The Grill From Ipanema
1858 Columbia Rd NW
(between N Belmont Rd & N Mintwood Pl)
Washington, DC 20009 (202) 986-0757
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
17 Reviews for The Grill From Ipanema
The seafood paella is ON point. Lime, cilantro, seafood, perfect portion, and wasn't too mushy. I was told that this dish is a must-try when coming here and I wholeheartedly agree.
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It's not often that I'm in COMPLETE agreement with a previous reviewer, but this is one of those rare moments...Carlo P. hit the nail on the head in his take on the Grill from Ipanema and Brazilian cuisine in general. Like Carlo, I've been to Brazil as well and am familar with the main dishes. I've also been fortunate to have had some very close Brazilian friends here, so I've eaten more than a few home-cooked Brazilian meals.
If you go to the Grill from Ipanema, here's my advice: stick to the frango (chicken) or feijoada, and you'll be fine. For drinks, a caipirinha or a caipiroska (vodka instead of cachaca--which I prefer) is the way to go. I personally don't eat much at the Grill for Ipanema. I usually go for drinks and a few appetizers. If you're hungry for a big Brazilian meal, Green Field or Fogo de Chao are better bets.
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Let me give you some advice about Brazilian food. In general it sucks. I've been all over Brazil and the only things that they do well are the feijoadas, moquecas, churrasquerias, and of course, the caipirinhas. If you don't stick with those, you will probably experience the most bland and uninspired meal you've ever had. God help you if you ever have sushi there! I explored the Japanese quarter of Sao Paolo called Liberdade, and it was the worst ever. If Grill from Ipanema would stay true to these Brazilian classics they would get more stars and probably be packed every night. The moquecas and feijoada here are great, stick with those 2 choices and grab a few caipirinhas or capivodkas and you will love it. Stay away from the meat though, not that it's bad, it's just better to go to a churrasqueria like Fogo, Greenfields or Malibu Grill.
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I had wanted to try this place out for a while. I needed to (finally) try some Brazilian food, and it looks pretty funky from the outside. It's definitely pretty small (could be a problem sometime), but I was there relatively early for dinner, and the place was practically empty. I'm sure it gets pretty busy during prime hours, but that night, I was happy to have a quiet atmosphere. The menu was pretty overwhelming, especially the chicken dishes, and I had a hard time deciding on what I wanted. We started off by getting some yucca. Man, I love that stuff. I wouldn't say it was exceptional, but still quite good, and they give you a mustardy type sauce to go along with them.
The caipirissimas were great, too. They were described as basically mojitos without the mint, and you can definitely down a few of those before you realize how much you've had. I would like to go back sometime for happy hour, and just load up on those.
I see some other reviewers had problems with the service, but my food came out quickly, and the waiter was really nice. My entree was delicious (Frango a Cabo Frio), and I was perfectly tipsy and stuffed by the end.
It's definitely on the more expensive side (especially if you are drinking), but I don't mind shelling out a little more if it's high quality, and I thought this was the case here. There's so much more I wanted to try as I left, and I'm already looking for another excuse to come back.
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Supremely satisfied with this Brazilian restaurant which I had been eyeing for over a year.
As I was looking at the menu, nothing quite struck my eye as particularly exciting, but both my boyfriend and I *loved* what we ordered. I must say though that this was my first experience with Brazilian food, so I am not an expert. I have a sneaking suspicion that it was overpriced, however I have absolutely no regrets. I was completely "typical" (the shame! or not) and got a caiprinha and the Brazilian national dish called Fejoado. Portions are enormous, justifying the price a bit. Entrees range from $14-$25.
The atmosphere was warm, festive, romantic even. Great lighting makes it feel incredibly cozy. The service was absolutely wonderful. The sweetest waiter, AND the nicest, most accommodating woman on the phone when I called to make a reservation.
Go here! But don't drive. To reiterate a few of the previous reviews, parking in Adams Morgan = muito dificil.
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The Grill From Ipanema, despite having a slightly silly name, delivers on one of the mainstays of Brazilian cooking: delicious, delectable meat dishes.
On an unusually warm October evening this week, I devoured one of the tastiest and most unusually flavored steaks I've had in a long time. Marinated in milk and spices for 24 hours and then dried for 12, the (Insert Portuguese name of steak here) del Sol was tender, flavorful and cooked to perfection. I tried hard not to wolf it down in front of the Future In-Laws but let's just say our conversation definitely came to a half when everyone dug in to their entrees.
My dining companions (Boyfriend + Parents) also truly enjoyed their choices, Boyfriend picking the seafood stew and Parents going with the special steak on offer (forgive me for not knowing how to spell a thing in Portuguese).
The four of us split the skewered shrimp and spicy sausage and onion appetizers, which were both seasoned excellently and had us ready for our entrees.
The caipirinhas were lovely -- not overly limey nor too sweet -- and the service was impeccable. We dined for nearly two hours and not once did we feel rushed or pressured to order. Our server did a wonderful job of recommending dishes for us, all first-timers at the restaurant. Desserts of flan (a little sugary for my tastes) and passionfruit cheesecake topped of a great evening.
I'd give this review a fifth star had the sides on our entrees been a little more exciting ... but I suppose there is only so much you can do with yucca. And if you like spicy food, make sure you tell them to make your stew really spicy as it could've had a little more heat.
All in all a great place -- thanks to all the Yelpers who recommended it to me!
