Azteca, Rio de Janeiro

Mexican and Bulgarian cuisine may not be obvious bedfellows, but the Mexican-Bulgarian owners of this 2012 Ipanema restaurant seem to have hit on a willing culinary formula. The small, informal but stylishly designed spot is a good option for a leisurely lunch or relaxed dinner, and the use of fresh, organic and locally sourced ingredients scores major brownie points with the increasing number of customers who are quite rightly fussy about the origins of their food. Firm Mexican favorites such as burritos can be found on the menu, but the attention to detail and emphasis on quality ingredients means these are a world away from the mass-produced fast food versions that can give Mexican food a bad name. -Lucy Bryson

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