I was thoroughly impressed with every meal I had in Lençóis, from the simple fare like tapioca to elaborate jack fruit ravioli to traditional moqueca. I also loved the fruit juices and tried to order a different one each time. I labeled some of the photos with the name of the fruit and “suco,” which means juice in Portuguese. (More about fresh fruit juice with Bahian fruits on this blog).

Scroll through each restaurant’s photos to get to their menu.

Lampião Culinária Nordestina

Lampião has a fabulous vegetarian moqueca, which I’d been looking for since traditional moqueca has shrimp. (I’m allergic to shrimp). As you can see in the photo above, moqueca is served still simmering in a clay pot. It’s a stew unlike anything I’ve had before. The flavors were mostly unrecognizable, though I easily recognized plantain, cashews, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, and the red tinge of palm oil. It’s served with coconut rice, something like pico de gallo and farofa, a powdered roasted manioc. I ordered the cacao juice to balance the heavy stew and it was clearly very fresh. Cacao juice is made from the white pulp in the pod, around the cacao beans that are used to make chocolate. It tastes light and slightly citric, but not sour.

Talismã Gastrobar

Talismã was another favorite for the unique local cuisine. Jack fruit is often used in savory dishes in Bahia and jack fruit ravioli was by far my favorite iteration of savory jack fruit. I tried my dining companion’s “forest fruit rice” and we shared the gorgonzola rice balls. Our drinks were My Talisman, Golden Rosemary and Sex in the River. Everything was excellent.

Quarar Restô & Café

All I had room for that night was a salad, but it was the best salad I’ve had in a long time. The sautéed mushrooms were flavorful, the sun-dried tomatoes were just the right texture and the balance of toppings to lettuce was perfect. The acerola juice was fresh and not too sweet. (See what acerola looks like on my blog about the fruits of Bahia). Several people told me that Quarar has the best coffee in town and if breakfast hadn’t been included at my B&B, I would have had breakfast there every day. In a land of instant coffee, Quarar has a proper espresso machine.

Restaurante da Zilda - Típica e Vegana

I stopped by Zilda’s for a snack, mostly to see what a vegan restaurant in Lençóis served. I ordered a tapioca, which is not at all like tapioca pudding from North America. Tapioca in Brazil is something between a crepe and a taco, made with manioc flour. It’s chewy and can be made savory or sweet. I ordered a savory tapioca with tomato, mozzarella and basil. I also ordered mangaba juice. I’d previously tried mangaba ice cream, which left an odd coating on my lips and a film on my tongue. The juice did the same, which was not unpleasant. Mangaba has a rich flavor, reminiscent of tamarind and cashews.

Garimpo Café

Lençóis is deserted during the day, when most visitors are out on tours. Very few place were open for lunch, but the Garimpo Café was the best of those few. It has very simple and traditional foods. I ordered a cuscuz, which is not at all like the couscous of North Africa. Cuscuz is cornmeal steamed in a special cuscuz pot, which comes out in a half-sphere shape. It had cheese cooked into the middle and was served with egg and fried plantain. I ordered umbú juice, which is another thick fruit reminiscent of tamarind through not at all like mangaba. The owner was very friendly and agreed to pose for a photo as I was leaving.

Quilombola Culinária Regional

Last, but certainly not least is Quilombola. I tried their escondinho, without knowing what it was, because it was one of two vegetarian options on the menu. It turned out to be a sort of shepherd’s pie, though the topping is whipped manioc, not potato. Served with white rice, it looks boring but was quite tasty. The portion was so big that I took half home. As with most other restaurants, I sat in the street. There was a fantastic guitarist playing nearby and when I explained that I didn’t have any cash to tip him, the server just added it to my bill and gave him the cash.