Food and meals pacing in Santa Rita: lunch, tereré and churrasco

Meal times in Santa Rita blend two customs: the Paraguayan one, with a siesta around midday and tereré passed round, and the southern Brazilian one, with chimarrão every day and churrasco whenever the family gets together (Wikipedia PT⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Eat lunch before the shops shut, keep tereré for the afternoon and save churrasco for the weekend, and you will eat like a local.

Morning: chimarrão and something quick

• Chimarrão, the hot gaúcho mate, is drunk daily (Wikipedia PT⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Visit an office or a home early and you will probably be offered some.
• Chipa is Paraguay's manioc bread (Wikivoyage⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), handy for breakfast on the go if you head out early to a farm or onto the road.
• Do your shopping in the morning: many shops close around midday for the siesta (Wikivoyage⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

Midday: the lunch window

• Eat before the siesta. With shops closing around noon (Wikivoyage⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), the easy rhythm is to finish errands mid-morning and then sit down to lunch without rushing.
• Brazilian style. The town's churrascarias offer buffet, rodízio or pay-by-weight (CPG⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Ask how you will be charged before you fill your plate; the total varies a lot.
• Paraguayan style. Asado, sopa paraguaya (a cornbread, despite the name) and manioc instead of potatoes are the classics (Wikivoyage⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Passing through. The PY06 runs through the town centre (Wikipedia PT⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), making Santa Rita a natural lunch stop between Ciudad del Este (about 70 km away) and Encarnación (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

Afternoon: tereré and the heat

In summer tereré, the cold version of mate, is the norm (Wikipedia PT⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). By custom it is not drunk at lunch or after sunset (Wikivoyage⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠): it is an afternoon drink. If the cup is passed to you, accept at least one round.

Summer highs sit around 31 to 33 °C and can reach 38 °C (Wikipedia PT⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), so keep the afternoon for something light and plenty of water.

Evenings and weekends

• Churrasco de chão. The gaúcho barbecue cooked at ground level is a fixture of get-togethers (Wikipedia PT⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). If you are invited, expect it to last hours.
• Craft beer. Trentina 1875 brews in Santa Rita (La Nación⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠) and was a stop on the Craft Beer Route (Infonegocios⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Message them on social media before going.
• If you drink, do not drive: Paraguay has zero tolerance, and from 0.400 mg/l it is a criminal offence (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

Dates that change the rhythm

• Expo Santa Rita, late April to early May (25 April to 3 May in 2026, Infonegocios⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Besides machinery, it has a food fair and Paraguayan and Brazilian shows at night (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Eat early or outside peak hours that week.
• 22 May, Santa Rita's day. The patron feast includes open-air masses and community lunches (Wikipedia PT⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Anniversary in January, with a serenade, arts festival and Corrida del Toro (Infonegocios⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

Paying and tipping

• QR is now the most used electronic method: 68.1% of Bancard payments in April 2026 (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Bancard merchants can take Pix from Brazilian accounts (Infonegocios⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠), but ask first.
• Always ask for the invoice (factura) (Sedeco via ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Tipping is uncommon and service is usually included in the bill (Wikivoyage⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

To choose where to eat, see restaurants in Santa Rita.