Marius, Rio de Janeiro

We knew something was up before we even went. The man at the front desk of our hotel making the reservation for us mentioned on the phone to Marius that we were American. Why would that be necessary to know? In my tour book it mentioned that Marius had 30 different types of meats and was priced in the $20-30 range. That couldn't have been more wrong. We got there and were shocked at the price: $51 set price just for meat. We decided to stay and we all chose meat only. The only appetizers we were brought were seafood. We were told that the buffet was included. It consisted mostly of seafood. So I was paying for things I couldn't eat. We never saw a price list for drinks. The meat came out already cut so you couldn't request it rare or medium, etc. We only saw about 6 different choices. The same that we have seen at all of the other Brazilian steak houses. We were disappointed in the selection and the amount of meat. Most of us decided to get some food from the dessert buffet, which included cheese and fruit, and it was conveniently located next to the other buffet. When we went to pay ($741 for 10 people) we notice there was an extra charge for the dessert buffet. An extra charge of $11! The caiparinhas were $10! One of my friends tried to tell the manager that we didn't know there was an extra charge. We were told the buffet was included. He simply said "Oh" and then walked away. We decided just pay and get out of there. As we left I approached the same man and asked if he was the manager. He said yes and I repeated our problem and he just said "No, the dessert is not included." I told him it was unfair to insinuate that everything at the buffet was included when it was only partially included. He just repeated "No" I am so upset that such a place got so much money from us. I have been in Brazil for 2 1/2 months. I have been going to one steak house each week, sometimes 2 per week. I have gotten more and better food at places for a fraction of the cost, and people that are way nicer. There is a place just around the corner where everyone spoke english, they were very nice, explained everything, gave every single price, and were happy to bring out more food or whatever it was whenever asked. Marius was a complete scam and rip-off. DO NOT EAT THERE.

Favorite Dish: None.

What a dump... Yes, it's charming and cute and all that good stuff, but the place is a run down aging dump. We got there early by dinner standards here, around 6:30 pm. The place smelled so strongly of deodorizing spray it was incredible. When it finally subsided, it wasn't hard to tell why they needed it. The smell of wet dog was so thick it literally made my stomach turn. My wife convinced me it must be the cheese we were sitting by, so we moved. Luckily there was a breeze where we moved to, but it didn't get any better. As the food started coming out, the food had a distinct rancid smell. All of it tasted HORRIBLE save for a few items. My son and wife said the bread was the best part.

Mind you we only had the seafood part. The menu is priced 115 for just meat, 150 reals for seafood, 170 reals for combination. That's a LOT of money. We shared a moderately priced bottle of wine, the three meals, two local cocktails, water and some sodas for my son. Final price 713 Reals... At todays exchange rate that was $382.00 USD! An absolute, absolute tourist rip off orchestrated by the hotel and taxi staff.

A MUCH better choice, where we ate the night before, was Oasis. An authentic rodizio style grill similar to Fogo de Chao in Houston. That was $225 for the three of us.

Favorite Dish: The table bread.

In my opinion, the best all you can eat seafood and steak restaurant in Rio. They serve varieties of prime cuts of beef; Prime Rib, Filet Mignon, T-bone, Rack of Lamb, etc. Excellent seafood such as fresh oysters, shrimp, langoustines, and smoked salmon. They also have an outstanding salad bar with many dishes and sauces. The waiters are very prompt and courteous. They will continue to serve you until you say enough. They also have a great wine selection. It was a perfect romantic evening. The prices were comparable to what I would have paid at a posh restaurant in Washington DC.

Favorite Dish: My favorite dishes are the prawns and filet mignon. The tastes are very flavorable, and memorable.

