Olinda's cuisine is Pernambucano through and through — which means the cooking of the Northeast: carne de sol (sun-dried beef), baião de dois (rice and beans cooked together with dried meat and cheese), moqueca cooked with coconut milk in the northeastern style, and tapioca crepes filled with everything from queijo coalho to banana. Acarajé, the deep-fried black-eyed pea fritter stuffed with shrimp and vatapá paste brought to Brazil by enslaved West Africans, appears at street stalls around the historic centre, especially on weekends.
The best restaurants cluster around the hilltop, near the Alto da Sé and along the streets descending from it. Lunch is the main meal; evenings are quieter and not all places are open. Portions tend to be large, often sized to share. Prices are reasonable by any standard — you will eat well here for far less than in Rio or São Paulo. Look for restaurants with a handwritten menu board and a queue of local families; that is usually the right choice.