BB conquers with juices and delicacies made consistently since 1964

Brigitte Bardot’s visit to Brazil in 1964 helped to publicize the then fishing village of Armação dos Búzios, in the lake region (RJ), where, at the height of her fame, the muse of French cinema spent a relaxed season, with her feet on the sand. This visit even had repercussions on the gastronomy of Rio de Janeiro.

BB Lanches, one of the most beloved juice and sandwich shops in the city, opened its doors in the same year and is named in his honor. Curiosities aside, the cafeteria without tables or chairs in Leblon is a favorite among Rio locals, and for its reasons.

The first of these is the quality of what is served. The juices are offered in a multitude of variations, such as cocoa with tangerine (R$ 24), perfectly sweet and sour, and kiwi with grape (R$ 28), always sour. My favorite for years is simple, but difficult to find elsewhere: the green grape one (R$24). Freshness in liquid form. What a flavor.

Don’t expect anything gourmet or new. At most, some nods to the non-meat-eating crowd, like the soy pastries. “He doesn’t sell anything, but he has to have it,” Mr. Adelino, the owner, told me over the phone when we spoke to ask questions after yet another visit to the house. He doesn’t give away the game about seasonings, preparation methods, anything.

When he wanted to know details about the glorious shrimp pastries with — lots of — catupiry (R$ 16) and also the meat pastry, with boiled egg (R$ 16), he laughed. “Ah, pretty girl. Please spare me. Do you think I’m going to give you our secrets?”, he said, with a strong Portuguese accent. The fact is that, who knows how, the ones there look like they are roasted, but they are fried and, unlike the others, they don’t have a thin shell full of bubbles. It’s soft. And delicious.

The range of sandwiches is vast, and all you need to do is lean on the counter to see that the sandwiches made in-house, such as chicken salad (R$ 25) and egg salad (R$ 21), have a captive clientele, as do the hamburgers (R$ 23), which can have all the extras imaginable — cheese, egg, bacon, salad, etc. The filet mignon (R$ 63) also has a lot of value and can be added with various toppings.

It was a steak with cheese, egg and salad on French bread that businessman Eike Batista laid out next to me, with a knife and fork, after opening the proceedings with a meat pastry and strawberry juice. He gave a handsome tip to the attendant, whom he seemed to have known for years.

Men in suits (Leblon is the heart of Rio’s financial market), athletes, groups going to and from the beach, students and tourists make up the interesting fauna of BB regulars. They are attracted by the certainty that nothing has changed, the snack they want to have is always there, consistently excellent.

Vibe doesn’t satisfy anyone’s hunger and isn’t usually a criterion when evaluating a restaurant, but it’s clear that being in a place where everyone seems satisfied only counts in favor. And in terms of atmosphere, BB Lanches is unbeatable, even though it has worthy competitors, such as Polis, in Ipanema, and Bibi, now a chain. In Rio, juice bars have fan clubs, almost fan clubs, like football teams. And BB is a delicious portrait of the city, the right destination for those who want to have a snack like a carioca.