most asian immigrants, from china, japan, and korea settled in são paulo, but some preferred the beach-side city of rio de janeiro - the increasing sophistication of rio's tourism, paired with easier access to asian chefs and information, has spurred the creation of the thai restaurants on the scene today.

there are few authentic thai restaurants in rio are rated highly by thai food enthusiasts - due to the diverse asian immigration, thai restaurants can also fuse other styles of asian cooking into their menu, often adding to their offerings various styles of cooking from other asian countries, such as china, vietnam, and even mongolia.

most of these restaurants are located in the neighborhoods of leblon, botafogo and ipanema - thai food has grown in popularity as well and can also be found in various areas of the state, including but not limited to the cities of paraty and búzios.