Brazil is famous for its steakhouses, and the best place to earn your meat sweats in Salvador is Carvão in the Chame-Chame neighborhood. Chef Ricardo Silva takes the modern steakhouse concept a bit further than most. On the menu, there are dishes influenced by American barbecue (smoked prime rib over apple tree wood), as well as seafood grilled over coals, such as octopus with hummus, baby carrot, tomatoes, and shallots. The fire, smoke, and salt add to the restaurant’s cozy atmosphere. [$$$]

One of the most awarded restaurants in Salvador, Amado is an institution. Chef and owner Edinho Engel presents wildly original creations, ranging from his signature grilled fish with cashew nut farofa, caruru (onion- and ginger-laced okra), and wild rice; to duck magret with creamy polenta, asparagus, and passionfruit roti. The restaurant is airy and elegant, and the view of the Atlantic is stunning. [$$$]

This 100-year-old bar in the city center closed in 2012, but new owners reopened the place in 2017. They restored the hardwood ceiling and tile floor, while chef Ariadne Maceió refreshed the menu without throwing out tradition. Try her fumeiro (homemade smoked pork meat) with banana puree, the curd cheese served with green beans vinaigrette, and pirão de leite (creamy milk and cassava porridge). [$$]

Set across from Carmo Church, this fashionable restaurant is located in a historic mansion with more than four centuries of history. Sit on the terrace, pick from the many varieties of caipirinhas like ginger or peach (always served with a refreshing popsicle on top), and take your time deciding what to order while you admire the view. Watch the glassed-enclosed kitchen to see chef Davi Bastos and his team preparing dishes such as grilled shrimp with creamy cheese rice or a seafood mix with lobster, squid, and mussels grilled in butter. A sweet little cocada (local macaroon) with burnt coconut syrup is a great way to finish your meal. [$$$]

Head to Cadê Q’Chama for hearty regional dishes: vatapá (a stew made of spicy prawn paste mixed with dendê oil, peanuts, and coconut milk), moqueca, and xinxim de galinha (chicken ragout). The casual restaurant now also serves a four-course tasting menu that changes weekly, so guests can try dishes like sarapatel (a mishmash stew with pork meat and offal), stewed beef tongue, and rabada (oxtail with watercress). [$$]

Nara Amaral opened Di Janela to serve her close friends, but word got around and the casual restaurant became an immediate hit. Located close to the famous Pelourinho, on a cobbled street surrounded by aging homes, the restaurant serves well-crafted snacks like the arancini baiano (rice fritters stuffed with shrimp and palm oil) and hearty dishes like her indispensable octopus rice. Sidewalk tables are always busy, so get there early. [$$]

In a city where the temperature never drops below 80 degrees, ice cream is a way of life. Locals and tourists head down to Cidade Baixa, the low-lying area along the water, just to taste the cones at Sorveteria da Ribeira. The shop produces artisanal flavors that go beyond the conventional palate, such as burnt coconut, corn, banana, and tamarind, as well as Brazilian fruits such as umbu, cupuaçu, and soursop. [$]

Eating at Manga feels like dining at a friend’s house. Owners Dante and Kafe Bassi set up shop in Rio Vermelho in 2020 among a new crop of restaurants in Salvador. Diners stream in on Sunday mornings for creative sandwiches: crispy chicken with curd and gruyere, or smoked salmon with creme fraîche, avocado, and nori mayo. Dinner includes more sophisticated dishes, such as beef crudo with grilled rib gelatin, potato crisps, and mustard pickles; or luscious crab soup with corn, celery, and mushrooms. To pair, there are refreshing and inventive cocktails, such as Eugenia, with gin, Brazilian cherry leaves, cucumber, and tonic. [$$]

Energetic chef Tereza Paim was one of the first to show the world Bahian cuisine could shine in a restaurant setting, not just a family home kitchen. Casa de Teresa in Rio Vermelho serves as a charming temple to the region’s food, with various ecstatically decorated dining rooms named in honor of Bahian cultural symbols, such as the deities of Candomblé. Start with snacks like mix Baiano (a mixture of the chef’s best bites, such as fish and feijoada fritters). Definitely don’t miss the moqueca; Paim is known as the local moqueca queen. [$$$]

At this homey restaurant in the Rio Vermelho neighborhood, chef Leila Carreiro serves what she calls “heritage cuisine.” For a decade she has focused on regional dishes, including those typically served as street food in the markets of Bahia and the recipes that locals cherish most. You’ll find peguari (fighting conch), a summertime classic here served with cashew vinaigrette, as well as hauçá rice, coconut and beef rice fried in palm oil with dried shrimp. [$$]

Blue Praia (Beach) Bar mixes the environs of a beach club (gazebos, Balinese beds, beachfront huts) with a bar and restaurant on the charming Buracão Beach. Relax in the sun on one of the lounge chairs and order a cocktail from their award-winning list, such as Matchá (pisco, sugar syrup, tangerine juice, egg white, and angostura) or the popular Negroni Spritz (gin, Campari, sparkling wine, Cinzano 1757, bitters). Recover after a dip in the sea with the shrimp in tapioca batter or cod croquettes. [$$$]

This dive bar in Pituba is a bit of a local secret. Don’t expect exceptional cocktails, but the beer is always very cold — or “stupidly cold,” as Brazilians say — and the service is always kind and friendly. On the menu, the food is simple but very enjoyable; go for fish stew or the always-fresh crab salad. [$]

In this original and cozy seafood-focused restaurant in the Pituba neighborhood, chef Kaywa Wilton (son of a Bahian father and a French mother) wants to showcase the versatility of ingredients that come from the sea. His modern inventions include crab hot dogs, a tuna belly smash burger, and fish tiradito made with the catch of the day. Look out for Wilton’s new branch in Praia do Forte too. [$$]

At sophisticated La Bottega, Brazilian ingredients star in well-crafted cocktails such as Feroce (cachaça, mixed citrus, and herbs syrup made with cilantro and basil), and Maní Garnish (with gin, thyme, cashew shrub, and lemon). Snacks lean Italian: beef and cheese pasteis (deep-fried, pocket-thin crust pie), baked burrata, and bruschettas. The wine list, focused on Italian labels, is one of the best in town. [$$]

As its name suggests, this is the restaurant where chef Fabrício Lemos and his wife, pastry chef Lisiane Arouca, began researching the biomes of his native Bahia, the flora and fauna that shaped the culinary identity of his people. They now control a small empire in the city, with a casual restaurant (Ori), speakeasy (Gem), and seafood-focused venue (Omi). At Origem, Lemos has championed culinary techniques that have fallen into disuse. For instance, from the Recôncavo region — home to some of the Bahian dishes with the clearest links to African heritage — Lemos serves efó, a stew made with a native herb called cow’s tongue, mixed with dried shrimp, peanuts, and chestnuts. The 14-course tasting menu also includes breaded shrimp in cornmeal served with bisque and roasted corn, tuna belly with lucine clams foam, octopus with vatapá, and okra. Arouca’s desserts follow the same rules: local ingredients in vibrant, creative preparations. [$$$]

As night falls, the outdoor tables at this lively bar in the Rio Vermelho neighborhood become crowded with talkative guests, bottles of cold beer, and tasty petiscos (snacks). Order up some jerked beef with squash puree or cod fritters, which come to the table in portions, making them easier to share. Bar do Jonas is also a great place to try Bahia’s take on roskas, fruity vodka-based caipirinhas; try the tangerine or pineapple flavors. [$]