Anna

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Mother's Kitchen, Brought to Ipanema

Anna is not just a name above a door — it is the soul of the restaurant. The place is a tribute to Anna, a devoted mother, daughter of immigrants and granddaughter of farmers, who spent her days making fresh bread, hand-rolled pasta, ricotta for homemade ravioli, jams, preserves, and desserts. She grew rosemary, basil, and mint at home, and turned every meal into a ritual of love for her family. That spirit is the foundation on which owner Ana Lúcia Aleixo built this restaurant on Avenida Epitácio Pessoa, in the heart of Ipanema.

Handcraft as a Philosophy

The kitchen at Anna operates on a simple but demanding principle: everything is made from scratch, every single day. Bread comes out of the oven every hour. Fresh pasta is filled only after an order is placed. Sauces, stocks, desserts, ice creams, biscuits, puff pastry, and even the choux for the profiteroles are all produced in-house. Fish is sourced daily from local fishing depots; vegetables come directly from producers. This level of commitment to authentic Italian cuisine — no shortcuts, no shortcuts — is what earned Anna recognition from Gambero Rosso, one of Italy's most respected food guides.

The specialty is Italian seafood: fresh pasta paired with fish and shellfish, prepared with the same care Anna herself would have brought to her kitchen. The result is food that feels rooted in tradition without being static.

The Room and the Cellar

The dining room was designed by Rogério Cruz and decorated by Cynthia Pedrosa, with lighting by Maneco Quinderé using antique Italian bronze sconces and chandeliers. Paintings, decorative plates, and furniture were sourced from Italian antique dealers, giving the space a warm, collected character rather than a designed one. Tables are generously spaced, the atmosphere intimate.

Below the dining room, a temperature-controlled underground wine cellar holds up to 2,000 bottles — a wide selection of Italian labels alongside grappas, amaros, liqueurs, and dessert wines. The cellar doubles as a private dining room for exclusive dinners of up to 26 guests, making it a strong option for private parties and special occasions.

Anna is, as its owner puts it, "a celebration of family and authentic Italian cuisine" — and the kitchen lives up to that every day.