Via Brasil

im half portuguese so i had the bife portuguese the portuguese style steak, and the sauce was very delicious and rich with the wine and garlic, also their spanish potatoes which are basically fries cut in a circle were perfect and not too crisp, the black beans were good as well, finally a place that knows how to make a tasty portuguese style steak.

Those were delicious with the "lime Vodka Caipirinha ". People really friendly and great live music on Friday nights. Will be back again and again. Very authentic, I can tell, I'm brazilian.

Going to Little Brazil and ordering feijoada ought to be almost as good as going to the real Brasil and get the national dish. Alas, the feijoada at "Via Brasil" is the most disappointing I have ever had. It only had about one third of the ingredients any Brazilian housewife would use. Where was the spicy salad ?, - the farofa?, -the sliced oranges? and so on, and so on? The rice was sort of OK. The couve mineria was anything but! The meat stew, then? Well, please don't ask me. I left two third behind. The price ? All I can say is that Via Brasil will never see me again, nor any of my Brazilian relatives.

I've had my share of Brazilian food, having had Brazilian friends, and even visited the country once or twice. I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I am an afficionado. I picked Via Brasil from the selection of joints clustered around 46th between 5th & 6th, mostly based on their menu - they listed some classic things missing from the other places. Boy, was I sorry. This is potentially the worst Brazilian food I've ever had. The pao de queijo (cheese bread) came to the table cold, not even lukewarm, but several of the pieces burned on the outside, and tasted like wax more than anything. The feijoada was also barely warm, despite the steam rising from the pot (still not sure how they managed that), and came with some listless rice, farofa that tasted several days old, and dried out orange segments for garnish. To top it off, it was heaviest on ham hocks, which meant lots of gnawing. The collard greens with garlic were cut small enough, but again, cold. The passionfruit mousse, the most palatable part of the meal, clearly came from a mix. To top it all off, the caiprinha just tasted like cachace over ice with a wedge of lime. It reminded me of paint thinner on the rocks. Maybe I came on an off night, but it was a Friday, so that would make it twice as bad. The place is dark, the napkins were placed on the tables still damp, and the A/C wasn't quite up to snuff. My waiter smiled a lot, and tried to be helpful, but even in the service they're barely adequate. The whole thing just left a bad impression. I mean, come on, feijoada? That's the national dish. I guarantee there is better Brazilian to be found in Manhattan, or better yet, just go to Ironbound -- it's just over the river. As for me, I'm staying out of Little Brazil. Pfeh.

I went to this place with a friend, and when I doubled the tax as a tip, on our way out we heard the waiter grouse that we needed to tip more. I liked the food but will never return to this place again. Thanks for the dining experience. I can get the same stuff at the other restaurants across the street, and with better service.

We came here to try something new! We were pleasantly surprised. We ordered 4 totally differently things. Seafood, grilled chicken, 4 different meats, and salads. Everything was great. All was cooked exactly as we ordered and the service was fast. The prices were very reasonable for the city and the portions were huge. None of us were able to finish our meals. The staff from the host and waiter to the water boy were very friendly and attentive. Great restaurant.

I have had drinks and appetizers at Via Brasil because an ex-coworker recommended it and because it's close to work. I loved the drinks, but the appetizers left something to be desired. However, I had the steak there with some other friends and was really happy with how tender and flavorful it is. I cannot eat steak that is too dry, too tough, too well done, too chewy. This steak was fabulous so if I never eat anything else there, I will go back for the capihiroskas (I know I spelled it wrong, Atlanta) and the grilled steak!