Samba Taste of Brazil
| Address: | 922 Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN 55343, USA |
| Phone: | +1 952-935-2708 |
| Site: | sambatasteofbrazil.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | Closed 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–9PM 10AM–10PM 10AM–10PM 11AM–8PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
MI
Michael Kyba
We are a half-American half-Brazilian family, and were excited to learn of a new Brazilian restaurant in the poorly-served MSP market. We visited once in the Spring of 2010, and just recently in September, 2010. The place is decorated nicely, with a modern look, and MPB Brazilian music playing in the background. The owner greeted us and took us to our table for lunch which was nice, and was initially very friendly, although he switched to perfunctory after a few problems, like forgetting to place my appetizer order. We had been forewarned that the portions were small, and so were not surprised when this turned out to be the case. The picanha (barbecued steak) looked like about 6 ounces after cooking. The sides, eg faroffa (toasted manioc flour) and beans were really miserly. From the appetizer menu, we tried and loved the bolha de bacalhau (little fried balls of potato flour with cod fish and herbs). The pastels (Brazilian type of thinly-stuffed deep fried empanada) were mediocre, filled with more creamy cheese than anything, shrimp for example. There is a serious issue with freshness of wine. The wine list is impressive for a place like this, with probably 40 different bottles on offer. Amazingly, every wine was offered by the glass as well as by the bottle. Hello! There is a reason that restaurants offer only a limited number of wines by the glass - you cant serve days old wine! With 40 bottles, unless they are throwing out dozens of bottles every day, there is no way that a small place with 10 tables or so can possibly be serving fresh wine by the glass. Unfortunately I didnt put 2+2 together, and we ordered two different Malbecs: Colores del Sol and Conquista. One was declicious, the other had turned half way to vinegar. It had clearly been opened for several days. Other freshness issues: there was just a hint of rancid oil in the farofa. And they operate a small store with Brazilian products next to the restaurant. We noticed that many products were months past the stale date. This tells you something about the attitude to freshness.
AR
Aros86
Its not a Brazilian restaurant. Sou brasileira, e fui lá para relembrar um pouquinho do meu país... De cara já fui para a lojinha e sinceramente completamente me desapontou o preço das coisas nas alturas, tudo parecia ouro naquela loja(creme de leite ($6) leite condensado, leite ninho literalmente ninho de tão pequeno que era e custava 10 dólares) muitoooo mais muitoooooo caro!!!! Quando formos para a nossa mesa garçons sem animo, não eram simpáticos nenhum pouco (coisa que brasileiro não é), enfim, a comida caríssima também, pedimos coxinha 8 Dolores por 6 minúsculas coxinhas... a única coisa razoavelmente boa foi a pizza de frango com catupiry, o queijo era meio de qualidade esquisita muitas gorduroso mas deu pra levar e duas pessoas comem fácil, não é grande mas é média. Uma dica pra quem quer comprar LEITE CONDENSADO, CREME de LEITE, LEITE NINHO, YAKULT, etc... passe no Walmart lá vende tudo isso e vi uma lata gigante de leite ninho por 14 dólares, excelente preço!!!! Não volto nunca mais!!!!
A
A Private User
This new restaurant named SAMBA just open las December I I already went there to eat about 6 times. the food is fantastic and the service is awesome. Everytime I went there I try something different. Appetizers to die for like Pastel and a kind of chicken wings but no sauce just garlic, you might be thinking Garlic but the taste of the chicken is UMBELIEVABLE. Then the main course, from stakes to pasta. I ate Ghocchi for the first time and was delicious, the sauce of it was to die for it. My wife had the shrimp moqueca and was just gorgeous, the plate was funtastic and beautiful and taste was amazing. The we had some desserts the Flan was mouth watering me the whole night so i had to have that and my wife had the chocolate cake that was so big that she needed my help.hahaha I cant wait to go back there for Valentines Day, the waiter told me that thaey will have a lot of lobster plate and some special made chocolate mousse. This restaurant have a very good selection of wines, from Australia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa and of course Brazil. My wife try the Sauth African and was very nice I had a brazilian beer, Xingu DELICIOUS!!! This is a family run restaurant with food that they are love from their home land of Brazil; this was the first time I ate Brazilian food and I didnt know was so good. I recomend everyone to go try this restaurant . Its located in the heart of downtown Hopkins and have planting of parking space, so you dont have problems parking your car. They also have the grocery store where you can buy a lot of stuff from Brazil. And at lunch the waiter told me that they have very nice sandwiches and some nacional dishes from Brazil. Now I have to try their lunch!
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A Private User
I was invited by a friend to go to Samba Taste of Brazil a quite new Restaurant in Hopkins and I got surprised how good the food was . My idea about the Brazilian food was that all were hot spice , fat and no flavor and was a huge surprise when I started eating : tastefull , fresh and so delicious that I came back 3 times already . During one of my visits I met the owners Joe and Malu who invited me to a kitchen tour when I had another surprise to see how everything is fresh , clean and organized .WOW ! all restaurants should look like this .I can not understand how some people ( like a review from "Foodie" ) dont like Samba and say things that are not true , maybe in a bad day that he sould be at home preparing his own food ( sic ) or maybe he does not know food like he pretends so . I have tried Feijoada ( a black beans stew with pork meats) , the Shrimp Moqueca ( prepared with coconut milk ) and the Churrasco and all were tastefull and fresh.Thanks Joe and Malu !
A
A Private User
This is a great little place - very cozy and tastefully decorated, wine bar atmosphere yet family-friendly. A fun local spot to try tasty and authentic Brazilian dishes that are unique but not too exotic for the Midwestern diner. A casserole of shredded beef, mashed potatoes and cheese was hearty and delicious. We also tried the cod stew - in a mild but flavorful sauce served with rice - terrific! The traditional cheese-stuffed rolls are excellent (pao de queijo). And we had the best fried banana Ive ever had! Pan-roasted, not deep fried, served as a side dish - what a treat! Fun to try excellent Brazilian beer and red wine (plus a full list of other beer and wine available). Seems to be family-run by a very friendly staff. Service was attentive and helpful. Living in West Edina, its great to see this little bright spot in the neighborhood - cant wait to get back to try more of the menu and shop at the little grocery!
KE
KeyboardSmasher HD
Just got back from Samba an hour ago after dining here with my 9-year-old son and wife, and it was our first visit. My wife is still glowing about it! We eat out 2-3 times a week, and I travel extensively for business, so we have substantial experience with restaurants...this is officially my wifes new favorite! We live in Rogers and will have no problem travelling back to Hopkins for this gem. Our server was Victor, whom I gather to be the son of the owners, or perhaps he is the owner? But he made us feel very welcome and explained the menu to us and provided suggestions. The food was incredible and the service was outstanding (I will say it was a quiet Sunday evening, and only three other tables, but two were 6+ people). We will be back soon and often!
