By 
Note: This place is permanently closed
If you ask any Brazilian in LA about the best place to get Brazilian food, you will get the same response: Pampas Grill. When I first moved here, this restaurant was introduced to me by my Brazilian friend, Cintia. We used to go there EVERY weekend. Fast-forward a few years: although we don’t go nearly as often as we used to, it still holds a special place in our hearts.
I don’t want to play favorites, but a new Brazilian place has recently won me over. I was in Manhattan Beach with a group of Brazilians, and one of them casually mentioned a pop-up called The Brazilian Taste located in a parking lot on Sawtelle Blvd. We all went on Instagram and looked at the delicious pictures of pão de queijo (cheese bread) and caldo de cana (sugarcane juice), both staples in Brazil. The following Sunday, Cintia told me the owner of The Brazilian Taste had opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in a strip mall in Hollywood that day: BRAZIL BBQ TEAM. I was lucky she invited me to the restaurant opening.Â
Both places are owned by Brazilian couple Bruno and Vanessa, who couldn’t be any nicer! When I arrived, Bruno was already there greeting Cintia. I arrived at noon, which was perfect timing because a huge line of Brazilians formed behind us minutes later. The menu is very simple: you choose your meat and then your sides. The space consisted of a huge kitchen and a few tables for dining in.
There’s an outdoor seating area in the parking lot, but since it’s a no-frills, fast-casual restaurant, the food is served in takeout containers and is primarily meant to be eaten off the premises.
With this being said, Brazil BBQ Team isn’t the place to go for a sit-down experience. I’m not complaining because the food at Brazil BBQ Team and the pop-up was too good for words. Both places were also teeming with Brazilians.
I was surprised by the fact that even though the food here is served in takeout containers, they don’t skimp on the quantity! As you can see in the picture, the portions are very generous.
Picanha is Brazil’s most popular meat, and I always like mine medium-to-well done. Look at these beautifully grilled cuts of meat. The picanha was juicy, tender, and oh, so perfectly buttery. I’m a rice fiend and theirs was cooked to perfection.
The bean stew was also outstanding. It had just the right amount of salt, and its texture was smooth and creamy, something not many places get right. It had the perfect amount of salt and the texture of the stew was smooth and creamy, which is something that not many places do right. After finishing our meat, my friend and I mixed the beans and farofa into the rice and devoured everything.
There is nothing more comforting to me than rice, beans, and farofa. I discovered the latter when I started going to Pampas Grill. For those who don’t know what farofa is, it’s toasted yucca flour that is Brazil’s most common condiment. Its nutty flavor and crispy texture pair excellently with meat and rice.
Before I arrived, my friend had already ordered and offered me grilled cheese skewers, which were completely new to me. She said she remembered going to the beach in Brazil and seeing people line up to get these. She gave me a piece, and wow, calling it good would be an understatement. The total for my order was $16, which is a bargain considering the amount of picanha we had. I love Pampas Grill, but don’t go there and expect to have the same amount of picanha I had at Brazilian BBQ for less than $20. At Pampas Grill, you pay by the pound. They give you a heavy plate, and before you get to the meat, you have to make your way through a long buffet. I always choose the same three sides I had at Brazil BBQ Team: rice, beans, and farofa.
At Brazil BBQ Team, they really cut straight to the chase. Go to the website here!
If you want to try Brazil’s most famous soft drink, get Guaraná. That drink always takes me back to my childhood when I used to spend summers in Brazil.Â
After the amazing meal, my friend had to work and I went to Long Beach. I kept thinking of the caldo de cana (sugarcane juice), which was sold at their other location (The Brazilian Taste) in Sawtelle. I drove from Long Beach to Sawtelle on the 405, which was a complete breeze on a Sunday. Upon arriving at the parking lot, I saw two stands thanks to the Brazilian flags.
In the same parking lot, there’s another stand called Brazilian BBQ, but it is not affiliated with The Brazilian Taste.
When I headed over to The Brazilian Taste’s caldo de cana stand, another customer was raving about the juice in Portuguese, which, thankfully, I can more or less understand.
They’ll ask whether you want it with or without ice. I asked the man which one he liked better and he said ice, so that’s how I ordered it. They have a sugarcane juicer right there!
Brazil is the world’s largest producer of sugarcane. The last time I had sugarcane juice was with my dad at the Dole plantation on Oahu, Hawaii. But it didn’t blow us away. This is because not all sugarcanes are equal. Several factors come into play, including the country of origin and the variety of sugarcane.
Mind-blown. It was a hot day in LA and I cannot put into words how much of a difference the ice made. I chugged it down so fast. Delicious is a big understatement here. It was so rich in flavor that my taste buds were actually in shock. No offense to the sugarcane juice I had in Hawaii, but this was another level of goodness. It was mildly sweet and incredibly refreshing!
I highly recommend going if you’re looking for authentic, premium sugarcane juice in LA. Surprisingly, there are only a few places in LA that serve sugarcane juice, and most of them market it as a wellness drink, not as a Brazilian staple.Â
@the_brazilian_taste
The stand also offers Brazil’s most popular snacks like chicken coxinhas, which are Brazilian chicken croquettes. They accept cash, Venmo, or Zelle. For your information, you can also get these menu items at their brick-and-mortar on Vine Street (except the caldo de cana).
Shortly after writing this post, I returned to Brazil BBQ Team, and just like the first time, it didn’t disappoint! Bruno and Vanessa treated me to freshly made, warm chicken coxinhas.
The shredded chicken inside was perfectly tender, while the exterior was warm and crunchy. Simply delicious!
If you’re looking to have an affordable, authentic Brazilian eating experience, go and check out The Brazilian Taste in Sawtelle, or the brick-and-mortar Brazil BBQ Team in Hollywood.
Original Brazilian BBQ Team – Permanently closed
Address: 1253 Vine St, Los Angeles, California
The Brazilian Taste – Permanently closed
Address: 2949 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, California
