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I was finally able to experience Cana after a few failed attempts. I'm hardly ever in the Adams Morgan area but had some time to kill before my zvznt at 5pm. I walked in as soon as they opened at 5 and was able to snag an open seat at the bar. I had a drink and an appetizer. The service was great. The bartender was very friendly and efficient. The place had a nice vibe and decor. Advance reservations are strongly recommended!
Cana can do no wrong! I love coming here for drinks for a cheeky girls' night. Finally got to try some brunch here as well and loved every aspect of it. The servers and cooks are so fun and friendly, and made sitting at the chef's counter. I tried the coco caipirinha this time around and I liked it but the coconut flavor wasn't very strong. I defintely prefer the lychee and maracuja ones. I highly recommend trying the moqueca de ovos! But as you can probably tell, I love coconut so I'm perhaps biased. But I also appreciate some dippy egg action for brunch. I tried a bit of the escondidinho com carne and that was excellent as well but so heavy. For the table, my friend and I split the rabanada. Even though it came out first and we ate it last, it held up very well. It was sweet and slightly tart which was the perfect ending to the meal. I would love to try to snag a dinner reservation here next!
CANA Overall Rating:(5/5 Stars) Maybe I don't actually need that flight to Brazil because this restaurant transported me there without the hassle of TSA. When every dish lands and the vibes are just right, it's no surprise the seats stay full. Food: Aperitivos: * Dadinhos de Tapioca $18: Cheesy, light, and incredibly satisfying. The guava sauce was nice, but honestly, these stood perfectly well on their own. * Torresmo $18: Easily one of the top three pork belly dishes of my food critic career. Crispy, rich, and unforgettable. Pratos: * Peixe Cru $23: Fresh, vibrant, and beautifully composed. This dish set the tone for what turned out to be an excellent meal. * Frango à Passarinho $23: A playful elevation of fried chicken. The touch of honey added just enough sweetness without making it overly sticky. Churrasco: * Picanha Black Angus $41: Melt-in-your-mouth perfection. The farofa added just the right amount of texture to complement a beautifully cooked steak. Service: The chef's counter seats give you a front-row view of the kitchen in action. The chefs engaged with us throughout the meal, our server shared insights about Brazilian culture and cuisine, and a few surprise shots didn't hurt either. The hospitality felt genuine and thoughtful, the kind that makes you want to come back and bring friends. Disclaimer: These are my personal opinions. Please try these restaurants and form your own judgments--it's what I would do.
Awesome popular spot. Hard to get reservations. Fried Cornish hen is amazing. Could eat 4 orders of that. Gnocchi were slightly mushy (either over or under cooked). Everything great flavor and balanced. Fair prices and good cocktails.
Went here for a friend's birthday and had such a great time! The restaurant transitions into a lounge at night, creating a fun and lively atmosphere. The music was great, and the food was delicious. I ordered the oxtail gnocchi and it was easily a 10/10. The drinks were also really good and reasonably priced for DC. Our waitress was wonderful and allowed my friend to bring her own birthday cake, and the staff even sang her happy birthday. Cana is truly a great place to celebrate, they really know how to make you feel special!
Vibes here - superb! Food, pretty good. Drinks - great. We dined when they had a guest bartender visiting from New York. His specialty cocktail list skewed too sweet for me (lots of pandan, coconut etc..) so I went with a classic caipirinha which was super refreshing and perfectly sour. They had a live dj who played afrobeats/Brazlian music, I was shazaming all night. Great spot to come for happy hour, date or a small group dinner - just be sure to reserve well in advance because it was packed for a weeknight! Food fell a little short for me unfortunately given the price points but would've been great with more developed flavors/seasoning. A lot of the appetizers we ordered were fried and a bit too oily/fishy for my liking. The pork belly was superb though, great compliment of citrus zingy punch to fat. Steak was cooked well just a little flat on seasoning. Octopus has a few chewy membranes on it still but the tomato based sauce was superb, really enjoyed dipping my bread into it. The shrimp gambas were beautiful. Dessert (birthday) were super decadent and really hit the spot. I don't have a sweet tooth but half of the fudge balls and a couple bites of the flan were perfect for me. Staff was super friendly, accommodating and helpful when deciding what to order. Would definitely return for a happy hour or night cap!
Small restaurant, difficult to get a reservation, but totally worth it. We went for a late night dinner. The beautiful decor in a dim room sets the mood for a good time. With the amazing food accompanied by great music, you're in for a good time.
