Mãe Joana - Brazilian Boteco — Restaurant in Mexico City

This spot usually has a good vibe and tasty food, but today things got messed up. Today (November 26) I brought some friends from USA to check out this restaurant, and while we were all chillin' and enjoying our meal, one of the hostesses in a brown dress pulled a sketchy move.

She kept coming over, asking if everything was ok, but then she swiped a phone off our table when we weren't fully paying attention. Two of us caught her in the act, and when we called her out, she just blew us off and talked to another hostess. They both denied it and even tried blaming the candy vendors walking by.

I hate to say it, but don't bother coming here. Those hostesses seem shady, especially if they see a busy table with people looking away for a sec. It's embarrassing as a Mexican to see this going down. Heads up, watch your stuff if you decide to hit up this place.

As a Mexican, this incident not only provokes a sense of embarrassment but also raises concerns about the security and reputation of local establishments. While our group is generally averse to stirring up trouble, it appears prudent for those considering a visit to exercise heightened vigilance, particularly in safeguarding...

I was really excited to try this place and I must say I was very disappoonted of the food quality here. I go to Brazil often and eat brazilian food regularly back in the US. First we ordered the prato feito with picanha, the rice tasted and smelled like vinegar, like it was bad(old). We let the waiter know and they kindly changed the rice for us for an undercooked version of it. The manager came in and instead of just accepting our version he went on to say he had tried the Rice in the back and it was fine, plus went on to show us a picture of the Rice pan to prove it was fresh ( so unnecessary, we pretended to not listen to it as we felt super uncomfortable).The picanha was not fresh and the beans tasted bland(no flavor), the only good part of the dish was the friend yucca which you really can't mess it up. They had just reopened the restaurant a day before after being closed by the city for a short period (unsure of the reason, but it must not be a good one). Plus the simple dish (prato feito) which is supposed to be the most simple in brazilian cuisine cost 300 pesos which is more expensive than what we pay back in the US... overall, overpriced...

Updated: February 2023 - still one of the best options for Brazilian food in Mexico City. Their Picanha is absolutely flavourful and it melts in your mouth, this is the thing they are the best at and it shows. The bem casados which are little sandwiched of pao de queijo and Picanha are fantastic too, I can go and eat those every single time. I also tried their acaraje for the first time and it was quite good and very flavorful, the only thing flavour-wise this place can improve are their shrimps, as the quality is not that good. Service was decent but it can definitely be improved. I know this is a place with great food and a synonym of good Picanha, Will go again!

This time I also had Excellent choice for brazilian food in Mexico city. I still need to taste more things in their menu, but what we had was splendid! Moqueca and saltadinhas (or is it saladinhas, can't remember) were delicious, especially the moqueca, it was very flavorful and the rice was just perfect. The dessert was a passion fruit mouse, perfectly balanced between sweet and acid. The service and the live music were excellent. I can't wait to visit again and try more things...