When my boss told me that I'd be moving to Rio de Janeiro, my first thoughts were, "Goodbye, sweet burgers." I'm not kidding. If I could live on one food for the rest of my life, it would be delicious, medium-rare patties of beefy American goodness stuffed between couple of buns and topped with whatever my heart desired. I was forlorn. More importantly, my taste buds were devastated. What was I going to do to get my fix for burgers in Rio de Janeiro?

It turns out that my fears were premature and ultimately unnecessary. There are a lot of great burgers to be found and happily consumed in Rio de Janeiro. For the last year or so, I've been searching for the perfect one, and I've come across some pretty good burgers in Rio de Janeiro.

Gringo Café

The Gringo Café was the first place I had a burger in Rio de Janeiro when I was still staying at the Hotel Vermont. I came upon the restaurant during a day at Ipanema Beach, and its name and a menu that boasted American breakfast items drew me in. The person at the table next to mine ordered a cheeseburger, so I went for one too. I wasn't disappointed. It was everything I hoped it would be: lettuce, tomato, mayo, and melted cheddar cheese atop a thick, juicy patty, held together by the gentle caress of a soft bun. It tasted like America. From there, I was determined to continue my search for great burgers in Rio de Janeiro.

Super Burger

Not every burger in Rio De Janeiro is as simply adorned as the one I had at the Gringo Café. Restaurants in Rio often load their burgers with just about anything imaginable. The first time I ate at Super Burger, I got a little adventurous and put an order together that featured a burger topped with an egg, banana slices, and cinnamon. A little odd for my tastes, perhaps, but still tasty (I have to admit, I scraped off some of the banana slices).

Joe & Leo's Burger

I had another great burger at Joe & Leo's. It was feeling like a west coast kind of day, so I ordered the San Diego burger. I don't really know what was so "San Diego" about it, but it was cooked just like I like it and topped with sautéed onions and mushrooms. What I like most about burgers at Joe & Leo's is that they put the lettuce and tomato under the meat, so there's less of a chance that it falls out or slides all over the place. I have burger peeves, and that is one of them.

Overall, burgers in Rio de Janeiro have kept me happy and satiated. It's a great city to do some culinary exploration, so get out there on your next trip and search for that perfect burger too!