PRO: Authentic Brazilian food, lively atmosphere, super friendly staff!
CON: The musicians were playing way too loud for the space in the back
BOTTOM LINE: If you want good Brazilian food in a casual and welcoming atmosphere, go here!
Came here with my family on my most recent trip in London (Oct 2015), and am shocked that I haven't found this place before! I lived in South America for a year, and was in Rio and Sao Paolo for a spell during Carnival in 2014, and was a huge fan of the pao de queijo (little balls of cheese bread; heaven!) and caipirnhas (lime and brown sugar cocktail with rum; but who wouldn't be a fan?) so those were my first orders.
We also ordered the typical Brazilian steak, and also tried a grilled fish. Seeing farofa (toasted cassava flour mixture that you can put on meats) on the table made me smile, and I knew I'd be in for a good meal.
Everything was amazingly delicious; meat was perfectly done, and fish was also grilled to perfection. It was well seasoned, but simple in flavor, so you get the taste of the meats themselves. Rice and beans were sides, and I really appreciated that they flavored their rice with what seemed like garlic, oil and salt; could've eaten a whole bowl of that by itself.
And the pao de queijo did not disappoint! We got ours fresh from the oven and it was incredible! Finished off with a few espressos; absolutely great meal!
The staff was fantastic as well. We made reservations for 7:30pm but showed up at 6:30pm as very hungry customers, and they accommodated us no problem. But this is definitely a dress-down affair; simple and mismatched table cloths and thin fold-out tables are the setting. There was a Brazilian duo playing some really great music and my only complaint was that they were using amps that were too loud for the small space.
Oh, and you can definitely taste the rum in the caipirnhas, so you are getting your money's worth, but I think because you cannot get South American limes, the drink turned out to be too sweet for my taste.
Overall, a wonderful experience; was so glad to have found such an amazing little piece of Brazil in West Hampstead. read more