Boteco Brasil

Having had such a wonderful birthday experience at the Brazilian restaurant in Seattle, called «Tempero do Brasil», my French friend and I decided to continue the Brazilian eating marathon. So, we crossed the border over to Vancouver, BC to try a new place on Sunday, 11/​29/​2015, called «Boteco Brasil».
The reviews about the food seemed promising and the on-​line menu looked enticing. The cuisine of «Boteco Brasil» is supposed to mimic an actual «boteco» (often called botequim or butequim, depending from what part of Brazil you’re from) which is a given name for the «whole in the wall» establishments across Brazil that serve alcohol and really good snacks. It is usually a place associated with Brazilian bohemian culture. The French have their cafés and we have our botecos! :)
When I took a look at the menu, at home I knew the food was going to be authentic! So, the one star I gave them is for authenticity, ONLY, because the rest, as I’m about to describe, was absolutely heart-​breaking and disappointing…
We arrived at around 5:30 p.m. were seated at the back, near the TV. The vibe of the place definitely felt like a bar (kudos for authenticity, again). However, it didn’t look particularly clean and the ammonia scent coming from the back room wasn’t helping its cause. Since, «botecos» aren’t usually judged by their appearance, my French friend and I decided to put the nauseating ammonia smell aside, and try to enjoy the food and service.
So, let’s talk about the food. As usual, my friend and I decided to start with the «coxinhas» appetizer. This is part of the Boteco Brasil’s description of the «coxinhas» they serve: «Crispy potato-​based dough pockets stuffed with shredded chicken and spices, served with Home Made Hot sauce…» So, needless to say we expected to have some yummy homemade sauce with our «coxinhas», but we were told, as we were paying for our take-​out, that there would be no Home Made Hot sauce with our order. It was the beginning of dinner service and they didn’t have Home Made Hot sauce!!! How about making some more, huh?!? Our server must have thought I was a Canadian/​American and suggested Frank’s Hot sauce for my coxinha!!! Can you believe this?
I’m going to put the cart before the horses, here and talk about the dessert, first. We wanted to try their «brigadeiros» (chocolate condensed milk balls rolled over chocolate sprinkles), but they had none made. The waitress gave us such a lame excuse about how «Boteco Brasil» can’t afford to buy the chocolate sprinkles in Canada because it is too expensive, so they don’t make more. Once they run out, they run out. You can’t possibly tell me that chocolate sprinkles can’t be bought online from a supplier for cheaper price. Plus, what kind of servers do they employ that have to lie through their teeth. Again, obviously, didn’t know I am Brazilian. So, after listening to her whole spiel, we settled for the «beijinho» (coconut condensed milk balls, usually covered in sugar) because those they had. Apparently, shredded coconut is way cheaper! Sarcasm aside, their beijinho was covered in shredded coconut (a different twist to traditional ones), and was, surprisingly enough, pretty tasty.
The main course, however, was a total miss. We got the grilled chicken breast, which was okay (nothing special or amazing) served with rice and fries. Let’s take a moment for the fries… I haven’t had fries that were so soggy and cold on my plate of food before. Even McDonald’s cold fries taste better. These fries looked like they were sitting in someone else’s plate and the chef didn’t want them to go to waste, so they threw them over my friend’s grilled chicken (talk about ruining a dish). We also got the «feijoada» (beef and pork bean stew). I couldn’t even eat it. I had a couple bites and spit out the pieces of beef, because they tasted awful. The beans were so watery and tasteless; more water than beans (See the enclosed picture. Nasty looking). The pork fat was just thrown in there, not seared or marinated, making the dish uneatable. Absolutely A.W.F.U.L!!! My friend couldn’t even eat her food, either. Since we had decided to eat outside, in the car, because the ammonia smell had gotten to us, we didn’t even want to go in to complain. We just left and threw the remainder of the food out in the nearest trash can. It was a complete waste of $ 50.00. So, if you are still wondering if we’ll be going back to this restaurant, let me make it very, very clear: NO WAY!

I would say this is place is more close to 3.5 stars than 3, but not 4.
Food:
— I tried their «coxinha» it was good enough. It is not as amazing as the ones made in Brazil, but it was still very tasty and the chicken was well cooked.
— also tried «beijinho» just because brigadeiro was sold out. Being very honest, I didn’t expect the beijinho being so good!
Staff and service:
— I dont know what happened but the service was really slow. A friend of mine said the service has been always like that, so I am not sure why they dont improve it. We ended up paying the bill directly in the cashier because they were taking very long to bring the bill.
— The waitresses were friendly. No complains.
Place:
— Don’t stay inside if it is a hot day. It gets too hot! We could not stay there for even 1 hour because we were sweating and felling dizzy! There is only one fan on the ceiling that spins so slow that it doesn’t make any difference. Make sure you get a table outside.
— Also people scream a lot inside. It can be quite annoying.

