Taste of Brazil Authentic Brazilian Cuisine

Hubby and I were excited to spend an evening outdoors recently with the beautiful weather, so we opted for a trip to Farmhouse Brewery. Taste of Brazil was the food truck here that night, so I scoped their menu online before ordering.We both ordered the chicken plate - mine without the plantains and his with. They were supposed to be open for ordering at 5:00 pm, but didn't start taking orders until nearly 5:30. Then, the waiting... and waiting... and waiting...45 minutes later (and we were 3rd in line to order), we finally got our food (they definitely need to prep ahead of time for the anticipated lines). It was NOT worth the wait and we were really disappointed. For $10 each, we got a ton of plain basmati rice, some black beans, the most tasteless, dry chicken, a little shredded lettuce and a couple of grape tomatoes.I definitely wouldn't seek out the brick and mortar location and, if they're on schedule at a brewery, would be eating at home first or finding another way to spend my time.

Based upon the jam packed overflowing crowd I encountered last Sunday, this small Brazilian style storefront eatery may very well prove to be the little restaurant that could. It all began as a food truck that made a successful opening day debut at the International Food Festival in Hampton during the summer of 2016. This led to the owner's dream of finding her own brick and mortar location, which was finally fulfilled when she opened one in Norfolk this past August.Her dream brought her to a location in the Riverview section of Granby Street, partially housed in a former convenience store beside the recently closed Barking Dog, and directly across the street from the French Delicatessen and Bakery. Parking can be scarce. If I don't see a space, I usually pull into the McDonald's several feet away and swing around to the back of the building, where there have always been plenty of spaces available.The owner is from Brazil, where her family also owns a restaurant, and uses some of her grandmother's recipes. It is her mission to introduce the area to the more traditional style of Brazilian cuisine that was reminiscent of the 1950s.The decor has a distinctive 1950s feel as well. There is an antique radio in the corner of the customer counter. An old-fashioned pay phone and coffee maker are visible behind the food counter. Their coffee is brewed from beans fresh daily from Tidewater Coffee.Candy jars rest on the food counter, one of which includes a huge chocolate bar from Lacta, a Brazilian chocolate manufacturer, which I will try during my next visit. During my last visit, I counted seven two-seated metallic chairs inside. Four seats are available at the counter against the wall. Most of their tables and chairs are still outside, which were quite busy over the summer. After four visits, I have tried the following:BEEF AND CHICKEN EMPANADAS: I ordered one of each and was blown away. They were served piping hot with a thin flaky crust, plump and juicy with their shredded beef and chicken fillings. When it comes to empanadas, I've never had better. My Rating: 5 Stars.PRATO DE FRANGO: A large platter consisting of savory chunks of chicken with black beans, fried plantains, and white rice. This dish was very tasty, well seasoned, and very filling. It could have been just a little hotter temperature wise. My Rating: 4 Stars.FEIJOADA: A Brazilian Black Bean Stew with Black Beans, Bacon, Smoked Sausages, Ham Hock, Neck Bone, Collard Greens, Orange Slices, Yucca Flour Crumbles, and White Rice.This is regarded as the national dish of Brazil, and I've enjoyed it twice so far, with the first time in September and the second time last Sunday. It is only available during the weekends at this time. Let it suffice to say that it is incredibly delicious. My Rating: 5 Stars. Some of their current menu offerings seem to stray a bit from their Brazilian reservation. Their Smoked Kielbasa plate is one example. Kielbasa is a type of sausage originating from Poland and the Ukraine. What gives it a Brazilian touch are the black beans that come with it.They also offer Beef and Chicken Strogonoff, which are traditional Russian dishes. Their version which comes with two starches, namely rice and fries. Their daily breakfast offerings currently include eggs, waffles, pancakes, bacon, and sausage, which strike me as more American than Brazilian. They also offer a Philly Cheese Steak.I believe the owner is trying to establish a solid customer base with a few American and international favorites while gradually introducing her customers to more traditional Brazilian fare. Based upon the increasing customer volume I have witnessed during the past few months, it appears to be working.This restaurant also functions as a bakery, with many of their offerings featured almost daily on their Facebook page. Among them are Pao de Queijo, a traditional Brazilian cheese bread, Sonhos, which are popular Brazilian cream filled puff pastries, and Caramel and Nutella flavored Churros. A wide assortment of desserts is also available from their display cases, which has included corn pudding, corn pudding, flan, and a number of others.One minor issue I have with their current service policy is that water is only available by the bottle. Paying two dollars for a bottle of water doesn't quite agree with me, and I hope they reconsider this one.During my next visit, I want to try one of their Coxinhas, a popular street food in Brazil that consists of chicken meat molded inside batter fried dough resembling a chicken leg or tear drop. For yet another future visit, I am hoping that they will eventually introduce Moqueca, a traditional Brazilian fish stew to their menuI regard the Taste of Brazil as a work in progress and one that is still peaking. They have been making great strides so far, and I am looking forward to my future visits, and perhaps an upgrade to a 5-star rating sometime next year.

