Restaurante Popular
A no-frills Brazilian pay-by-weight canteen at the heart of Paramaribo's Klein-Belém
Why Go
Skip the tourist trail and eat where Suriname's Brazilian diaspora actually eats — a buffet counter on Anamoestraat where a plate of feijão, arroz and grilled meat costs less than a taxi ride and tastes like a Sunday in Belém do Pará.
The Experience
Restaurante Popular sits on Anamoestraat, the spine of Klein-Belém — the Brazilian quarter that grew up around Tourtonne 2 after prospectors started arriving in Paramaribo in the 1990s. The vibe is exactly what the name promises: fluorescent lights, plastic chairs, a steam-table buffet, a scale at the register, and Portuguese chatter over the hum of a wall-mounted TV showing Brazilian novelas or a Flamengo match. You grab a plate, load it with as much (or as little) as you want from the buffet, and pay by the kilo. Regulars are gold miners on their way back to the interior, off-duty taxi drivers, and Brazilian families who've made Paramaribo home. It's one of the few places in the city where you'll hear more Portuguese than Dutch or Sranan Tongo.
What to Try
Build a classic prato feito: a scoop of arroz branco, a ladle of feijão (the black-bean stew that anchors every Brazilian meal), farofa (toasted cassava flour) for texture, and whatever protein looks freshest off the grill — usually picanha, frango assado (roast chicken) or linguiça sausage. Don't skip the vinagrete salsa on the side, and grab a cold Guaraná Antarctica or a Skol from the cooler to wash it down. If they're serving feijoada (typically weekends), that's the move.
Insider Tip
Go at lunch (roughly 12:00–14:00) when turnover is highest and the buffet trays are constantly being refreshed — evenings can mean picked-over pans. Bring small SRD notes or Brazilian reais (many Klein-Belém spots quietly accept both); card machines are unreliable. And weigh your plate honestly — piling on the picanha will spike the bill fast, since meat is priced into the per-kilo rate.
The Practical Stuff
Address: Anamoestraat 26, Paramaribo (Tourtonne 2, aka Klein-Belém). Cash-first, casual dress, no reservations — you queue at the buffet. Best reached by taxi or a short drive from the city center (about 10 minutes from the Waterkant). The surrounding blocks between Plutostraat and Leonardo da Vincistraat are safe by day but quieter and less walkable after dark, so plan a ride home. No English menu — point-and-serve works fine, and a few words of Portuguese go a long way.
Pair It With
- 101 Suites Guide — A comfortable, well-located base in Paramaribo ΓÇö makes it easy to swing by Klein-Bel├⌐m for a Brazilian lunch and be back in the center for the afternoon.
- A Sang junior De Tweewieler Guide — Rent a scooter or bike and explore Klein-Bel├⌐m's Brazilian supermarkets, bakeries and juice bars on either side of Anamoestraat before or after your meal.
- Aanansi ATV Tours Guide — Fuel up on a hearty pay-by-weight plate here before heading out on an ATV adventure ΓÇö the carbs and grilled meat are exactly the kind of stick-to-your-ribs meal you want before a long day off-road.