What a fabulous time we had! We decided to go check out Cana after church for a little Sunday brunch! We decided last minute but were able to get reservations at the chef's counter! And what a treat that was! We had a fantastic time interacting and talking with the Chef's! We had the chance to learn more about the cuisine as well as fun facts about Brazil! The whole staff was very friendly and made us feel very welcomed! The whole atmosphere and vibe were on point as well with both the music and the decor! Lastly, the food was delicious everything they recommended was delicious! We tried the fried fish, steak and even the homemade orange juice! It was all spectacular! Overall a great time and cant wait to go back for some more great memories!
Cute vibrant spot in Adams Morgan. The music is lively and the lights are dim. Great place for drinks and meeting up with friends. I guess the 4 stars are more for atmosphere. The food wasn't very stand out for me. But service was friendly, and helpful. This place fills up! DADINHOS DE TAPIOCA-good texture and nice flavor BOLINHO DE BACALHAU-fishy and salty SALADA DE MAIONESE-tasty and satisfying. COXINHA DE PATO-was different, not much flavor but looked good? ARROZ DE BRÓCOLIS-inconsistent flavor, odd every mouthful was either flavorful or bland. Maybe we were suppose to mixed it up before we ate it? PICANHA(black angus)- prepared well, tender but was salty PUDIM-tasty, I loved the caramel. It was a nice place to try.
Tried out brunch at Cana this time! The vibe is still nice and our server was super friendly. I enjoyed the Velho Tamarindo drink again. It's still my favorite. It's like an old fashioned but with amazing subtle tamarind and banana flavors popping through. I tried the lychee caipirinha. It wasn't bad but not as good as the Tamarindo! The caipirinha presentation is nice and the size is good. My friend said the picanha steak was to die for. The cod Milanese was also good. I tried the egg moqueca and it was only ok. The sauce didn't taste anything like any other moqueca I've had before and I don't like it as much. So I wouldn't get it again but people who like zesty tomato sauces might like it a lot. I will likely return for dinner again next time.
WHAT A MEAL!! We don't know much about Brazillian cuisine but we were shepherded through a fantastic journey. (I would clock this about 4.5 stars and have not criticisms. Why not five stars? Only because this was our first visit) There was not a single miss, but for us the standouts were the moqueca packaged as an appetizer but traditionally a fish stew. I could become addicted to it.... Also, the Hamachi crudo/ceviche in tigre de leche was so well balanced in flavors leveraging acidity and sweetness of pineapples that it was pure harmony. I can't forget the octopus as well. It was perfectly prepared and we had our with a bolognese type sauce with ground octopus provided mouth watering texture and taste. The picanha steak was flavorful with just enough fat and we sampled all of the sides on the menu (broccoli and rice, potato salad, vinagrete, black beans, and yuca flour. (Mix the yuca, beans, and hot sauce together and you will have a delicious combo). I don't know much about Cachaça, but we had several different kinds of Cachaça based cocktails and were delicious. The bartenders/ mixologists are clearly very talented - a little too talented because it was tempting to drink a little too much : - ) Service is fantastic and extremely attentive. I don't know how they do it because the restaurant is so busy. The energy is very youthful with engaging staff, nice music, and a happy crowd of customers. You would really have to try hard to have a good time. For the two of us, we ate extremely well, with roughly 3-4 drinks between us and feast beyond feasts. For us, total price with tax, 3% wellness fee, and 25+% tip was $425. If you aren't massive eaters and drinkers (like us) you could easily get by with less. Cana will definitely be part of our rotation but as others suggest it takes planning and reservations. The secret is out.
"We make the country's best caipirinhas," said the server proudly. With that confidence, we had to try a few. Over an hour, I ordered the Maracuja with passion fruit and the Caju Amigo, which was described to me as the lovechild of an apple and pear. (It's an accurate description.) Each was unique and refreshing, but the Maracuja was the winner. It comes with passion fruit seeds to add a crunch. The space is beautiful with a few tables along the sidewalk and inside at the bar and at tables. Restrooms are in the back. Service is friendly and efficient. If you love caipirinhas, go here, but make a reservation to ensure you get a table.
What can I say.... 10/10!!! Like everything from the cocktails to the tapioca square things that really order it! I wasn't sure but one of my favorite things. The guava dip tops it off. The service was so good! Went for my bday with my daughter and friend and they were so kind. Even gave a shot at the end. There was nothing that wasn't good. The shrimp dish I could have stolen that sauce. The ambience is small and dark and a little noisy and bustling. That is what makes it personality. Having my friend come next week and I will have this in rotation.