I really liked our meal here. Laid back atmosphere, east facing outdoor area, homey comfort food eats — this is what you’ll find here.
It was understaffed when my husband and I came here; there was a large party seated outside, all tables outside were filled and there were a couple more tables inside, with only one waitress. It took a while for our orders to be taken, however once they were, food arrived quickly.
I love my capilrinhas and I love them here. And with brazillian food, your mind instantly goes to beef right? Hubs had the steak and I had the beef, beans and rice. We also share an order of their deep fried, chicken filled potato dough appys. Everything was hearty, and hit the spot.
The appetizer had a good amount of chicken in it, but it could have been more seasoned. Steak had the perfect amount of char and smokiness; hubby finished this right up. I packed half of my meal to go since I was stuffed.
Would return again to try other items.

O restaurante é muito bem organizado e tem todo o clima de boteco. Pedi coxinha e pastel de carne que estavam muito saborosos. A proprietária é muito prestativa e o serviço excelente.

Short review: Went for a nice steak, left full and satisfied. Will return again soon!
I don’t know why Boteco has such a mediocre rating. The food is fantastic, and the service was great.
My roommate and I arrived on a Tuesday night. To be honest, the place was quiet (too quiet for a brazilian resto?), and the waiter was super chill, nice, and felt like a friend cooking for us rather than a waiter looking for tips. He was very kind in explaining the menu, and never left our water glass empty.
I knew I wanted a steak, and that’s what I ordered. Medium rare, with enough juice to soak up any fixin’s. For an appetizer I tried the Coxinas, which can be described as a brazilian chicken kiev. Beautifully fried pulled chicken balls, mildly spiced, and they went great with hot sauce.
The steak came out beautifully, served with rice, pinto beans, cassava fries, and cassava bread crumbs. The bread crumbs were a nice touch, I was dipping steak in it, along with pouring some on my rice and beans… it added a nice flavour and texture throughout the meal. The steak was perfect, with just a bit of salt and pepper to enhance the natural flavour of the meat. This whole meal costs $ 22, and it way better than any steak I’ve had at Joe Forte’s or The Keg.
I’m not a brazilian, but I would recommend this place a good, reasonably cheap spot to grab a steak!

Coxinas, fel joada, sandulce picanha, cumbuca de bote and our drink guarana… lunch with my bff, very friendly server, decors are a pride of brazil, not so big place, street parking, better call before going the page and info in the internet isnt updated… family/​group/​kid friendly… live show at dinner time, noise level moderate, accepting cash and card… all the dishes we ordered tasted good we’r all satisfied… if you wish for a brasillian food treat well you have to visit this place… im lovin the walls and the frint of the restaurant… Ariba brasi…

Not satisfied with the food. As a Brazilian born person, the food doesn’t bring me back to my home country. Waste of money. I was better off cooking a better meal at the comfort of my own home.

First things first, this place is slightly out of the way (Nanaimo Street), and the rest of this post would help you make your mind about whether it is worth visiting or not.
I was here to celebrate the birthday of my dear friend from Brazil. Why Boteco, and not a more mainstream place like Rio (Denman St) for the birthday celebration? Because, as my friend put it, on birthdays or on the way back from the beach, the common Braziilan does not go to a fancy steak house, they go to a Boteco! (Boteco literally means a small bar).
The atmosphere here is very informal, and there is generally live Brazilian music, with people hitting the floor at merry. I have never been to Brazil, but, I have been told, that this is as close as you can get to a Brazilian experience in Vancouver. If you like live music, dancing, and are up for experiencing something different than your standard Vancouver restaurant experience, I think you would find all of this very groovy.
I have been here a few times, and have had the opportunity to try out a few different things. My favourite starter is Coxinhas (potato based dough with shredded chicken and spices, real good stuff), but if you love cheese, you might prefer «Pao de queljo» (baked parmesan and mozzarella cheese balls) over it.
This time I ordered Cachorro quente paulista (Hot dog cooked in tomato sauce, potatoes, cheese, salsa). If you do not know what to order, this is your safest bet, as hotdogs, bun and potatoes can never go wrong.
Order Guarana (Brazilian berry soft drink) to wash down your meat, and you would not regret your decision.
Finally, let me describe the two other dishes I also had the opportunity to try out. There is Picanha, which is essentially a special cut of top sirloin steak, garnished with salt, fried cassava and cassava flour. This particular batch was slightly salty for my taste, but, I think I was just a tad unlucky. I also tried Feljoada, which is a serving of rice with beans-​pork soup. Another traditional brazillian dish, which is worth trying. Reminded me of the food from Memphis (one on broadway?). :)
I know that the place is small, the interior décor is not that amazing and the service is slow. But then, this is a «Boteco», a small bar for the common folks by definition, so, you might have to calibrate your expectations slightly, and you would not be disappointed!

