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Brazil by the Bay
Category: Restaurants Brazilian Brazilian [Edit]
3770 Hancock StSte G
(between Channel Way & Kurtz St)
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 692-1410
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 9 pm
Fri 11 am - 1:30 am
Sat 11 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
87 reviews for Brazil by the Bay
Review Highlights
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"I got the Prato Feito with sauteed onions and it was well..." In 3 reviews -
"On some nights they even have live music." In 6 reviews -
"every goes good with coconut milk." In 3 reviews
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87 reviews in English
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Review from nathan p.
San Diego, CA
4/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
I tried this place because we had a http://Restaurants.com gift certificate. And there was no trouble using it.
We decided to try many different Items
Appetizer: Coxinha - it was ok.. I'll give it a 3/5 and he Risoles de palmito - 3/5
I wouldn't waste ur time or money on the appetizers.
Sandwich - Tri tip sandwich 4/5 - It was a little greasy but tasted yummy and the cheese was good. I wish there was more grilled onions on it tho.
Entrees - Feijoada - I liked the meal, I poured the soup/stew stuff on top of the rice. It was good. I had to add some of the extremely hot peppers they have if you ask for them on top to make it hot! I give it 4/5
The best thing on the menu was this Brazilian style Pot Pie that I don't see advertised on the online menu but it is on the menu in the restaurant. Anyways, that pot pie was amazing. I love every bit of it and it is huge! 5/5 -
Review from Charlton C.
San Diego, CA
5/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
* Yum Brazillian *
I'm pretty much a neophyte when it comes to Brazilian but BBtB is pretty tasty. I've had most of the appetizers, steak and stroganoff and all were decent. Needless to say I left very, very full.
If I went back I'd get a singe entree and call it a day. -
Review from Norman B.
San Diego, CA
4/17/2012
had been here before with a bud on a sat nite for some brews but this time i had to try the food. i was not disappointed. i had a groupon so my son and i went to get some grub. we started off with some appetizers. had a piece of Kibe, a deep fried mixture of ground beef, wheat, onions and herbs that had the taste of mediterranean flair that resembled the shape of a football. a squeeze of lime juice gave it a nice tangy touch. also had a piece of Coxinha, another deep fried mixture of chicken, cream cheese, tomatoes, onions and seasonings that had a nice creamy texture underneath the golden crust with a pinkish meat texture in the middle. the appearance looks to be of a tear drop. both were a hit.
my salad was a typical small bowl with some fresh greens and a ranch dressing. for my main entree i had the Prato Feito Fish plate. had a white fish filet was pan fried and flaky, the rice was a surprise hit because of the tanginess, the red beans were perfect, the farofa which is a toasted manioc flour mixture was interesting.
the food was great and i plan of coming back here again. i was told by my waitress to come here on the weekends for a special soup they make called Feijoada. hmmm, i def foresee myself coming here on a weekend. -
Review from Mercy B.
3/27/2012
Who knew this place was here hiding behind the Sports Arena (Oh, excuuuuuse me...the Valley View Casino Center...whatevs!) on an industrial one way street?
If not for a Groupon my friend had, we would never know it was there. What a great little find. And I don't think it's as dumpy as some make it sound. It seemed clean, they were friendly and the food was really good.
For an app, we ordered the pastel, one beef, one chicken. They were flaky fried pastry filled with very tasty meat. I would have liked a sauce to dip it in, but we still gobbled them up.
We got the half order of grilled Tri Tip served on a sizzling hot plate over a sterno with grilled onions and whole garlic cloves.....tender and tasty! The meat was medium rare, just the way I like it and there was plenty for the two of us. We actually snuffed out the sterno, as we both didn't want the meat cooked any further.
Very flavorful black beans and rice were served with it. She also gave us Farofa, which is the ground root of the cassava or manioc plant, also known as Yucca flour. It was to be sprinkled over the beans and rice, which we did, but we both couldn't taste what it added to the dish really.
Then we ordered what has to be the best Flan either one of us has ever had! This is a reason alone to go here. It was an enormous piece, thick, dense and so very yummioso!
