I had never been to a Brazilian restaurant before, except once in London but it was more of a contemporary Brazilian cuisine restaurant, so I decided to try Cafe Brazil in Allston.Like most of the restaurants in Allston, don't judge this place by what it looks like outside. (That beer sign in the window has really got to go.) It seems like a fast-food or bar type restaurant but it's really a nice dine-in restaurant with live music.
The food here is delicious and comes in large quantities so be careful if you're ordering for a lot of people. For appetizer, I tried the chicken empanadas. They were flavorful but a little on the dry side. I ordered the Chicken Bossa Nova for dinner, grilled chicken breast and Brazilian sausage with vegetables. Make sure you try their sausage if you go! It was my favorite part of the whole meal. Everything tasted fresh and stayed warm because it was served on a sizzling platter. All of the entrees come with a side of rice and beans. Like I said, they serve a lot of food so definitely think before you order an appetizer or you can have yummy leftovers for the next day! And just because I love all sweet things, I also tried their sweet fried bananas. They didn't come in syrup, which was a little disappointing, but they were still pretty good. Sadly after all this I didn't have room for dessert and I missed it out on their custard with caramel sauce. (How good does that sound?)
The service at this restaurant is okay. The waitress forgot to bring out the side order with the meal but after that became very attentive and I never had to wait for her. True to the Hispanic custom, the waitstaff don't rush you and let you enjoy your meal and take as much time as you want. If you go later on in the evening, you'll get a chance to enjoy live Brazilian music while you eat.
Cafe Brazil may have some things it can improve on, such as its website, but it's definitely worth checking out for its delicious food.
Cafe Brazil
421 Cambridge Street
Allston, MA 02134
(617) 789-5980
