A whole pizza for about R$34–38, with beer or wine at supermarket prices. You can have exactly this kind of dinner inside a Zona Sul supermarket in Rio. The tip works whether you are staying in Copacabana or Ipanema, or farther west in Barra or Recreio.
Many visitors do not realize that some stores in this chain have a dining area with tables. You can have breakfast, stop for a snack, or eat dinner there — and try a pizza that I consider one of Rio's better combinations of price and flavor.
What is the dining area inside the supermarket?
Zona Sul is a chain of more than forty supermarkets. Its name is the Portuguese term for Rio's South Zone, but its stores have long operated beyond that part of the city.
Around twenty locations have a dining area. In the morning, they offer a breakfast buffet: you choose bread, fruit, pastries, cheese, and other items, then pay by weight. Drinks are charged separately. At lunch and dinner, depending on the store, you can order pasta, salads, grilled dishes, and pizza.
For a quick lunch or an affordable dinner, I recommend looking first at the pizza.
How much does pizza cost at Zona Sul?
According to the chain's official menu, the regular price of a whole savory pizza is R$35.90–37.90. Registered customers receive a separate price that is R$2 lower.
| Pizza | Regular price | Registered customer price |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | R$35.90 | R$33.90 |
| Premium | R$37.90 | R$35.90 |
| Large sweet pizza | R$34.90 | R$32.90 |
| Small sweet pizza | R$24.90 | R$22.90 |
If you are visiting as a tourist and are not registered in the chain's loyalty program, budget for the regular price. Check the amount on the terminal before paying, as menus and discount terms can change.
The choices include mozzarella, margherita, calabresa sausage, four cheese, Portuguesa, and other toppings. Premium options include mushroom pizza and Stracciadoro, made with stracciatella and several kinds of tomato on focaccia-style dough.
Why I recommend this pizza
Zona Sul's standard pizza has thin dough and a crisp crust. The dining area usually has a gas-fired brick oven, and the pizza is prepared on site after you order.
What I like is the predictable result: you choose a familiar topping and have a good idea of what you will get. That is a major advantage when you simply want somewhere to eat after a day out.
To my taste, Zona Sul pizza can compete with options that cost R$70–90 elsewhere. This is a subjective comparison: other pizzerias have their own dough recipes, ingredients, and level of service. For an everyday dinner, though, supermarket pizza often feels like a very good choice.
How to order
Place your order at a self-service terminal in the dining area:
Choose your pizza and topping.
Pay for the order.
Keep the receipt and wait while the pizza is prepared.
If the interface is difficult to use, ask a member of staff for help. You do not need to know the Portuguese names of every ingredient.
Wine and beer straight from the supermarket shelf
Another advantage of eating here is that you can choose a drink in the supermarket itself. Pick up a suitable beer or bottle of wine and enjoy it at your table with the pizza. This usually costs less than ordering the same bottle in a café or restaurant.
There is also a useful trick: ask a member of staff for an ice bucket and glasses. These two phrases will help:
Um balde de gelo, por favor — an ice bucket, please.
Duas taças, por favor — two wine glasses, please.
If you need a corkscrew or bottle opener, ask for those too. Corkscrew is saca-rolhas in Portuguese; bottle opener is abridor de garrafas.
You must pay for the drink and keep the receipt, as staff may ask to see it. You can pay at a supermarket checkout or add it to your order at the dining-area terminal.
Ask for the ice straight away: the bottle will have time to chill while the pizza is being prepared. The result is a pleasant dinner with an entire supermarket's drinks selection to choose from.
Where to find a Zona Sul dining area
Zona Sul's menu lists the following stores with dining services:
| Neighborhood | Addresses |
|---|---|
| Leme | Rua Gustavo Sampaio, 679 |
| Copacabana | Rua Dias da Rocha, 29 |
| Ipanema | Rua Barão da Torre, 220; Rua Visconde de Pirajá, 504 |
| Leblon | Rua Dias Ferreira, 290; Rua Bartolomeu Mitre, 705 |
| Botafogo | Rua Bambina, 36; Rua Voluntários da Pátria, 190; Rua São João Batista, 37 |
| Laranjeiras | Rua Esteves Júnior, 36; Rua das Laranjeiras, 215 |
| Flamengo | Rua Machado de Assis, 40 |
| São Conrado | Estrada da Gávea, 870 |
| Barra da Tijuca | Av. das Américas, 3665 and 8888; Av. Lúcio Costa, 4700; Av. dos Flamboyants, 855; Av. Olegário Maciel, 293; Av. Érico Veríssimo, 565 |
| Recreio | Av. das Américas, 16237 and 18001 |
Knife, fork, and ketchup: how Brazilians eat pizza
At nearby tables, you will probably notice people eating pizza with a knife and fork. This is perfectly normal in Brazilian pizzerias, especially when people are seated at a table. Cutlery with pizza surprises no one here.
The next habit may raise more questions: in Rio, people often add ketchup to pizza — sometimes generously. Mayonnaise and mustard also appear.
This is particularly associated with Rio, and it should not be generalized to all of Brazil. Attitudes toward sauces vary from city to city and from person to person. But if you like ketchup on pizza, you will be in good company here.
Chicken with Catupiry and pizza for dessert
Brazilians also have their own favorite topping combinations. One of the best known is frango com catupiry: shredded chicken with soft, creamy Catupiry cheese. Shredded chicken appears on menus as frango desfiado.
Catupiry is a brand name. The product is a type of Brazilian requeijão, with a texture similar to soft processed cheese. On pizza, it creates a mild, creamy topping. Zona Sul's published menu includes Catupiry on the 4 Queijos, or four-cheese pizza. Look for chicken with Catupiry at other pizzerias.
Another local classic is Portuguesa. Zona Sul makes it with mozzarella, ham, egg, black olives, and onion.
Sweet pizza is also worth trying. In Brazil, it occupies a full section of the menu. Depending on the pizzeria, toppings include banana with cinnamon, banana with Nutella, chocolate with strawberries, M&M's, cheese with condensed milk, and many other combinations.
Zona Sul offers four options:
Bananita — mozzarella, banana, sugar, and cinnamon.
Banana com Chocolate — banana with chocolate.
Brigadeiro — chocolate topping with chocolate sprinkles.
Morango com Chocolate — strawberry with chocolate.
For a first taste, I would choose banana with cinnamon: it highlights the sweet-and-cheese combination that Brazilians enjoy. If you have little room left after the savory pizza, the sweet pizzas are also available in a small size.
After a day at the beach or a long walk around Rio, you can simply stop at the nearest Zona Sul with a pizzeria, choose a topping and a drink, and sit down. Just remember to ask for the ice bucket straight away.