I do think they need to update their menu online, as the entree we ordered is not even on there. And actually, the link at the top of this Yelp page for them, goes to a page that doesn't even work. I found this other link on Google and it does work, but they need to update their menu, the flan wasn't even on there!
http://www.brazilbythe...
I will come back for sure and try some more of these traditional Brazilian dishes. -
Review from JENNY A.
San Diego, CA
5/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love the atmosphere, very laid back, all the employees are actually Brazilian and they always have a soccer game on. Food is good if you're not worried about calories or if you've just burned a whole bunch running around the Kobey Swap Meet .
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Review from Alison L.
San Diego, CA
So I came here for the first time last summer, and I thought it was interesting, back then it seemed more like a bar than a restaurant. I came back yesterday and that has changed. I came at about 5:30 on a saturday evening and it was pretty desserted. The hot blonde waitresses in tight clothes were gone, replaced by two girls and a guy that were dressed more professionally in all black. I liked this better, being that I was bringing my husband there this time! The male server was very informative and made every dish on the menu sound fantastic. He was very fast and enthusiastically it was refreshing almost. We had a http://restaurant.com gift certificate where we had to spend 35 bucks so we decided to order appetizers.
I got the Coxinha ($2.00), which back home in Boston meant a pear sized and shaped deep fried dumpling of chicken, cream cheese, corn, and spices in a thick doughy crust. HERE it was a....barely golf ball sized, still pear shaped, deep friend dumpling with chicken in what seemed to be a mashed potato crust? My husband is Brazilian and he thought it was bizarre. He said that maybe the restaurant was more southern brazilian influenced, because he's from the north and it's not like that. Anyways it gets worse, he ordered an empanadinha (also $2.00), which I'm used to a 4-5inch wide chicken pie sort of thing with chicken cream cheese in the middle, now this came out and it was TINY I would not have ordered this for 2 bucks if I knew it was this small, it was barely 2 inches wide, It looked more like an hor d'oeuvres than an appetizer, and it came with chicken and olives insides. Be warned!
Anyways this is where it gets better, I ordered the Feijoada (I think it was $14) which came out as a plate of rice, collard greens, farinha, and orange slices and a bowl of the Feijoada which was a dark bean, linquica, and meat stew. My husband got the Moqueca($13) (not to be confused with Macaco, which means monkey, I know because I made this mistake and got laughed at...by my husband) It came out in a dish with rice and the moqueca which is a yellow coconut sauce with fish and shrimp. Both dishes were VERY good, the Feijoada was slightly too salty but it didn't take away from the flavors too much. We both preferred the moqueca, but the portions were pretty small, especially for the price.
We ended our meal with the Pudim ($5), which is like flan, it was delicious. We were afraid we were going to get a tiny piece considering what we got so far, but the piece we got was actually huge and perfect for us to share.
Overall our meal after the gift certificate came to 25 bucks, including 18% tip and that wasn't bad at all. however I don't think I'd be back without a gift certificate considering the meal portions and I definitely wouldn't order any appetizers...maybe I'll just get 35 bucks worth of Pudim =) -
Review from Luiz L.
San Diego, CA
3/1/2012
This place changed - for the better.
I've been going to BBB for over 5 years now and after much ups-and-downs, they have finally started turning this place around - starting from the kitchen.
The food is better, much better.
Appetizers, specially 'croquete' , is a true testament that its possible to have a piece of brazil in san diego.
The traditional and most popular plate, prato feito, continues to have the authentic salty flavor of Brazilian grilled meat. But its rice has now a touch of home made food, black beans reminded me of how a true feijoada is made.
Service is cordial and attentive, got all our orders right and on time.
Overall, after many years in the 'dark', I finally recommend this place as an authentic Brazilian food. -
Review from Dan D.
3/8/2012
Only been once...will be back and hopefully they can justify that elusive fourth star!
This is a little relaxed joint behind the Sports Arena. We tried it out with a $25 http://restaurant.com certificate in hand one night and was pretty happy with it. An out of the way place, you can expect it not to be overly crowded...the kind of place that is mostly regulars...but has service that is friendly (if they are slow give em a brake...good pun inserted...the soccer game may be on). They have a nice outdoor seating area and a nice menu...actually a little better than say Pampas...and with the certificate it is about 1/3 the cost. We actually had a hard time ordering to use the full $$$ amount of the cert. This is a GOOD problem to have. And everything from the baked kibbeh to the chicken was excellent.
