Cafe Brasil
| Address: | 1410 Mission St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA |
| Phone: | +1 831-429-1855 |
| Site: | cafebrasil.us |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 8AM–3PM 8AM–3PM 8AM–3PM 8AM–3PM 8AM–3PM 8AM–3PM 8AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 10
RA
Rangaprabhu Parthasarathy
It was a warm summer Saturday and what better way to spend it than with family at the beach. Santa Cruz to be more specific. We hit the beach just as the fog was starting to lift and spent a couple of hours frolicking in the water. At the end of it, we were famished. The wonderful wife had yelped this interesting Brazilian place in Santa Cruz with a lot of positive reviews. We made our way to the middle of town where Cafe Brasil was located. The place was easy to spot with its Brazilian bearings of green and yellow all over. It was also packed. Since they didnt take reservations, we had to wait for a table for 7 which took about 25 minutes which wasnt all that bad. The place is densely packed with very little in the way of walking and moving space. It was also packed to the brim with patrons. We got settled and were greeted by a menu filled with dishes and ingredients not very familiar atleast on first glance. We picked a couple of appetizers in the way of Aipim Fritto (yucca fries) and Fried plantains. We also ordered a bunch of drinks from the juice bar (which was very unique I have to admit) in the form of Acai bowl (to be shared), Coquetel de frutas (bunch of fruits), Goiaba juice(guava juice), and a mimosa. The Acai bowl turned out to be a crowd pleaser and the guava juice and the coquetel were also very nice. For the main course, we had two options- go with the breakfast menu (which was still being served at 1:30 pm) and a bunch of tofu offerings (is tofu popular in Brazil?). We ended up ordering a mix of both- A Baiana (tofu with tomato sauce and veggies and rice), fried rice with beans for the little guy, Rancheiros, Galo Pinto and Veggie Fritada. Food started arriving pretty quickly (some of them before the appetizers). The A Baiana was interesting- one of us found it a tad bland and had to spike it with tabasco. The Rancheiros and fritada came in for praise and a note that the portion size was significant. The friend plantains were much loved. The little guy was the only one who took to the Yucca fries and consumed over half of what was served. Overall, it was an interesting experience since most of us had never eaten Brazilian food before. Most of us also liked what we had and complaints were primarily that some of the dishes were bland. Otherwise, it was exotic as advertized and we didnt regret out trip to Cafe Brasil. If you are in Santa Cruz, it is well worth a trip to the place.
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Mark L
I had the worst experience. Im sorry to everyone who rated this place so high. It took 45 minutes to get my order after a friend got his order. When I asked about my order they told me it wasnt ready. After waiting all that time I asked the girls at the cashier counter who seemed like they had no idea what they were doing. When one of the girls went to check, the head hostess or woman in charge literally looked at me and rolled her eyes. What amazing professionalism. The cashier returned with my order saying it was "hidden." There are many other things wrong with this place. The work space where the smoothie bar is was absolutely filthy. How this place has the reviews they have is laughable. The majority obviously turn a blind eye to this crap hole.
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A Private User
I walked out before being served. Staff wasnt responsive. Front patio was closed but was told I could wait for the "back patio" to open. Waited over 30 minutes, past the time when they said the patio would open, seated in their closed front patio. No staff came seat me at the back patio. Turns out back patio is a tiny stoop with two tiny tables. No idea why they would not serve in the much nicer front patio. Menu seemed a bit pricey for a amounts to at best average cafe. Wont attempt again. Went to Walnut Avenue Cafe instead and had a great experience.
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Alexander Jelinek
Cost is highly dependent on what you order... especially since smoothies are great, as is the açai. However, if you stick to a single entree and simple beverage this place is cheap. Service is slow and its always packed, especially weekends so be sure to arrive early or late, or do endure the marathon wait (translation: bring a mag or a good conversationalist). Food is very good but not amazing. Service can be sub par, especially during peak slams, like Saturday brunch time. At least the food is super healthy...
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Elon Slozberg
The place has a simple and pleasant atmosphere. We had the traditional Feijoada dish. It was fine. The second dish was a dish with cod fish which was not good. The fish was super salty and it is served with rice and Forafa with no sauce so its a very dry dish, feels like it could really use some sauce. To be fair, I havent had Brazilian food before so maybe thats how it is typically served as far as the components but the saltiness is just wrong. We also had two fruit drinks which were both rather tasteless.
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A Private User
My absolute favorite thing to do when coming down to SC on the weekend is to go here. They have a wide selection for breakfast. They have a great atmosphere. Their staff is awesome, I think even some brazilian women and men on board too. Lastly, they have honey which for many is important. I cant stand just getting a tiny package of honey with my coffee in the morning, this places serves it up right in a container you just self serve as much as you want. Worth the ten/twenty minute wait for shore!
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Anna Scott
This was a lovely little cafe in the heart of Santa Cruz. I went to breakfast with my boyfriend, and we are vegan and vegetarian. They had a good number of options considering they dont advertise as vegetarian. The tofu scramble was very flavorful, and my boyfriend loved the potato scramble breakfast special. The service is attentive and friendly. Coffee was refilled as needed! We would love to revisit this cafe next time we are in Santa Cruz.
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KRISTINA LESLIE
Very upset with the service, we had gotten a food order to go and then I invited a friend to join me and we wanted to sit down and order a second meal and they refused to allow us with the to go box to be seated. It was very awkward. Very awkward. So we ordered the second meal to go and had to eat in the parking lot because they wouldnt allow us to eat inside with their to go boxes. Very awkward.
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Nancy Sequoia
Recommend this place. Food is tasty and there are many unique and interesting options on the menu, although it could be because Im not familiar with Brazilian food. Service is fast, but they do not bag up your left-overs; you have to do it yourself. Although this place draws a large crowd, the line goes by pretty fast. This place has a lively and casual atmosphere. Great place for casual dining.
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Bharath Nagesh
My experience was at their restaurant inside UCSC. It opened a month ago and goes by the name, Bowls by Cafe Brasil. I ordered the A Francesca bowl after specifically asking the cashier if I could substitute the meat with tofu to which I was responded with a yes. But then when the dish was served it had meat in it. If thats how vegetarians and vegans are treated please stay away from the place.