This is a fantastic restaurant serving to go Brazilian and Comfort food. Patrice also has a food truck that can come to your events and elsewhere. They have delivery available.The food is so delicious, the burritos are huge and filled with you choice of meats, cheese, veggies, spicy or mild. My favorite is the empanadas. You can choose what fillings you like. Be careful, they are addictive!!!

Stopped by for a bit to eat after my Caribbean place was closed for the day. The place is small, organized, and clean. I ordered the steak plate and my guest the Brazilian burger. The food was prepared while we waited. The presentation was excellent. The burger was so large, it had to be taped shut. Burger, ham, two fried eggs, cheese, corn lettuce and shoe string potatoes made a burger to fill most humans. The steak plate was good for two meals without being stuff. What was missing was seasonings and fat. The beans and steak had a good flavor but I could not taste any Caribbean flavors and no fat for added flavor and a medium to carry and hold spices. I squeezed the lime over the meal to give the flavors some pop.. nothing. Plantains looked good and had a nice tangy edge.The churros were sweet and chocolatey. Definitely a bright spot. Order if you have a good size sweet tooth..they are filled AND drizzled in chocolate sauce.Not a bright spot for me. Okay food, large portions and nothing special. Stop by if you are watching your fat count and like good food.

So glad I finally tried this place, it's been on my list for some time. For lunch I opted for the steak Philly made spicy. The sandwich was very tasty and the beef was seasoned and flavored well. I believe it had two cheeses which made it very cheese, always a plus for a Philly. The service was great and they were helpful when trying to make a decision on what to order.

I'm all about supporting small local businesses!!!! If you're looking for great, authentic, Brazilian empanadas, look no further! I was hungry after shopping at the new outlet mall, so I came here on a whim, as a lot of people were lined up to order here. I'm glad I did, because their food was amazing! Well priced with quick service, I was really pleased by their chicken empanada and fries. My only critique would be their system of calling out orders; they don't specify a number or a name, so it can get confusing. Regardless, I understand since it's a small business with limited space!

Having recently moved to VA Beach, I was thrilled to find a Brazilian place... or so I thought.I never even got to try it. The number listed here? Out of service. Messaged them on Facebook, but got 0 response.Yesterday (a Saturday) went there at 6:30PM. Both Yelp and their Facebook page said they would be open until 8. The place was completely closed. No hours posted on the door. Posted a message in their Facebook page, and my post was deleted by them, but they never bothered to respond to me. I wanted to support a Brazilian business, but oh well.Uma perda de tempo total. Eu fiquei super feliz de saber que tinha um restaurante brasileiro aqui em Virginia. Liguei para o número, mas estava fora de serviço. Mandei mensagem no Facebook, mas ninguém respondeu. Fui lá ontem, que era Sábado, as 6:30 da noite já que o Yelp e a própria página de Facebook deles diziam que estariam abertos até às 8. Estavam fechados e nem horário na porta havia. Coloquei um post na página do Facebook deles mas além de ninguém responder, eles tiraram o review. Queria apoiar esse lugar já que é de brasileiros, mas com tanta falta de customer service, não da

We drove a long ways all excited to visit and eat your food, but you were closed. Very disappointing....You need to update your hours on the internet A gente dirigiu de longe e estávamos animados para visitar e comer comida brasileira mas vocês estavam fechados. Vcs deveriam arrumar o horário de vcs na internet para não confundir as pessoas Muito chato isso

The food truck experience was ridiculous. Waited 45 minutes for two items. Not once did the person working in the truck say thank you, smile, apologize for the wait, explain why it was taking forever, anything. Only two people wore masks, one below the nose. Whole experience was unfriendly and unsatisfying. Based on the Facebook reviews, I expect the owner will say something nasty in response to this post. This was a special treat for us and really disappointing.

Hot, freshly made delicious Brazilian food! This food truck was at the opening of the outlet malls in Norfolk, so my sister and I stopped by to try some food since Brazilian food is hard to come by. We ordered a beef empanada, chicken empanada, and fried plantains! The beef empanada was perfectly seasoned and crispy. The chicken empanada had chicken and cheese on the inside. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. My parents raved about the plantains! They thought they were perfectly sweet and crispy. Our food was being made fresh - while waiting, we could smell the food being cooked. They apologized for the wait, but I was perfectly okay waiting since the food was being packed and cooked fresh! Will definitely be back to try more!