Odds are I will be back soon...and if it can repeat and have just a slight increase in service (we ended up having to come inside a couple of times to get some service/drinks/etc)....they will be able to get that fourth star. -
Review from Janelle J.
San Diego, CA
1/11/2012
Live music on Fridays.
Friendly staff.
You can practice your portuguese here.
I like their coxinhas and kibe.
The other food is decent, but I'd be much better off going to a Brazilian friend's house and having a homecooked meal. But if I had to cook the dish, I'd be much better off coming here. -
Review from Liz K.
1/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great service and excellent good!
After a day shopping for bargains at the Kobey Swap Meet, Brazil BTB is a welcome lunch break location!!
The Tri-tip sandwich is the bomb!! So tasty! Their burger is huge and delicious as well.
Definitely coming back to try their other offerings! -
Review from Devon C.
12/20/2011 3 Check-ins Here
This place is authentic down to the Portuguese that the waitress spoke. It's pretty well hidden behind Sports Arena, so it is definitely easy to miss...so easy to miss that my phone's navigation took us right past it and in the wrong direction. But that's neither here nor there.
Now onto the food. All three times we've been here I've ordered the Chicken Strogonoff and every single time it was incredibly delicious. The tri tip appetizer is a must order item and it's probably the most value you'll get here for your money.
I would definitely recommend checking this place out if you've never had Brazilian food. I haven't tried any other Brazilian fare, but I must say this place is amazing!!! -
Review from Jason V.
Chula Vista, CA
5/1/2012
The food was good the meat was juicy and tender. I will be back have to say its in an awkward area behind the sports arena(what ever name the call it today) but Brazil by the bay is good eating and the service was good
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Review from danieL R.
San Diego, CA
12/19/2011
I am sorry, but I cant seem to like this place.
The service is good and attentive, at least both times I have been there. I like the vibe of the place, and I like how I am always the only person there that doesn't speak Portuguese. For whatever reason, I do. I love how there is always futbol (soccer, for my more pale skinned friends) playing on the TVs and I love the chocolate mousse (more on this later).
What I dont like, and this is the most imporant part, is the food. I have tried a variety of dishes - the milanese, the stroganoff, the coconut milk dish, and the fish.
Everything tastes like it came from a can, or a jar, and if I am going to pay 12 - 15 bucks for a lunch plate then I expect a little better quality. To add insult to injury food is served on flimsy plates and the french fries are those frozen food truck type. My plate came with 'potatoe sticks' which i thought was good, until I realized this was nothing more than Lays potato chips in stick form.
Again, all this would be fine, for a lunch place - but not at 14 dollars a plate - and the quality of the food, i am sorry I don't like it.
Canned Brazilian soda must be expensive to import I am guessing, they sell it at 2.50.
One thing I must say, is the best effing thing I have tasted is their chocolate mousse. Oh sweet lord, they have an incredibly good recipe there because it can be described as nothing else other than orgasm chocolate.
And I hate to be a buzzkill, buuuuuuuut a very small cup of it costs you 4 dollars.
Sooooo, in short.
Food is bad.
Vibe and Service is good.
Prices are expensive.
Mousse is Perfection. -
Review from Janaina C.
San Diego, CA
3/11/2012
First two times I went there were just ok. And although my husband didn't like it, I convinced him to go back. Yesterday though, it was horrible! The food, I mean. Service was great, brazilian guy, busy but attentive. Food was bad, bad. I was so disappointed! I ordered the BIFE ACEBOLADO (stead with caramelized onions) and meat was tough and where were the onions? My husband will never go back there to eat. And it will be hard to make me go back.
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Review from Mo T.
San Diego, CA
4/16/2012
This place was a complete surprise to me. I love it and the wifey loved it so much that we had to give this place a 5 star just for the service and food alone. We had the steak with brown rice, beans, and some appetizers. Man, we enjoyed it very much and will be back.
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Review from Maria I.
San Diego, CA
9/23/2011
I'm writing this in hopes that they start cleaning up their act.