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Admittedly, the decor leans more towards shabby than chic, and the dishes seem to be served uniformly salt-bathed by an unseen hand. But setting aside these minor flaws, Grill serves one of the best caipirinhas in the city (available for $3.95 during weekday happy hours).
Wow, I read the last review on this place and I must say, I have always had a great experience at this restaurant. The food has always been very good and the Brazilian cocktails have been wonderful on the days I have decided to go there. A great place to kick back and have a very tasty and satisfying Brazilian meal:-)!
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I was also pretty disappointed with this place.
I was excited to try the fried-alligator-meat appetizer, but there was more breading and seasoning in this dish than meat, and I couldn't detect any flavor in what meat there was. But maybe that's what alligator is like?
I couldn't even finish my main course (grilled chicken) because they added too much salt to it. The side dishes were edible but unexciting.
For $12 or more for a dish, I expect better than this. I wouldn't choose to go back here.
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Holy crap balls! Best.caipirinhas.ever. I'm not a huge drinker, but this was a solid showing - even I could tell. The food was also really tasty. My friend and I got a chicken entree and a steak entree and both were great (I'm sorry I can't remember the names). But I do remember the alligator nuggets that we got as an appetizer. Delicious. And they really do taste like chicken - who knew!
We went on a Saturday night, and there was practically no wait, but the restaurant was crowded and lively. Fun place!
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First time I went there after salsa class at Habana Village around 9:30 PM it was quiet in the restaurant. I was so relaxed and was chatting away to realise it was almost 11 PM they were packing up to close but they never once hurried us out. The servers always treated me like a old friend- casual and chatty. My fav dishes that I go there again and again for are the spicy seafood stew, the alligator nuggets and the finely julienned collard green. They even made the stew spicy on my request! Love them!
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Grill from Ipanema was a hit or miss experience. Hubby and I went for their first Tuesday's special which occurs on the first Tuesday of the month. In theory, a fantastic deal - 2 drinks, 2 appetizers, $25.00. We started with Caipirinhas which were perfect - strong and not overly sweet. We moved on to our appetizers, a stuffed avocado and mussels. The stuffed avocado was tasty, but it didn't have as much shrimp as I had hoped for and the raw onions were a little overpowering. Next we had the mussels, they were awful! Rubbery, fishy and gross! For an entree, we split a traditional brazillian mixed seafood stew with a tomato base. It was overall very good, but the squid pieces stood out and were amazing. I think there are better places to eat in DC that offer more consistent food.
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The food here just doesn't compare to other Brazilian restaurants and the prices are too inflated. As far as their food in general, it's just ok and there was nothing special about it. The meat in my dish was too dry and that alone is a dealbreaker for me.
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My wife and I checked this place out on her birthday. We had been wanting to try a Brazilian restaurant for while however I didn't want to drop $100+ at Fogo de Chau so I figured that this would be a nice alternative.
Judging from the other reviews I was expecting a stuffy kind of scene but I was pleasantly surprised that my experience was quite the opposite. This is a really great date place but without the pretension that you sometimes find at other places like this.
The food and the service were pretty good and the prices are pretty reasonable. We tried the The Carne De Sol Com Mandioca as an appetizer and LOVED it (those with a low tolerance for spices may want to avoid the sauce that comes with this dish).
My wife's entree choice was the Frango Vinicius De Moraes (chicken breast with cracked pepper) and mine was the Picanha Grelhada (cap of rump). I really enjoyed my wife's choice, however I was mildly disappointed with mine. While the Picanha was good, it was not as tender as I would have expected.
All in all I have to give a very solid 4 stars.
P.S. - Parking here is a b!@*#!!!! This is no fault of the restaurant but it's still worth noting.
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A foodie friend of mine has been recommending this place for months, and I finally stopped in last night. The atmosphere was nice if a tad bit stuffy for my taste, and the waiter was awkward but attentive. It didn't strik e me as the best date spot, though the outside tables seem like they'd be great in the Spring or Fall.
I had the mixed seafood paella, which was expensive but could have easily served two. There was too much of something (saffron?) in the rice, which was unpleasantly overpowering, but a generous amount of shrimp, fish and clams. The hearts of palm were a nice touch. I'll definitely go back to try another dish.
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This is a date place. There is no doubt about it. My coworker and I were the only ones not on a date in the place.
I've never had Brazilian food, so I'm not in a good position to rate it. I did thoroughly enjoy my meal an found my interactions with the wait staff quite pleasurable.
Also, I tried the cachaca (a Brazilian liquor) which is reminiscent of tequila, rum, and scotch, all in a good way.
OK, so this was my first experience of Brazilian food. We (me and my girlfriend) were entertaining a couple from out of town and she was from Brazil, and was dying to introduce us to some of her favorites. One thing you have to know about this place is that parking is extremely hard to come by so arrive by Metro if you can. From the outside the place looks very un-exciting, but inside the atmosphere is great. Small, tight, and very friendly. They only have about 10 maybe 12 tables so reservations are definitely recommended. Now to the good part, the food. I ordered the seafood stew with mixed seafood, medium spicy and let me tell you the scallops and mussels were just to die for, almost perfect with just the right amount of spice (I like spicy food) but a bit pricey almost $25. My girlfriend had grilled chicken breasts, which were very delicious but not very exotic. The drinks, caphirinias and a variety of other fruit based cocktails were great and highly recommended, the service was average. This is a good place to hang, no rush kind of atmosphere, very relaxed, the only reason it does not get 5 stars is because of the service.
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