One of my new favorite places! The interior is super cute, reminiscent of a 70s-style cocktail and record bar. The atmosphere is lively yet intimate. I made a reservation for prime dinner time at exactly at 10 am the morning of, and when we arrived, the place was packed, with a line for walk-ins going out the door. I recommend making a reservation if you want guaranteed seats inside. It's a great spot for a date night or dinner with friends. Cana - A delicious and strong lime caipirinha. (5/5) Maracuja - A wonderful, refreshing, and sweet passion fruit caipirinha. (5/5) Coxinha de Pato - Super cute presentation. The inside of the duck leg croquettes was flavorful but slightly drier than I would have liked. (4/5) Salada de Palmito - Delicious. The mango leche de tigre was amazing, and paired with avocado, it made this an instant like for me. (5/5) Polvo - So good. Perfectly charred, tender octopus with a hearty sauce. The cheese-stuffed yuca balls, however, felt unnecessary--I'm not a fan of cheese and seafood together. (5/5) Picanha - Amazing and perfectly grilled charcoal steak. Be sure to ask for the Brazilian spice to put on the steak--just two small drops on a piece, and it's divine. (5/5) Flan - The cherry on top of an perfect evening of drinks and dinner. Perfectly cooked flan in a sweet caramel sauce. Simple but expertly done. (5/5) read more
I saw about this place online and thought I'd give it a try. It's new and hard to get into and I like Caiparihñas so yeah! I checked out the menu online to see what I might get so I'd be ready. The people working there are very nice so no problem there. The ambiance is cool. Unfortunately, I don't think it's worth the prices. I know it's D.C. and a lot is high but I could get the exact same tapa size entre and drink in Atlanta, Ga. for $20. I could get a large rib and Caiparihña at Fogo de Chao here in DC for $22 at the bar. Half the prices than here.,A lot less ice in my Caiparihña too. Sorry to say if you just want to overspend then this is your spot. If not you can do better. I still needed to go get a snack after $37 picahña read more
This is a really great addition to the neighborhood. Want to go for a chill/intimate date in the week? They've got you. Want to dance to live music late night? They've got you! All the bartenders are lovely and the drinks are really creative. I cannot wait to try the food. It looks amazing. read more
This new restaurant is very intimate but super trendy. Reservations open at ten am each morning, to book the same evening, spots fill up fast and for good reason. The food was incredible. From the Pastel de Camero (shrimp empanadas) which tasted super fresh, to the Polvo (octopus) dish, the blend of flavors were on point! I loved each drink I had but ended with the Coco drink which was perfect to finish my meal! I understand why reservations here are nearly impossible, the food is worth it! read more
Somehow someway, my friend and I scored a seat at this extremely popular Brazilian steakhouse an hour before the kitchen closed. Divine timing truly! Get a reservation here before you go (especially if on a Friday night!) The steak was absolutely incredible. Low in fat but it was perfectly juicy. I think it was the Fraldinha and the farofa added a salty, crunchy texture. The sourdough bread was tasty and very charred but paired well with the herb butter. I couldn't taste much duck in the Coxinha de pato but was a tasty appetizer. The side salad was really refreshing and simple but paired so well with the rest of the meal. My friend enjoyed Cana's take on an Old Fashion and I tried Cahaça in their self tiled drink. My goodness, it was made with three simple ingredients and it was strong, refreshing and smooth. It tasted like margarita's older sister, more mature and classy! Our waiter was from Brazil and he was a GEM! I absolutely loved how he was patient and helpful during our selections (and getting us a table!). The ambiance is great for date night. The atmosphere was very grown and intimate but I saw people celebrating birthdays, casually chatting and enjoying the food and drinks. Definitely worth a visit. read more
10 months ago
Great vibes and extremely fun nightlife. Highly recommend getting a reservation close to closing on a day where they have a vinyl DJ. The drinks are great, we really enjoyed the caju amigo and the Romeo e julieta. The lychee and tamarindo drinks were good, but not quite at the same level. The guava and cheese tapioca dish was excellent, but I would skip on the heart of palm salad (needed more flavor imo) and the shrimp (was slightly overcooked). read more
When I'm telling you my friend and I was blown away by this restaurant. Every. Single. Dish. And. Drink. was lush! Personal faves for drinks was the Picante - be forewarned it packs a spicy kick, but so flavorful. The Black Angus Steak paired exceptionally with the Farofa. I could've ate the Farofa on its own - it was that good! We sat a the bar and could see the dedication from the bartenders and wait staff to make each dish and drink delectable. The ambiance gave speak easy vibes with low lighting and good Brazilian jams. This restaurant deserves way more hype. read more
1 year ago