Brazil by the Hill is like a cheap lanchonete in any city in Brasil, where you get a quick bite and go on your way. It has a few good dishes (trip tip sandwich, empanadao, coxinhas) but lately it looks so run down and somewhat dirt that I'm avoiding going there.
Since I have a vested interest in this place staying around I hope it gets better and I hope they go back to 4-5 years ago when the food was great and the atmosphere was better. -
Review from CJ P.
San Diego, CA
8/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
There was a time when I thought this was a 4 star lunch place but now it has just dropped big points in my book. First of all, the service here is hit or miss. There is only 2-3 people here running the joint so if its busy and you are in the need for a quick fix this might not be your place. As far as why I am giving it a 2 stars....well the quality of the food is just not that great and pricey for a lunch stop. ( I don't review based on service unless its extremely bad).
I ordered the Coxique which is a deep fried chicken dumpling type thing with potato on the outside and chicken in the middle. This was my "usual" but the last two times I have ordered it the chicken in the middle was cold. (I think they use a canned chicken or something) To say the least it was gross.
Then I had the Chicken Picannio (Sorry my Portuguese is horrible) which was okay but the chicken was really fatty as if they didn't clean it at all and just chopped it up and threw it in with the sauce. The sauce is pretty good for a creamy alfredo type sauce but the chicken killed it in my opinion.
Overall it saddens me to say this but Brazil by the Bay is dead to me. -
Review from Joe S.
I'm bumping the rating up a notch and I'm doing this update to show that when people make positive changes and make an effort to get better, customers notice. It's good to see BBTB doing some upgrades.
We just stopped in for a few pastel and beers, but I noticed that the floor was very clean, the tables were all wiped clean and uniform. All three ceiling fans were brand new and working, keeping the small dinning room nice and cool. The patio looked new with bamboo fencing and a newly stained deck.
It looks like they are doing some painting and maintenance which is nice, it needed it. The service was awesome as usual and the pastel were great. Keep up the good work BBTB everyone looks forward to the upgrades.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/3/2011
This place and I go way back...I've been coming here since it opened. It's a hole in the wall, mom… Read more »
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Review from Jessica C.
San Diego, CA
4/8/2012
Good food, good prices.......however, consistently bad service. If you don't mind crappy service the food and prices make it worth coming back, that's why I do.
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Review from Hetty W.
7/23/2011
We found this hole in the wall after finding a ginormous line at Phil's bbq, and what a find! Authentic Brazilian food at a decent price. I ordered the PF plate with fish (today's was tilapia) which came with rice beans and yucca flour, which added a nice texture. The fish was cooked and seasoned well (sauteed, not battered), but I'm not sure it's something I'd pair with the rice and beans. The bf's beef was really tender and juicy but slightly lacking in flavor. We shared two of their appetizers, the croquette and the coxinas. I loved the texture and taste of both--crunchy but not oily on the outside and chock-full of flavor on the inside.
They give you a nice bowl of free salad in the beginning, which made up for the unhealthiness of what followed.
If you come for lunch during the weekday they have some pretty good lunch specials. I wouldn't drive out of my way to come here, but if I'm ever in the area I'd definitely stop by again.
ps the dark-haired waitress was much nicer and more attentive than the blonde! -
Review from David P.
San Diego, CA
9/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great service and good value for the money.
Me and my wife had the salad and the beef/rice plate. I thought it was great seasoning on the beef and would recommend this place if you are a meat lover. Nothing like Brazilian Beef. -
Review from Linda W.
Chula Vista, CA
4/2/2012
Recently my party of 10 went to Brazil to experience their food. This restaurant was recommended and I checked the site reviews and was a little skeptical. I'm not familiar with Brazilian food so I didn't know what kind of food to expect. Boy, was I surprised. Everything we ordered from appetizers to entrees was delicious. The waitresses were very attentive and they prepared a cocktail that was awesome (can't remember the name but it is made of vodka). We sat on the patio that Sunday and it was beautiful. Yes, it is not fine dining with white table cloths but I always go for the food anyway. Would definitely go again Did I say all the food we had was fresh and hot too. My 5 year old granddaughter even raved. Disregard previous reviews and check this place out. We didn't have a problem wth parking either.
