Given its community of expats and nature lovers, Jericoacoara boasts a large selection of eating options, with a definite emphasis on healthy cooking. During the day, you might want to partake of the barraca fare served on the beach. Bar Alexandre is Praia de Jericoacoara’s official beach bar, with wooden tables beneath fruit trees and a nearby natural well where you can wash off salt water before digging into delicious fish and seafood dishes.

On the shores of the Lagoa do Paraiso, Chez Loran (tel. 88/3669-1195) is an equally enticing place for lunch that serves somewhat more elaborate dishes such as curried fish and snapper sautéed with garlic.

The pizzas that emerge from the wood-burning oven at Nômade (Rua da Farmácia, tel. 88/3669-2103, 6 p.m.–midnight daily, closed Sun. in off-season, R$10–20) are considered the best in town, with unusual toppings such as leeks, zucchini, smoked ham, and chutney. The laid-back ambiance makes them all the more enjoyable.

Chocolate (Rua do Forró 214, tel. 88/3669-2190, noon–midnight daily, 4 p.m.–midnight April and June, closed May, R$15–25) is an intimate, romantic eatery. From the terrace you can gaze at the beach while feasting on an imaginative menu of salads, risottos and pasta dishes (one ambitious sauce combines arugula, anchovies, and cinnamon). The chocolate desserts are wickedly good.

The rustic setting (with a lovely back garden) at
Carcará (Rua do Forró 530, tel. 88/3669-2013, noon–11:30 p.m. Mon.–Sat., closed in May, R$14–28) belies its sophisticated menu. Dishes run the gamut from ceviche and sashimi to regional specialties such as carne-de-sol com arroz de leite (sun-dried beef accompanied by rice bathed in melted coalho cheese) and lagosta tropical (grilled lobster with fresh tropical fruits).

For a healthy, light meal or snack, Café Brasil (Beco do Buaxelo 65, tel. 88/3669-2272, open daily) serves thick sandwiches on homemade wheat bread stuffed with unusual fillings such as chicken, cashews, and pineapple. Also on the menu are sweet and savory tapiocas and fresh fruit juices.

Meanwhile, those who wake up (or go to bed) at the crack of dawn swear by the fresh-baked coconut, cheese, and banana buns that emerge early from the ovens of charming little Padaria Santo Antônio (Rua São Francisco, 2–7 a.m. daily).