awesome drinks, great bartenders, cool vibe. tried a bunch of cocktails and they were all very well made, great and interesting drinks with fun flavors. will have to come back to try more food but the empanadas were solid read more
3 months ago
2 years ago
Great drinks! Great steak! Great vibes! Great music! Great service! Everyone at the bar was so friendly and kind and laughing, having a great time. We'll likely be back for the drinks, music, vibes and that steak!!!! As a Luso-African, I've had my share of picanha, and this was it!!! We didn't make a reservation. We just got there 5 minutes before they opened (already a line) and prayed we get two seats at the bar. We did! We were a party of 2. This was during the holidays when DC is not as crowded so not sure how that will work next time we go. We would have made a reservation, but we love sitting at the bar and the bar is walk-in only. The ambiance and music and staff were wonderful. The drinks were outstanding. I recommend the picanha (steak), the Pão de Alho (garlic bread with Parmasan butter). I didn't try the Polvo (Octopus) but want to try next time. It looked so good!! DRINKS ------ The drinks were great!! Caju Amigo - cashew drink. Our fav!!! We ordered two rounds of this one. Picante - yummy if you like mescal tequila and biquinho peppers. The pepper flavor is strong. We liked it! Matte Leão - you'll like it if you like Black tea. Velho Tamarindo - lovely bourbon drink with guava, cachaça, tamarindo and anise. We liked this one too!! ---------------- More on the steak: Picanha (steak) with farofa (which had a strong, crunchy onion flavor) loved this dish!!! Would order again but maybe order medium well next time (personal preference). It had a charred taste to it which we loved, very authentic to Brazilian style of this steak. STAFF = SUPERB Superb!!! We were just regular customers but felt so much love!! We were served by two different bartenders and a third team member checked in on us from time to time. Our main bartender was Evan (forgive me if I got your name wrong, but he worked on the night of Dec 29th). We loved him! He was joy - a quiet soul but you could feel his good energy!! Thank you to the entire team that worked that night - from everyone on the run team that worked behind the bar to the chefs who made the yummy food to the kind team who delivered our plates. What an excellent team you have over there!!! Thank you to the Cana team and wishing you the best in 2025!!!! I'm sure we'll be back to Cana in the new year for some picanha and great steak and to try the Polvo!! Obrigada!!! read more
2 years ago
Cana is a trendy Brazilian bar and restaurant with some excellent food and drinks. The bar is quite small and cramped and can get a bit loud. We sat at the chef's counter which was great for watching the cooks at work, including an awesome charcoal grill that is used to cook the steak, octopus, and sausage entrees. Our server was super friendly, enthusiastic, and helpful. We appreciated his recommendations and the food came out very quickly. We basically watched the chefs work on our dishes right after placing the order. I enjoyed the bright passionfruit hamachi and freshly shaved truffle pao de queijo. The duck leg croquettes were good but fell a little flat in flavor. We then shared a steak entree with a side of broccoli rice. The broccoli rice felt really unique and added a pop of color to the table, but ultimately just tastes like broccoli. The steak was prepared to a perfect medium rare with a crusty charred exterior. A few bites were a little grisly/sinewy but overall I really enjoyed it. It was served with plenty of farofa, a cassava meal that didn't add much to the steak besides making it drier. It seemed the only dessert was a flan which looked great, but I was too full to give it a try this time. Cocktails were a standout as I really enjoyed the caipirinhas (we tried passionfruit and tangerine), as well as the Matte Leao. All of the drinks were perfectly balanced, easy to drink, and pair refreshingly with the food. Cana is a really fun time; I bet even moreso later in the night. The menu is small and efficient with solid dishes. Importantly the drinks are great. I had a great time, but don't feel the need to return for another round. read more
1 year ago
finally got a @resy at @barcanadc and almost ordered the entire menu alert @barcanadc was perfect for a GNO & rounds of dirty gin martinis but for food we devoured the sourdough bread with garlic, parmesan, and parsley butter (best bread n butter in the game), shrimp empanadas with molhode pimerta (really good), duckleg croquettes with pimenta aiol, black burgundy truffle and biquinho goiabada, charred hearth of palm, avocado with herb leche de tigre, chilled hamachi with a vinaigrette of passion fruit and coconut farofa (pictured and one of my favorites), crispy pork belly with lime, maracujá aioli, and salsa criolla, charred octopus with yucca bolinhos and pirão sauce and last, but not least our absolute favorite was the charcoal-grilled 10oz prime steak with farofa (seasoned and cooked to perfection) we weren't lying when we said we almost ordered the entire menu and there are no regrets @barcanadc was perfect and I cannot wait to dine there again only complaint --- the waitress kicked us out at a prime 9:30 when our reservation was done and we were definitely rushed to finish our food & cocktails :/ read more
