Cherished by artists and young romantics alike, Guimas looks like a cozy bistrô that could be tucked away in one of Paris's many nooks. A Gávea institution popular with the young students who crowd the streets of Baixo Gávea from Thursday to Saturday, as well as the young at heart, Guimas has been serving up stiff drinks and French-inspired fare for over thirty years.

Scoring a table at this small restaurant might take up to an hour on busy nights, so stake out a spot at the bar, or the sought after terrace perfect for people watching, and order up a refreshing lima da pérsia caipirinha. Take a leaf out of the Carioca playbook and pair your drink with an order of pastéis (fried dough pockets) (R$24.30) stuffed with either shrimp or brie, and cod pearls (R$25.10), both fried to perfection. 

Culinary heavyweight, France, is successfully represented on the menu with a perfectly balanced grilled fig and goat cheese salad (R$35.20) and a filling steak bearnaise (R$54), but not so much with the bland salmon, tuna and tomato tartar (R$35.60). Look no further than the house's goiabada de tambaú (R$19) poured over cheese flan to end the meal on a tasty Brazilian note. While you await your food, spend some time doodling on your tablecloth with the crayons the house provides and it may just end up adorning the walls alongside many other efforts by recent customers.