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Review from L C.
San Diego, CA
4/3/2011
Mediocre at it's best, if you are craving for brazilian food this will do for the time being. The food is greasy, boring and just ok.
Don't expect customer service. The waitresses refuse to seat you where you ask them to. VERY ANNOYING! If there is a group of guys at the restaurant the brazilian waitresses will spend their entire time flirting with them and you have to constantly flag them down for service and this place is tiny. -
Review from Elena P.
San Diego, CA
1/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place is small and poor location but ohhh so good. Plus there's a Brazilian market next door.
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Review from Mrs. J.
San Diego, CA
1/14/2012
I have never been to Brazil but I can tell that this place was legit. The waitress spoke Portuguese and doing a little research I found that the food is pretty typical to Brazil, not like some Mexican places that serve burritos with rice I mean no one in Mexico eats that. The food was excellent and the service was great. I would definitely go back and I strongly recommend this place!!
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Review from ljrobot r.
La Jolla, CA
5/24/2011
One of the better Brazilian places in San Diego.I love the Croquettes
and other appetizers like Kibe.
They have a small market there now which has a nice variety. -
Review from carla p.
San Diego, CA
4/3/2011
Boa caipirinha, brigadeiro e pudim de leite...a coxinha de galinha não foi das melhores...mas...deu para matar a saudade :) A música poderia ser outra, mas...não se pode ter tudo.
Haveremos de voltar, nem que seja pela caipirinha e o petisco :)
Good caipirinha and brigadeiro. I was hopping better ambience, but we will come back, and maybe get a update review. :) -
Review from Willy W.
11/15/2010
I stumbled in here while wandering around aimlessly only to find this great hole in the wall restaurant with a mini market attached. Seemed like a slow night at the time, but the live music was playing and I received a warm welcome.
After being quickly seated, I ordered some maracuja (passion fruit juice) and a couple apps (coxinha and a pastel). The coxinha was great - big and the filling was super creamy. I believe they said it was a cream cheese mixture that was melded w/the chicken almost like mashed potatoes. Delicious.
I ordered the moqueca and was very happy w/it. What can I say? I'm sucker for things w/coconut milk. Very good and so much food! The fish was good along with all the veg alongside.
The place is def off the beaten path, but worth the trouble finding. Lots of TVs, friendly staff and good food. I wish I'd known about the http://restaurant.com deal. Oh well, next time that I'm in town & I'll save room for desert! -
Review from Kristin G.
San Diego, CA
8/23/2011
i was excited to try this place. i love brazilian food and didn't even realize this joint was here until recently. my friends and i ordered a bunch of stuff and split them (best way to go, in my opinion)
ordered the picadinho...they were out. ok then
the waitress suggested the tri tip instead, which was a similar dish, minus all the garlicky goodness. it was ok. i was really hoping to leave with garlic breath...oh well.
also tried the chicken stroganoff, which was pretty decent
had a few appetizers: coxinha and croquette de carne. these were kinda weird. they almost seemed doughy and a little underdone. the flavors were just lacking. kinda bland.
this place was ok, but i must say i was expecting to be wowed with bold flavors and was a bit disappointed. it was a little forgettable for me. -
Review from Joe M.
Some friends were back in town from school and war and wanted to find a late night meal. We had a coupon to Brazil by the Bay and they had great reviews so we decided to check it out. This place is located in sort of an industrial area and pretty tough to find in the dark but it was the only shop with any light on so it stuck out just across the street from the Sports Arena.
I ordered the tri-tip with the Brazilian cheese sauce. For about $15, you sure didn't get a whole lot of food or value. There were just a few slices of the chewy tri-tip and a little rice, all of it swimming in the cheese sauce. The tri-tip seemed a bit overcooked for my taste and I was unimpressed by the overall lack of value.
The staff was really nice and it seems like a cool family joint, but the meh food coupled with the high price and terrible location really didn't do much for me. They have a little patio outside where you can dine with your dog, but I'm not sure I really want to stare at the dingy Sports Center while I eat. The prices are pretty close to those of Rei do Gado's lunch special and it's absolutely no contest between which I would choose. Sorry Brazil by the Bay, even with the promos, I don't think I will be back.
