turismo ·
Where to eat at Iguazú Falls: restaurants inside the parks
Marco Três newsroom · edited by Annie Grellmann
Cocar and Canoas Mirim cover the Brazilian side while Porto Canoas is under renovation; on the Argentine side, the Fortín food court has buffets, a grill and fast food
Yes, both parks have restaurants. On the Brazilian side, Cocar (at the entrance) and Canoas Mirim (at the end of the trail) serve buffet lunch from noon to 4 pm; Porto Canoas is closed for renovation. On the Argentine side, the Fortín food court sits between the Upper and Lower circuits, with buffets, a grill and fast food.
Quick answer: Both parks have buffet restaurants and snack bars inside. On the Brazilian side, Cocar is at the entrance and Canoas Mirim is at the trail's end, both open noon to 4 pm. The Argentine side has a food court called Fortín between the Upper and Lower circuits with multiple options. You can bring your own food and use picnic tables, but keep it secured away from coatis.
A visit to the falls takes four to six hours, so lunch becomes part of the plan. Both parks have food inside: buffet restaurants, snack bars and kiosks. What changes is the name and the spot on the map — and on the Brazilian side, the Porto Canoas renovation reshuffled everything in 2025.
Brazilian side
Concession company Urbia Cataratas runs two restaurants, open daily from noon to 4 pm:
- Cocar is at the Visitor Center, right at the park entrance, with 300 seats and a daily buffet menu. Since it sits before the turnstiles, you can eat there without a park ticket.
- Canoas Mirim is in the Porto Canoas area, at the end of the Falls Trail, close to the waterfalls. All-you-can-eat buffet with salads, hot dishes, meat and fish; lunch is bought on the concession's ticket site. Residents of nearby cities pay 20% less with proof of address.
- Porto Canoas, the classic restaurant overlooking the Iguaçu River, closed in 2025 for a renovation of about 18 months. It reopens with a bigger dining room and a wider terrace.
Snack kiosks along the route cover the gap outside buffet hours.
Argentine side
In Iguazú National Park (Argentina), food is concentrated at the Fortín food court, between the entrances to the Upper and Lower circuits and 50 meters from the Iguazú Jungle central station: Fortín (grill and all-you-can-eat buffet), La Selva (all-you-can-eat buffet), Jaguar House (buffet by weight) and Fortín Bar (fast food). Estación Cataratas has fast food, empanadas and coffee. Around Garganta del Diablo the options thin out: sort out lunch at the food court before boarding the train.
Can you bring food?
Yes, on both sides. The Argentine park has picnic tables near Fortín and at the stations. Official guidance is the same in both parks: do not feed the animals, and watch your food around coatis, because they go straight for it. No drama needed: just don't leave anything loose on the table, not even a sealed juice box. Keep everything inside a closed backpack and carry your trash out.
Tip
Walk the trail in the morning and have lunch at the end of the route: Canoas Mirim (Brazil) and the Fortín food court (Argentina) sit right where the walk finishes. On the Brazilian side the buffet closes at 4 pm; after that, kiosks only. Prices and operations change — check the park's official website before you go.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a restaurant inside the Iguazú Falls parks?
- Yes, on both sides. In Brazil, Cocar (Visitor Center) and Canoas Mirim (end of the Falls Trail) serve buffet lunch daily from noon to 4 pm. In Argentina, the Fortín food court gathers an all-you-can-eat buffet, a grill, a pay-by-weight buffet and fast food between the Upper and Lower circuits.
- Is the Porto Canoas restaurant open?
- No. It closed in 2025 for a renovation of about 18 months and reopens with a bigger dining room and a wider terrace. In the same area, Canoas Mirim serves the buffet at the end of the trail; Cocar covers the park entrance.
- Can you bring your own food into the parks?
- Yes, in both parks. Official guidance: do not feed the animals, keep food sealed inside a closed backpack because of the coatis, and carry your trash out. The Argentine park has picnic tables near Fortín and at the stations.
- Do you need a park ticket to have lunch at Cocar?
- No. Cocar is at the Visitor Center, before the entrance turnstiles, so it also serves people who are not walking the trail. It opens daily from noon to 4 pm.
- Do coatis attack people who are eating?
- They don't attack people; they go for food. The parks' own guidance: don't feed them, don't leave anything loose on tables, and keep everything in a closed backpack. Follow that and your coati encounter ends as a photo.
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Content verified by the newsroom based on an official source: Cataratas do Iguaçu / Urbia Cataratas (site oficial). Last checked: 7/22/2026. Found something inaccurate? We fix it fast. How we work.
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