Best spot for a bargain pizza-fest

Hungry? Strapped for cash? Jump on the metro and head for Catete. This unassuming suburb on the outskirts of Centro is home to a plethora of restaurants offering all the pizza you can eat for staggeringly low prices.

While you’ll pay upwards of R$25 for a standard-size pizza in most of Rio’s restaurants and bars, here you can gorge yourself on as much pizza as you like (the slices are brought round to your table, and you say yay or nay to each slice until you are fit to explode), as well as crepes and, in some cases, sides such as potato fries, for as little as R$14.

There are several such places lining Rua do Catete, the main street that links the neighborhood with Gloria and Lapa, all competing for the patronage of hungry passers-by. These are not grubby backstreet pizza joints, either, but attractive, spacious, air conditioned restaurants that generally function as relatively pricey comida a kilo (pay by weight) lunch spots by day, with the pizza offers kicking in after  6pm.

The best of the bunch has to be Estacao Republica, at Rua do Catete 104 (map). A superior pay-by-weight place offering over 60 dishes – from barbequed meats to sushi and salads – this place began offering its bargain rodizio de pizza e crepes in 2008 to mark its anniversary. For under R$14, diners can eat their fill of over 30 types of stone-baked pizza and over 20 types of crepes, with smartly-attired waiters bringing the food to your table until you can eat no more. Feel free to say no if you’re feeling a bit stuffed, you can always bide your time until your appetite returns.

The restaurant itself is smart, contemporary and spacious, with seats spread over two floors. It certainly doesn’t scream ‘cheap eats’ and the pizzas and crepes are extremely tasty. As well as the usual suspects such as pepperoni and cheese and tomato, expect elaborate toppings such as stroganof. In true Brazilian fashion, ‘dessert pizzas’ including chocolate, and banana and cinnamon, are also on the menu.

Head here with a hearty appetite to make sure you get your money’s worth – you won’t be disappointed.

Estacao is open from 11am to midnight (until 11pm on Sundays), with the pizza offer starting at 6pm daily. All major credit cards are accepted.