Food: 6/10
Service: 8/10
Price: $$
Atmosphere: 7/10 -
Review from Joanne A.
I went here last Sunday since I had it bookmarked to try for a while now. My bud went here and told me about their tri-tip steak sandwiches that are served with french fries. I love meat, so I wanted to try it, bad.
Parking in this industrial strip mall is not that horrific, but the surrounding area was a little busy since Kobey's Swap Meet is literally across the street and it was open on this particular beautiful day.
When I got there, I didn't even look at the menu since my bud already ordered for us. We started off with two croquettes. I never had this before in my life, but when it came out, it looked like it was worth trying. It's basically minced meat mixed with other ingredients (and shaped like a cylinder) then deep fried in the bread crumbs it was rolled in. It was tasty, but I felt like it needed some dipping sauce, so I put some Tapatio on it.
Our tri-tip steak sandwiches were good, but after eating half, I picked at the meat and grilled onions on the second half. The fries were not cooked well done like I normally like it, but I was starving and ate most of it anyway.
Would I go back? Yeah, probably. It was my first time having Brazilian food, so it's nice to have this as a tasty option. I walked across the street to check out Kobey's after and got a good workout from the heavy lunch I grubbed on.
I'll come back and bring other friends with me when I want my meat fix since the tri-tip sammich sure was tasty! Our server is eye candy for the guys, so that was a plus for my boy BFF that was with me. It's no wonder the women from Brazil are usually the top contestants in the Miss Universe pageant, they're beautiful! -
Review from Alisa M.
9/17/2008
This place was clean (so much so I could smell the cleaning product Fabulosa) , service was quick and friendly, food was decent. I ordered the tri-tip sandwich and almost choked on the bread. Although good there wasn't enough meat to bread ratio. If there had been more meat I would upgrade a star.
One co-worker loved his Milanese chicken sandwich. The rest had the same satisfaction level with their food as I did mine.
All in all a pleasant experience. -
Review from Tan T.
San Diego, CA
11/19/2011
Not exactly by the bay but it's got good food and live music. Can't go wrong.
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Review from Gabriela D.
San Diego, CA
2/21/2011
Nice atmosphere. Good service and reasonable prices. Great place to chat with friends and have the "pastel" or "coxinha" appetizer while drinking a delicious "guaraná soda".
The food is an assortment of appetizers, salads, and sandwiches, and Brazilian entrees including their signature Feijoada and Moqueca.
On Fridays they have Live Brazilian Music. Call before to check with them if they will be playing. -
Review from James C.
San Diego, CA
Updated - 8/3/2009
Brazil by the Bay was completely deserted on a lazy late Sunday afternoon. I thought that since we were the only folks there, the cooks would give special attention to the food. My new experience was pretty consistent with my last review - go for the appetizers, skip the entrees.
The highlights of BbtB were the Coxinhas - they're delicious - and our friendly waitress.
The low points were the Feijoada. I was expecting something marvelous, but it wasn't so great. Worse of all, I think it was a bit expensive. It came out to $14.99. To me, that seems a little steep for a black bean stew cooked with beef and pork strands. Even with the staples that come with the Feijioda should not justify that exorbitant price. At most I think the price should be adjusted to $8.99.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/10/2008
Appetizers? Great!
Small lunch? Yes!
A deluxe lunch feast?...Ehhhh...not so much.
If you are sensitive… Read more »
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Review from Tisha C.
Long Beach, CA
6/9/2009
My son, his father and I were visiting Sea World for the day from Long Beach, CA and decided that we wanted something different. We're tired of the same 'ol places surrounding fun parks: Chili's, TGIFriday's, McDonald's, Denny's, Burger King...
...Well, you get the point.
Anywho.
I pulled up the "What's around" navigation on my handy.dandy Samsung Instinct and found "Brazil by the Bay".
The other yelpers were right - it doesn't seem to be by a bay, but it is right across the street from the San Diego Sports Arena. I bet they get a lot of traffic when there are events.
