Cafe Do Brasil: a must-try in midtown Oklahoma City
by Tim | May 20, 2008 | 22 Comments
(votes: 18, average: 4.33) 
Loading ...Cafe Do Brasil is located at 440 NW 11th in midtown Oklahoma City (map). They are open Tuesday through Friday for lunch, Thursday through Saturday for dinner, and for brunch on the weekends. Find out more on their website.
For some reason, I have yet to write about Cafe Do Brasil, which is odd because it is one of my favorites. I know that many of you love this place as well, because I have received a lot of recommendations for it from you guys. So, today we will make this right and take a look at what I consider to be a must-try in midtown, Cafe Do Brasil.
This place is no stranger to those tied into the OKC restaurant scene. It has been written up in most of our major local publications, so I’m guessing that most of you are already aware of it. If you have been here before, please leave your thoughts in the comments below. If you haven’t, I highly recommend you give it a try as it is one of the most affordable and unique places that OKC has to offer.
The location is fantastic. It’s right at the heart of the midtown renaissance and right across the street from the revitalized Plaza Court building. The white, spanish-style building (formerly a funeral home) is very close to my home. I only wish I worked closer to midtown so I could more often take advantage of their fantastic lunch specials.
The interior decor perplexes me a bit. On one hand, the dark-wood tables and chairs give it a sophisticated feel, yet the bright (and I do mean bright) yellow and green color scheme on the walls is quite a contrast. So, you have this sort of tension going on in the interior, but that’s ok.
The interior is spacious. It’s pretty much just one big room, two-stories high (remember it’s in a funeral home’s chapel) and it can be pretty noisy when the lunch crowd is at its peak and the cacophony of voices is bouncing around all of the hard surfaces. On the weekends, they offer a brunch which is really fantastic. They even feature live, one-man-band jazz music during this time which adds to the atmosphere. I can say that every time I’ve been, the vibe is really lively. I have never been for dinner, however, so I can’t speak to that, but I believe they have a pretty nice evening scene complete with their upstairs rooftop bar.
Speaking of the brunch, I really enjoyed it. It features lots of options including spanish-influenced dishes like migallas, brazilian scramble, vegetarian scramble, and ovos rancheros, as well as more international offerings like eggs benedict and a tropical delight of fresh fruit over french toast. Plus, they have a “bionic drink” which is a non-alcoholic fruit and vitamin-boosted smoothie. Everything is fresh and the building just lights up with the morning sun pouring in through the large east-side windows.
Lunch is my favorite. They post three lunch specials on a blackboard out front. Each one includes iced tea (fruity or regular) for about $6.50. This is a great deal, in my opinion. My favorite lunch special is the Prato Sao Paulo. It has been the #2 special every time I have been there so I think it’s pretty much a standard. It features strips of chicken atop of plate of rice, beans, diced onions, and tomatoes served with a tasty and spicy green salsa you can pour over top. I love the simplicity of this dish. It comes out beautifully presented every time. I also love that it’s extremely healthy, a perfect portion, and very tasty.
They offer several other Brazilian specialties. Sometimes these are served as a lunch special and other times they are not, but you can always order them off the menu. They include a Feijoada plate (which they say is the Brazilian national dish) and Xin-Xin, a very interesting shrimp dish including palm oil, coconut milk, peanut paste, cashews and dry shrimp. I tried Xin-Xin once and really enjoyed it. Problem is, I like the Sao Paulo better so I keep going back to it every time. They also offer a selection of sandwiches, salads, quiches, brasilian pies, and some vegetarian specialties like Prato De Minas which is sort of like my favorite chicken dish but minus the chicken and with some other vegetables added.
They even offer a kids’ menu featuring several selections for brunch, lunch and dinner for kids under 12. This is a welcome treat. The atmosphere is good for kids, too, given its lively nature so you don’t feel out of place when the little ones are making a bit of noise.
Cafe Do Brasil has several bakery items that they sell at their up-front counter, or you can order them to your table. I’ve tried the cheese biscuit on the recommendation of a friend. I thought it was ok, but not really worth the cost (it was close to $2, if I remember right). That’s the only baked good I have tried, but many have told me they have some other great offerings. If you’ve tried something, please share your impressions in the comments.
The bottom line is that Cafe do Brasil is a must-try. I have no reservations about recommending it. I know that not everyone will like it as much as I do, but its uniqueness as a thriving South American restaurant in our city and its location in the rapidly-developing midtown area at least warrant a visit. I also think it’s a great place to bring out-of-town guests to or to recommend to out-of-towners when they visit the city. I would throw it in there with Pho Hoa as a place that really showcases our city’s cultural diversity and effectively represents our potential.
Please give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments.
We want to hear from you!
So far, 22 people have responded to this article. Won't you join in?May 20th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
I’m a big fan as well. I like the Xin Xin, but my favorite so far is the empanadas. They aren’t always offered, but when they are it makes my taste buds happy.
May 21st, 2008 at 12:12 pm
The dish is actually Prato Sao Paulo, not Prato San Paulo.
May 21st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Woops! Thanks for catching that typo, Clint. I have corrected it.
May 21st, 2008 at 12:58 pm
It’s my favorite as well, along with the Xin Xin. I’m a Midtown resident, and I love being able to make the short trip there for brunch. I’ve never had a bad dining experience at Cafe Do Brasil. They do have the one notorious waiter, but he’s always treated us okay.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:54 am
Does anyone know what restaurant is going in directly south of 1492?
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:09 am
BJ, I have heard that it is going to be a sushi place, possibly even from Gaijin sushi, the same folks who opened in the Park Harvey building downtown. However, I’m not 100% sure on that.