1 year ago
7 months ago
2 years ago
The food was so delicious I ate everything before taking a picture. The servers are attentive but make sure you have a reservation because waiting for a bar seat is not a good strategy here. Great music and drinks. Dimly lit! read more
1 year ago
4 months ago
2 years ago
Incredible addition to the dc bar/food scene. I highly recommend getting a reservation in the dining room or bar (not kitchen counter) to soak in the cozy and intimate, yet funky and fun ambience of the bar. My favorites were the Pao de Alho (sourdough bread) and Pastel De Camarao (shrimp empanadas). As a bar that specializes in Brazils most famous drink the caiprinha I would recommend getting the Maracuja - a passion fruit flavored take on the drink. read more
1 year ago
11 months ago
2 years ago
Outstanding! A must visit! The drinks taste so good and brought great memories back from Rio De Janiero. I stopped in on opening night for a Caipirinha and the place was already lovely. An awesome wall of vinyl playing great jams Full bar with an innovative menu for drinks. With a great food selection I'm gonna have to come back here for dinner! The smell from the open kitchen was intoxicating! read more
1 year ago
5 months ago
1 year ago
The service was amazing, but their food is not typical traditional Brazilian food! I didn't like the octupos, and I didn't like the caipirinha, so I asked to change it for something different. I'm Brazilian, I was born and lived in Brazil for 20 years, I know what Brazilian food is like, I found it very expensive for so little food, and they wanted to charge me for "wellness", I asked them to take it off because that's the company's job to pay! Not the customer's. If you are looking for a place to have dinner in a calm and quiet place, where you can talk to people (don't go there). Because it was DC it was terrible for parking the experience was good, it's just not the type of restaurant I like. *If you want real Brazilian food go to "Brazilian Place"* read more
5 months ago
What nostalgia ! I grew up in Brazil and these flavors HIT! It's a high end version of Brazilian food, and refined ingredients lead to explosive flavors! We enjoyed sitting in front of the kitchen and watching the execution, and staff were VERY polite with how they handled reminding us of the 2 hour time limit. We asked for the maracuja caipirinha less sweet and WOW WOW WOW one of the best cocktails I have had in DC this year, so many emotional authentic flavor reminders for me from my childhood ! We had the shrimp pastel (eat it while it's hot!), duck cochina (fabulous!), bacalao fritters (super authentic), hearts of palm and avocado salad (I held on to the plate just to use the sauce / dressing in the end lol), the picana steak (my boyfriend was stunned at the flavors of the steak and he is pretty hard to get a reaction out of!), and yucca spinach mash (absolutely perfect accompaniment for the steak!). Ask for the hot sauce! Halfway through the meal I had fomo and ordered the pao de queijo (I think Americans call is "cheese bread"), and SO GLAD we did (again, the mister usually is NOT into bread items, he had seconds!), did the Flan desert (could have had a TAD less sugar / eggs, but the burnt caramel flavor ** CHEFS KISS**!!) we asked for more caramel to go to put in our coffee's this morning ! Gorgeous interior and fabulous music- just would have liked more Bossa Nova and some Carnival "bateria" beats once 10pm hit, otherwise WE WILL BE BACK (if we can get a resi, because GOOD LUCK - its not easy :) ! read more
11 months ago
Dining at Cana was amazing! The staff, chefs and overall ambiance was great. Perfect for a date night or girls night. The food was so fresh and fun to watch it being made at the chefs counter! read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
Finally got a reso here, I've been dying to try it out and it was hard to finally get a weekend reso. Loved the vibes, overall romantic moody aesthic. Food was tapas style and on the smaller side for dishes. Stand outs were the truffle fried cheese app and steak with pico side. I would come back as the food was good but what's keeping me from a 5 star review is the pricing. I didn't love that the plates were small for the cost. Easily $120/150 PP for a drink/ food / tip and feel like you can get much more for your money at other establishments read more
Came to Cana soon after it opened and having heard mixed things. Unfortunately, my own opinion is similarly mixed, but I hope the kinks are worked out over time. The space is fun, and I sat at the bar, so I could see the dishes being made which I liked too. The plates are a great size for sharing and tasting (although they get pricey!) My main disappointment was that much of the food wasn't well seasoned. Some was bland, other dishes were overly salty, etc. the service was also pretty slow and the waiters didn't seem to have a good sense of the menu (we did accidentally get an extra dish as a result of this!) read more
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