a hearty sandwich can be enjoyed in many places throughout rio de janeiro, in venues that include bars and restaurants, luncheonettes, kiosks, and many food stands that line its busy street corners and beachfront areas - sandwiches, or sanduíches in portuguese, are generally divided into two kinds - a hot sandwich and a natural sandwich.

most hot sandwiches come with some type of meat, either pork, beef, chicken, or turkey if available - they are usually complete with fries, cheese, and a lettuce and tomato salad - misto quente is a very popular hot sandwich which is basically a classic ham and cheese sandwich that has been warmed up.

the most common hot sandwich that does not have any meat is called queijo quente - it is essentially the brazilian version of a grilled cheese sandwich, typically made with queijo minas, a white cheese specific to the minas gerais state of brazil.