We were in Rio during Carnaval and was looking forward to eating seafood at Marius. We heard that it was expensive but good but were never prepared for what we would be charged. The buffet had crab legs, lobster chunks and every type of fish you can imagine. Very good selection but then theres a buffet that has desserts on it and one would assume that if you pay for a buffet, everything would be included. Keep in mind there were no signs on the dessert buffet. We get our bill and the price for two adults, 2 caiprihinas 2 bottle of water 2 seafood buffets and 2 "desserts buffets" was $R 430.00!!! which translates to about $195.00 US. I seriously thought it was a mistake but the pregnant woman who was managing the place came over and explained about the buffet. No matter how much I argued it wasn't happening. for two desserts off of the buffet, it costs us almos $38.00 due to the fact that we didn't know about the extra charge. Do not visit this establishment as they prey on tourists and know that they'll have to pony up afterwards. It is worth maybe $50.00 each but now where near the highway robbery that took place.
you are warned.

Favorite Dish: they were all okay

We travel to Rio 4-5 times a year and have eaten at about every fine dining restaurant there. We decided to try Marius again. What a HUGE mistake. Marius is very popular because it has a great atmosphere. What it also has is terrible food and is way over priced. We had the combination sea food and steak dinners. All the meat was coming to the table well done even though we requested it rare and medium rare. The did have a great selection of sea food that they brought around to the tables including lobster. But is was all so over cooked you couldn't eat it. The worst part was when the bill came to the table - r170.00 per person + drinks + r20.00 for the buffet. That was about $80 per person. Even the best Brazilian Steakhouses cost only about $40 per person. I don't mind paying more for a great meal but this was the worst food I have ever had in Brazil. Beach food tastes better. Even the service was poor.

Next time we'll stick to the tried and true favorites of Porcao Rio's, Cipriani's, Greco, Fasano

I had visited Marius back in 1998 or '99, and remember it being a great seafood meal at a reasonable price. After going back there a few weeks ago with two friends, I'll never go again. The food is very good - not the best (that's in Barra de Tijuca). The price, however, was insane. R$650 for three people! That's three seafood flat rates at R$175 per person, one caipirinha, two beers, one glass of wine and three apertifs. The place has become a classic tourist trap. Avoid it.

Well I've visited a lot of restaurants in my various stays in Rio de Janeiro and after six years of visiting this wonderful city, I finally went to Marius. The Restaurant has a pretty good name and is very well known in the city. So of we went.... we arrive at the restaurant and the waiter came to us to ask if we knew how the restaurant works, Rodizio (all you can eat for a fixed price), since I'm not new to the Rodizio system, I said i did. so the waiter pointed us out to the buffet and asked if we wanted a drink. We never saw a menu and they didn't offer us one. So the prices were unknown to us. We asked for a caipavodka (Caiparinha with Vodka instead of Cachasa). And we went over to the buffet. Honestly I wasn't very impressed with the seafood, the choice was not that eleborate, and the real goodies (lobster, king crab,.....) were hard to find. Luckily they came at the table with some better food. The Japanese food (nowadays always present in the better rodizio's) was there but the choice was again limited. The service at the table was not very good, especially if you compare it to the excellent service you get in almost all restaurants in Rio de Janeiro. And then came the "Bill" ..... I almost fell off my chair. the Rodizio of seafood was a 135 R$ (75 US $) per person. Te total bill for 2 Rodizio's 2 Caiparin's 4 beers and the final bill added up to a whopping 350 R$ (= 200 US $). For that amount I can go 4 times to a very good Japanese restaurant in Rio with far more better service. A pitty that all the big hotels send tourists to that restaurant ..... Oh I almost forgot when you go to the dessert buffet they add another 25 R$ per person to your bill. Even if you don't eat any dessert they try to put it on you r bill, we saw it happening to all the parties around us. So CHECK your bill for any unwanted items... This is a disgrace ....

The decor was outstanding, the service superb, and the buffet was the best I've encountered. But all the meats served at the table were soaked in salt, which assists your thirst for alcohol, but would not be recommended for your overall health, and not very tender or enjoyable. After all the hype about Brazilian beef, I would rate the quality of the meat a "C" at best. Next year I will report on the seafood side.

Favorite Dish: the buffet