Articles of Interest

Ribeira: Eating and Strolling Along the Water’s Edge

Axé music (typical Bahian music with African roots) playing (blaring, perhaps) from beachside restaurants and car stereos provides a soundtrack for the hustle and bustle of the water’s edge neighborhood of Ribeira. Ribeira was once an upper-class residential neighborhood. Nowadays, it’s got an alternative feel and is a huge weekend hangout, with its expansive beaches and wide selection of bars and restaurants. It’s also a great spot to take in the sunset.

Colorful tents and sidewalk vendors serve fresh fish, drinks and other goodies to families sunning on the sand and to pedestrians strolling along bustling sidewalk. If you want to see how many Soteropolitanos (natives of Salvador, Bahia) enjoy a day at the beach, set aside a few hours and walk along the bayside Ribeira neighborhood. Make sure you bring your appetite because there are plenty of comestibles to be sampled.

You can extend this day by heading (about a 30min. walk) to see the Igreja de Bomfim, known for its Christian/Afro-Brazilian religious tradition of washing the church steps, and then continue on to view the sunset from the Forte de Nossa Senhora de Monserrat at the Ponta de Humaitá, at the southern point of the Itapagipe peninsula.

EATING:

Save room for desert—or have it first!!-- because the mega-sized ice cream cone from well-loved, historic (opened in 1931) Sorveteria Ribeira is not to be missed. You’ll need daring and/or diligence to choose from the list of 59 homemade flavors, most of which will be unfamiliar to those of use who live outside Bahia. If the line isn’t too long, you can request samples before making your final selection. One scoop goes for about R$3; two scoops for R$4. Pay before ordering. On the walls, are some paintings by Chilean artist, Selarón, famous for his epic mosaic stairway (Escadaria Selarón) in Lapa (in Rio de Janeiro).

You can certainly try the pre-made trays of fried fish with manioc flour or the acarajé (fried bean dumplings filled with dried shrimp, okra) on display on the sidewalk, but you won’t be sorry if you take some time out for a real meal at  O Ancoradeouro (golden anchor), one of the many waterside restaurants in Ribeira. You can opt to sit inside the actual restaurant or under the beachside tents. Try the moqueca de siri catado (crab stew) (R$25), which comes with rice, farinha (manioc flour), beans, vatapá (a paste of dried shrimp, coconut milk, ginger and about a dozen other ingredients), caruru (an okra-based dish). The portions are extremely generous so a couple could conceivably order a half portion (meia porção), or ask to have your leftovers wrapped up and offer them to someone who looks hungry.

O Ancoradouro Restaurant:  Avenida Beira Mar, 40, Ribeira

GETTING THERE:

Ribeira, which is on the Itapagipe peninsula, is part of Salvador’s Cidade Baixa (lower city). The fastest and most foolproof way to get there is, of course, by taxi. You can also catch the Ribeira bus (R$2) at any bus stop between Barra and the base of the Elevador Lacerda. The bus passes by the Igreja (church) de Bomfim and then heads parallel with the beach to the end of the line in front of the Sorveteria Ribeira. The restaurants and bars are about a 10-minute walk beyond the end of the line.

Article and photos by Lee Weingast, our editor in Brazil