This restaurant fails to satisfy even the lowest of expectations. At our table of 10, everybody was unhappy with the food and the service — which was almost non-​existent… only one server for the whole restaurant. My appetizers were bland and my steak was tough and tasteless — thought such meat went into dog food. This establishment would be perfect for one of those restaurant rescue reality shows. Spend you hard earned money elsewhere.

A very relaxed atmosphere (exactly how id picture an auhtentic low key little brazilian café/​restaurant)
Thursday nights live band is a bit loud but a lot of fun if you enjoy Brazilian music. The Flan is just like Mom used to make not fancy at all but good value for your buck for sure!

Yummy food and cool place. This place gives you authentic feel of Brazil. Nice atmosphere and very friendly staff.

My wife and I really enjoyed this place. Definitely good value for money, as we order the Picahna (BBQ steak). It was really tasty and good for two people. We went there on a Saturday at 20:00 and service was excellent, the food took a little time extra time (barely noticeable), but that’s how it if you want your meat cooked exactly the way you order it (in our case it was medium-​well). The server was very nice and helpful. I recommend this place i you like Latino food and like meat.

That’s just based on their flan-​egg dessert, nice and sweet ;) How can i forget to write a review for them as I was here earlier in the year.
and the fact they deliver too, 7 days a week. From the looks of other tables, not many, less than 10, good portions.
Great service, and an authentic décor feel to it. Not too many Brazilian restos around, esp. in this hood.
Located beside the Got Phở place.
Lots of free parking in front.

As a Brazilian, I must say this place is below average — and I’ve been to quite a few restaurants both in Vancouver and in Sydney.
I’m really only giving it 3 stars because the food wasn’t bad — we had coxinhas, kibes and other pastries and they were tasty. I had the prestigio cake for dessert and it was good as well.
However, the ambience and service both leave a lot to be desired — the place is dark, has no real atmosphere or Brazilian feel, looks old and a bit depressing, and the service is slow and definitely not the friendliest I have had.
If you live in Vancouver and like/​want to try Brazilian food, go to Rio on Denman, you’ll have a much more pleasant experience.

Celebrated a friends birthday on a Thursday night and was very surprised. I would never have known about this place otherwise. When I walked in it wasn’t busy and we had reserved a table for 18 for a surprise party. Screens were showing some Latin soap opera.
The small space was kinda chilly. Established a separate bill and ordered ahead because our guest of honour was arriving later and I was thirsty and famished. Our friend arrived and was surprised, so far do good.
This place is very informal. If you want fine dining this isn’t it. Service is friendly but casual and food is ok and has a home cooked comfort quality. The prices are ok. Nothing to write home about.
Still here? Shhhh!
The secret of this place is music. They have a couple nights of live music per week in the later evening. The band starts out pretty mellow and proceeds to transport you to Brazil– they are really good. As drinks flow (including coke in bottles) and young patrons start to filter in, the place warms up and becomes more crowded, the music starts to make you move, and a party erupts! If you like that kind of thing, add a star to my rating.
What a treat! I’ve said too much already.

First time having brazilian food and I must say that I was very satisfied. The appetizers and main meal was absolutely delicious! I’m surprised there aren’t more Brazilian restaurants around.
The service wasn’t great, but if you don’t mind waiting and just want to sit down and relax and eat, then this place is fine.
Food: Wonderful
Service: Meh
Ambiance: Loud, crowded

Sorry a big NO from me.
1) It took way too long:
There were only two tables (including us) in the restaurant.
And it took over a hour until my food came
I was reluctant to tip. but then
2) They charge you 15% service fee ANYWAYS
No wonder there were no «sorry the food was late» or «sorry, it’s going to take a bit longer»
Automatic service fee = poor service ??
3) Result, was the food worth the wait?
Not really.
I finished the food but only because I was starving by the time food came.
And even with this, I felt the food was mediocre at best.
Way too salty, portions are so-​so, nothing special.
Conclusion: Never again.
It takes over a hour for a mediocre food with sneaky service fee added without consent. I’m sorry but why bother?
Boteco you disapointed me quite a bit, I really did have high expectations.