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 am
It will be Gaijin Sushi.
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I’ve had decent dining experiences at Cafe do Brasil. However, their desserts are not very good in my opinion. I’ve tried the apple cake and the carrot cake on different occasions, and they are very dry. They taste as if they were baked a few days ago and left in the refrigerator to dry out. The last time we were there, our waiter didn’t even bother to ask why we were displeased with our desserts, he just quickly gave us our bill and pretended not to notice we weren’t eating our food. Other than that, I feel their food is decent - I particularly like the empanadas when they’re on special.
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Noelle, thanks for that insight. I’ve never tried any dessert item there so I appreciate your perspective.
May 25th, 2008 at 7:39 am
My wife and I met my sister and her husband there and the food was good but the live entertainment was abit loud, needs to really tone it down so you don’t have to yell to be heard….
May 30th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Cafe de brazil was totally wicked. I had the national dish, under the assumption that a whole nation couldn’t be wrong. It was way better than I had hoped. Filling, tasteful, and good price. Now if they could only get the teas right…
July 29th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Cafe do Brazil is one of my favorites.
GET THE CEVICHE! Wow, it’s the best ever with an unexpected fusion of cilantro, pineapple, tomato, heart of palm, enough hot pepper to give it a kick without killing a spice o phobe and delicate shrimp, bay scallops, and tilapia.
I love the fried chicken appetizer as well frango a passarinho… these are not your typical okietex wings. It’s chicken perfection!
But hands down, my favorite dish is on the dinner menu, Moqueca a Baina. My husband and I get the mixed seafood version. It’s big enough to share, but we don’t because we love it so much and the leftovers are to die for.
I adore the owner, Ana. She’s warm and sparkles with sincere hospitality, but the service is spotty at best. A couple of waiters are good, but really, good help is really hard to find. The food has always made up for it in my opinion.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:04 am
We just recently moved to town and decided to check this place on on your recommendation. We went for dinner, but quickly found out the vegetarian menu doesn’t extend to dinner beyond one appetizer, one entree, and a few lackluster salads. I say lackluster because that’s the one area where I believe a restaurant can show some creativity for us Veg-Headz. I felt like someone had taken a VERY large plate and dumped a store bought bag of salad on it, and then tried to dress it up. It was just very disappointing, huge and flavorless. That being said, the waitstaff was very friendly, but as the crowd picked up, we were left waiting for our check for quite some time. I have to say, if it hadn’t been for the charming and sincere performance by John Pappas on the clarinet, piano, and JAZZ FLUTE (I am not even kidding) the whole experience would have been a wash. I’m willing to give the brunch a try, because I’ve heard so much about it…
August 21st, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Thanks for that report, Erin. Sorry that your initial experience was not so great. I have never been at dinner but it sounds like things are much different.
I’d recommend you give it another try at lunch or for brunch. I’ve found both to be different from what you’ve described so maybe its worth another shot. The jazz man is usually there for brunch as well so that’s a plus!
Thanks again for the comments and welcome to OKC!
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:42 am
Went here last Tuesday and had the Xin-Xin. It was very, very good. The service was a bit slow, but it would not hinder me at all to go here again.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I have been here many times with friends and family but only for brunch on Sundays and it is ALWAYS awesome! I love the cheese bread. I really need to go sometime for dinner but just haven’t had the chance yet.
September 6th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Five of us went last night for dinner before Mamma Mia, and I’m glad we sllowed an hour and a half for dinner, as the service could have been just a tiny bit quicker. The lady was knowledgable about the menu and very talky, which we liked. I had the frango a butrios, which was a grilled chicken breast covered in a light cream sauce. It was very good, although I was surprise at how mild it was. Although I’ve never been to Brazil, I would think the food would be a little more spicy. My dish could have used a little heat. What was great was John Pappas! Being a flutist myself, it was a treat hearing him play flute, alto flute and bass flute. The main dining room did get quite noisy by the end of our meal. Spinach salad was a tasty surprise!
September 12th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
I usually enjoy the food at the Cafe. However, I truly dislike the live music. It is way too loud and often not great!
September 30th, 2008 at 9:10 am
I wasn’t so impressed with my last visit to Cafe Do Brasil. My husband and I both found the food to be overly salty and lacking in flavor (other than salt). Perhaps it was just a bad night because I have had many great lunches there. Also, our service wasn’t that great. We’ll probably give them another shot.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Tim,
Your review was spot-on. We had great service and 3 of us ate lunch complete with coffee and desert for under $40 !
The food was fabulous, the food quality was great and the flavors were phenomenal.
I recommend the stroganoff (sp?) or the Prato, both were more than enough for lunch and for under $& with a drink, you cant beat the quality!
I do wish they’d take the plastic table covers off, they’re very…. well roadside diner-ish.
We will definitely be back!
September 30th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
BTW,
Forgot to mention we had both the Apple cake and the flan for dessert. Both were excellent.
The apple cake tasted like it was made from scratch, and although it was crumbly, it went well with the fresh whipped cream and coffee.
The flan was rich and creamy and delicious as well.
October 6th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I’m totally hooked on the Brazillian Pie with ham, mozzarella, spinach, and garlic in a pie crust. Order it on a special with the orange almond salad and it’s a fabulous meal. The Xin-Xin and Prato Sao Paulo were very tasty. We go there after church on Sunday’s. It’s usually very crowded, but the service has been excellent. The Prato Sao Paulo and apricot tea makes for a wonderful lunchtime away from the office. Friends have enjoyed the Flan. The bright walls felt a very intense the first time I dined there, but now I can’t imagine them changing to a softer color. Still haven’t been there on a Saturday night.
Please tell us what you think.