My baby's daddy's mom's boyfriend (confused, yet?) is from Brazil and is always making his Brazillian Tri-Tip so that's what we ordered. First, however, were the coxinhas. o.m.g. We had the chicken, too, and my son (who is a picky eater) loved them. It says "1 unit" and we really weren't quite sure just what that meant but we figured it meant "each". Of course, we probably could've just asked. The waitress/hostess was a doll.
My son ordered the hamburger and I'm so pleased that the hamburger was an actual patty - not a frozen one. Nosirreebob. This one was a hand shaped patty and was delicious.
All in all - we had a pleasant experience - seated right away - food came in appropriate amount of time and the prices were reasonable. Would for sure go again. -
Review from Al S.
8/20/2009
Don't take the 2-stars as a "dis" to this establishment. This review is more for Brasileiros and spouses of same looking for a decent Brasilian "food experience."
If you're young, into sports, and want a place to hang with your friends, then this place is for you, and deserves a higher rating. In fact, if Brasil is playing "anyone else" on Globo, and you're homesick for Brasil, you'll think you're in your old neighborhood cafe bar in Brasilia or Goiania. For that, it'll make you feel at home and they deserve 4 stars.
But if you're driving in from Orange County or further, looking for the food experience, and curious to check out this "Brasilian cafe" on the Northwest side near the sports arena, then save your appetite for Brasilian fare, and consider American BBQ on the other side of the arena at Phil's BBQ. (awesome American BBQ...really.) It'll make the trip worthwhile........ if you've been hankerin' for great BBQ.
We, the four of us, ordered traditional Brasilian lunch plates; chicken and beef. And frankly, it wasn't very flavorful. The black beans needed garlic and salt, and so did the meat. (please pass the word to their kitchen.) BTW, the coxinha were passable, but not anything I'd reorder.
As a sports bar with a Brasilian influenced American ambiance and menu, I'd say they fit the bill. But if you want to experience a very traditional Brasilian cafe, with tastier food, and you're near LAX, try the Cafe Brazil and Motel on Washington Blvd., just West of the 405, on the South side of the boulevard. Different experience, and a cafe, not a sports bar. But it'll give you a better reference for traditional Brasilian food. -
Review from Courtney W.
Hartford, CT
7/7/2008
Muito bom!
I love coming here on Sundays when futebol (soccer) is on (ayayay Sao Paolo!). The menu is simple and the food is authentic and very tasty. If you're looking for a great steak, rice and beans or want to try the Brazilian cozinha, this is the place. It's cheap, fast, and delicious. Not to mention you get that warm Brazilian service and vibe.
Go on a Sunday and enjoy a meal, a guarana antartica and a soccer game.
It will leave you wanting more, perhaps a visit to Brazil even. -
Review from Norissa G.
Temecula, CA
5/20/2009
Go here and Feijoada. It takes hours to cook to perfection so they only serve it on the Weekend. It's a black bean dish with an array of delicious meats served with collard greens, white rice and yucca flour. Mix together and Enjoy!
Delicious and deep fried Appetizers to try:
Be sure to get the coxinhas (ko-sheen-yaz). I had the chicken and they were amazing. Deep fried, with this soft dough crust. It's kinda like Thanksgiving in a ball. I'm being completely serious. Also try the Risoles do Palmito, Deepfried hears of palm in a crunchy batter. We also had the Pastel filled with passion fruit jelly and romeo & julieta cheese. Muito delicioso!
Overall it was wonderful and I can't wait to come here again and hit up the Kobey's swapmeet next door. I also got to practice my Portuguese with the waitress. so double bonus! -
Review from Jennifer S.
Boulder, CO
10/17/2009
This place is the definition of 'Bad Location'. I don't know if that is by design, but this place is hidden in the back of a weird industrial park next to the highway. I would definitely not have come in here on my own if I hadn't looked it up first.
That aside, I'm glad I came. The food here is amazing and the portions are perfect! The coxinha was like a cheesy chicken donut and I was surprised to see kibe here. I had thought it was just a Middle eastern/Mediterranean food. I had the Moqueca for my entree and it was kind of like a fish panang curry. Very good.
Our waitress was really sweet and I felt pretty bad for her having to deal with the obnoxious bro assholes behind us. Whoa, a girl in her bra and panties was in your apartment! You kicked her out, brah?! Whoa... losers. I hope they aren't regulars. :(