Great food
Bobo de camarao is my favorite

I’ve never had Brazilian food before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. When we got there, we almost got lost because it didn’t look like the typical food establishment from the outside. It looked more residential than anything, almost like a converted residential food establishment.
There were no patrons when we got there, just the servers having dinner and a guy who later sang and played live music. We were seated immediately and dug into our menus right away.
I would consider myself adventurous (most of the time) and will try new things especially foreign cuisine. Keeping this in mind, I ordered the Feijoada which was described as an «Authentic Brazilian style rice and black bean pork stew with smoked chorizo. A staple dish eaten throughout the country». Looked interesting enough. Around the table, we each ordered a serving of
— Coxinha (Deep fried breaded chicken balls)
— Pastel — Queijo/​Carne (Traditional salty pastry stuffed with either Ground Beef or Mozzarella Cheese)
— Frango à Passarinho (Deep fried chicken pieces with corn flour fries)
— Feijoadas (x2)
— Carne Loca (Pulled Beef sandwich with Bell Peppers on Portuguese bun with fries
— Bobó de Camarão (Creamy Shrimp stew with coconut milk and bell peppers with white rice, salad, and potato sticks)
— Bife à Cavalo (Brazilian style steak and eggs served with salad, rice, and beans
I would say I enjoyed the appies more than the mains overall, specially the Pastel and the Coxinha. The Coxinha is shredded chicken rolled into mozzarella cheese and then breaded and deep fried. Deelish. The Pastel was just a puff pastry with either cheese or ground beef inside, nothing special but it was tasty.
My main complain about my dish was that I didn’t get enough pork. Do you really think 2 chunks of pork is enough in a bowl swimming with black beans? Me neither. And pricing it for $ 14? If you added 6 more chunks then yea maybe it would be worth that much. In addition, the portions are not that generous. I didn’t feel full after eating everything on my plate, and white rice usually fills me up.
The Frango à Passarinho is just chicken wings and fries. The fries are better than regular pub fries but nothing special. Again, still not amazed at this point. The Bobó de Camarão and Bife à Cavalo were decent, but I’m not jumping up and down my seat. Overall it was just okay.
We ordered dessert as well, Pudim de Leito Moça (which is essentially a crème caramel) and a variety of the Beijinho (condensed milk and coconut balls). It was ok, I wasn’t blown away. It was tasty but nothing special.
I liked the live music aspect of the dining experience too. He was singing a mix of english and portuguese songs which was entertaining.
My only complaint would be the quality of service that we received. Our server wasn’t horrible, but she definitely needed more training in customer service. She didn’t check on how we were doing until we asked her for something, then it almost seems like she remembered that she had to then asked how everything was tasting. My brother asked for water, and she only brought enough for one (as opposed to bringing a glass for everyone), new cutlery wasn’t offered after the appies were finished (not a big deal to me but she could’ve offered), but the biggest thing for me was we had to constantly wait for her or look over our shoulder before she’d come to us. She’d just be standing by the bar chatting with the other server. It took forever for us to pay because we were waiting for her to bring us the bill. I mean come on… don’t you want our money?
Overall it was a decent experience. I probably won’t come back though, although I wouldn’t be opposed to going if someone asked me to go with them.

I’ve been there about 4 times. However all good things comes to an end, and my was last Saturday. I took my date to appreciate some brazilian food. We got there about 1:30 PM, it was a bit busy, but manageable. We waited about 5 minutes for someone to point us to the table.
When ordering drinks, the waiter completely ignored my date. Ok, bad, but we can live with that.
I ordered an appetizer — sausage with french bread — after like half an hour we got served the appetizer. The bread, which seems to be those frozen ones, was completely white, clearly undercooked. I told them that it didn’t look like proper french bread. The waiter picks up the menu, puts it in my face and says «see, it says french bread, which is white», turns her back and leaves.
We were astounded.
I went to the kitchen and told the waiter the way she talked to me was inadmissible. She tells me she was just «explaining» what I’ve ordered — like I needed a lecture on french bread. I offered to pay for the drinks, which she rejected. I gladly left vowing to not return.
It’s stunning how a few employees can ruin a potential great restaurant. I never really liked the ambient there, or the location, but the food was good enough (not awesome) to overlook these ‘details’. Will take my business elsewhere from now on…

I was pretty exited to show this new Brazilian restaurant to my boyfriend, as I am a big fan of Brazilian cuisine, but unfortunately got disappointed.
The service was very poor and no help was provided to pick a dish on the menu.
The waitress didn’t really care much that 2 customers arrived and wanted a bit of attention (we were the only customers).
Some construction noise was coming from the back of the restaurant which didn’t make us feel welcome, plus a very loud Hockey match was on the TV (nothing against Hockey, but I would rather listen to some good Brazilian music).
After ordering, the food took a good 20 mins to arrive, and then some dishes were coming very randomly.
My Feijorada was pretty good, I have to admit, but the portion was pretty small.
The dish that my BF ordered was 20 CAD for a small piece of cheap steak served with rice and beans (pretty expensive). This was far from being the tasty dish that I knew from Brazil.
We might give it an other chance, as I love Brazilian cuisine and maybe it was just a bad day.