CNAE codes for restaurants, bars and cafés in Brazil
The main CNAE code for restaurants, bars and snack bars in Brazil is 5611-2/01 – Restaurantes e similares (Restaurants and similar). Snack bars use 5611-2/03, bars use 5611-2/04 or 5611-2/05, and delivery-only kitchens usually appear under 5620-1/04. To prospect this segment, search codes 5611-2/01, 5611-2/03, 5611-2/04, 5611-2/05, 5620-1/04, 5620-1/01 as both primary and secondary CNAE, keep only active CNPJs, then filter by company size and city.
CNAE codes for restaurants, bars and snack bars
CNAE (Classificação Nacional de Atividades Econômicas) is Brazil's official activity classification. Every company registered with a CNPJ declares one primary CNAE and any number of secondary ones. These are the CNAE 2.3 subclasses most used by restaurants, bars and snack bars:
| CNAE | Official description (pt) | English | When it shows up |
|---|---|---|---|
5611-2/01 | Restaurantes e similares | Restaurants and similar | À la carte, buffet and per-kilo restaurants, pizzerias |
5611-2/03 | Lanchonetes, casas de chá, de sucos e similares | Snack bars, tea and juice houses | Snack bars, burger joints, cafés, açaí shops |
5611-2/04 | Bares e outros estabelecimentos especializados em servir bebidas, sem entretenimento | Bars without entertainment | Bars and pubs |
5611-2/05 | Bares e outros estabelecimentos especializados em servir bebidas, com entretenimento | Bars with entertainment | Bars with live music, nightlife venues |
5620-1/04 | Fornecimento de alimentos preparados preponderantemente para consumo domiciliar | Prepared food mainly for home consumption | Meal-prep, dark kitchens, delivery-only |
5620-1/01 | Fornecimento de alimentos preparados preponderantemente para empresas | Prepared food mainly for companies | Contract catering for companies |
Search primary and secondary CNAE
Many restaurants, bars and snack bars register their real activity as a secondary CNAE, because the CNPJ was opened under another primary activity or because they do more than one thing. A snack bar may list 5611-2/01 as secondary, and a dark kitchen registered under 5620-1/04 may also serve dine-in. Filtering on the primary code alone misses part of the market.
Who sells to restaurants, bars and snack bars
Restaurants buy often and from many suppliers, which makes them one of the most prospected segments in Brazil.
- Food, beverage and packaging distributors
- POS, digital menu, ordering and own-delivery software
- Commercial kitchen equipment, refrigeration and maintenance
- Accounting, food-cost control and management consulting
- Local marketing agencies, food photography, delivery-app management
- Uniforms, pest control, cleaning and used-oil collection
How to build a list of restaurants, bars and snack bars in Brazil
- Pick the codes: start with
5611-2/01and add5611-2/03,5611-2/04,5611-2/05,5620-1/04,5620-1/01depending on what you sell. - Search them as primary and secondary CNAE.
- Keep only active registrations (situação cadastral ativa) to drop unfit, suspended or closed CNPJs.
- Narrow by location (state, city, neighborhood) and company size (MEI, ME, EPP, other). For paid equipment and software, prioritize ME and EPP companies; MEIs are usually very small operations.
- Keep companies with contact data (email or phone) and save the filter as a reusable segment.
- Write a segment-specific opener and track replies in a pipeline.
1Lead runs all of these filters in one search over Brazil's public company registry, and its AI suggests adjacent CNAE codes from a plain-language description such as "I sell digital menu software to restaurants in Curitiba". The product interface is in Portuguese.
Qualification signals
- Recent opening date (last 6 to 12 months): a new restaurant is still choosing suppliers.
- Several CNPJs sharing the same root (headquarters and branches): chains buy in volume and decide centrally.
- Share capital above the neighborhood average signals investment in the operation.
- Secondary delivery CNAE (5620-1/04): the business depends on technology and packaging.
How to approach this segment
Restaurant owners are busy and pitched constantly. Short messages with one concrete gain (lower food cost, more delivery orders, faster checkout), sent outside rush hours (3 to 5 pm local time), work best. WhatsApp usually gets faster replies than email in this segment.
Example first message (in Portuguese, with translation)
Frequently asked questions
What is the CNAE code for a restaurant in Brazil?
5611-2/01 – Restaurantes e similares (restaurants and similar). Snack bars use 5611-2/03 and bars use 5611-2/04 (no entertainment) or 5611-2/05 (with entertainment).
Which CNAE do delivery-only kitchens use?
Usually 5620-1/04, prepared food mainly for home consumption, often combined with 5611-2/01.
How do I get a list of restaurants in a Brazilian city?
Filter Brazil's public CNPJ registry by CNAE 5611-2/01, 5611-2/03 and 5620-1/04 (primary and secondary), active status and municipality. Tools like 1Lead run this filter and return the public contact data available.
Where is the official CNAE table?
IBGE publishes it in the CONCLA online search, with the full hierarchy (section, division, group, class, subclass) and notes on what each code includes and excludes.