restaurants and had pleasant experiences in all. There are different levels of atmosphere. One with a particularly nice atmosphere was on the main drag for restaurants and shops. They played beach, reggae and Brasilian music with a very decorative interior. They prepared food over a wood burning stove which gave the food a very good woody taste much like something hickory smoked. The food was priced between $R40 - $R65 for 2 persons and included fish (red snapper when we visited), prawns, lobster, chicken, pork and beef. This was served up in a typical Brasilian stew called Moqueca. You will not find a McDonalds or Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise here. We did see a Subway which I thought was interesting. There were not any Starbucks or Coffee houses there. The area is dominated by the culture of Brasil with very little outside influences.
My overall recommendation is Itacare is well worth the trouble in visiting. It reminded me of a Santa Cruz California in the 50’s when only surfers frequented the town or Hawaii before the presence of the High Rise Hotels and the tourist industry. You will need to brush up on your Portuguese because English is not normally used by the local establishments. I rate my experience in Itacare a 4.2 on a 5.0 scale for culture, quality of food, and natural beauty of the surroundings.