Best Burgers in Salvador: Rio Vermelho to Barra

The best burgers in Salvador are concentrated in Rio Vermelho, the bohemian seafront district with the city’s densest bar scene, in Barra near the lighthouse, and in the modern districts of Pituba and Itaigara. The historic Pelourinho is a better bet for Bahian cooking than for burgers.

Salvador’s street food is Afro-Brazilian, and its benchmark is the acarajé: a black-eyed pea fritter fried in dendê (palm) oil, split open and filled with vatapá, caruru and dried shrimp. The baianas who fry it in Rio Vermelho, on Largo da Mariquita and Largo de Santana, set the standard any snack in the city has to beat. Bahian cooking leans on dendê, coconut milk and malagueta pepper, so a burger that borrows from the local table has strong flavours to work with.

Burgers in Salvador: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Rio Vermelho, Barra, Pituba and Itaigara.
• Local benchmark: the acarajé, sold by baianas dressed in white.
• Regional ingredients: dendê oil, coconut milk, malagueta pepper and seafood from the Bay of All Saints.
• Getting around: the coastal avenue links Barra, Ondina and Rio Vermelho along the Atlantic shore.
• Currency: Brazilian real (BRL).

Every guide we publish on Salvador is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. To compare Salvador with other cities, browse our burger restaurant guides.