Batuqui Brazilian Restaurant — Restaurant in Cleveland

The next fantastic offering that caught my palate was Calamari Samba. Only the second time I can remember having good calamari in Cleveland (J Alexander's in Beechwood??). I enjoyed the red, light, tomato based, sauce though it ever so slightly overpowered the calamari ringlets. This appetizer comes with crostini, a thin, crunchy, seasoned toast.

Xim Xim (de Galinha) was yet another smashing dish, ok this dish is just plain addicting! It was so sublime I think I had a dream about it for a couple of days afterward. Ximxim in many African tongues simply means “stew,” and galinha means chicken in portuguese. Traditionally made with palm oil, dark meat chicken, coconut, shrimp, garlic, ginger and a few other sundries this dish greets your nose as it arrives at the table. If you have allergies, make sure you ask as this dish is often made with peanuts or cashews. Although this was chock full of solid foodstuff it was more of a flavorful soup as opposed to a thick stewy liquid. To many though the process and intent determine whether it is a stew or soup. On the eco tip I’d love to see this made with olive oil rather than palm oil, though it would alter the taste and tradition, still the verdict is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Churrasco Misto, the next entre, is a style of cooking I love. The flavor was very good. The chicken and sirloin tasted like a great dry rub. Is this ever made with chicken dark meat?? It was a great with the farofa, tomato relish, and rice. Farofa is a toasted cassava flour mixture, sometimes cassava flour is substituted with maize flour (farinha de milho). So when you see that sawdust looking stuff on your plate that often accompanies meat… yes, go for it! Eat it directly, sprinkle it on your food, mix it in, revel.

Batuqui, should explore their plating and presentation a bit. I did note that on a few dishes the presentation did not bespeak how marvelous the dish was, dishes should look as exciting as is practical, ergo the garnish. Long gone are the days when an establishment would just plop a sprig of parsley on the dish and call it a day. All things being equal in the restaurant business the experience is as important as the fare and can make a big difference.

Desserts were nice, light, and satisfying. Pudim de Leite is rich and creamy, it’s a flan made with condensed milk something sweet like sugar or honey and eggs. This was ok but didn't do much for me. It got the least attention at our table and I think was the last to disappear. I don't remember any comments about it. I'm used to the more delicately textured, thicker flan flan and this was thin and the texture very different more toward chewy than melt in your mouth. I'll try it again next time I go.

In contrast the Coconut Butter Cake was such a delight and what a surprise and extra added treat that it came to the table warm!

Another dish was Mousse de Maracuja or passion fruit mousse. One person at our table wanted some addition to the taste, to break up the flavor and although that would work I enjoyed savoring the layers of taste and how some flavor hit my palate at the back and other flavors settle near the middle, just a lot of great movement lingering at the back of my mouth.

Our server was fun and engaging, attentive and made us feel very comfortable. So was hostess Alexis/Alexandra yes she was fun. I loved the atmosphere and the decor was fun. It was exciting seeing a guitar in the corner and the young man on the cajon or box drum was a great addition. Batuqui plans to have music on Sundays.

Batuqui should not overlook promoting that they have vegetarian dishes and should seek to provide vegetarian versions of some of the dishes they have on the menu. I spoke to someone about trying Batuqui out, they responded, "don't they have meat? Doesn't sound vegetarian to me." They have two veggie dishes and nice salads. I think they can turn at least one other dish veggie , for instance, they can do a veggie Xim Xim without the chicken, with seafood for pescatarians, without for vegetarians. Check it out. You'll be...

Go to Brazil without leaving Cleveland! This place was amazing, while I've heard nothing but great things it took me awhile to get here. We sat on the porch which is very inviting and certainly added to the feeling of authenticity. The staff was attentive and extremely helpful in explaining dishes and making suggestions.

We ordered the bar snacks for an appetizer (forget the Brazilian name) which was a selection of empanada like small bites, shrimp, chicken and beef. The beef was the big winner for us but all of them were good. The queso blanco or grilled white cheese with honey was also a nice choice.

The big star for me though was the Caipirinha, a traditional Brazilian cocktail, if you want to compare it to something familiar, think the Brazilian version of a mojito. I've had many at various cocktail bars and no high end cocktail bar has come close to producing anything as delicious as this gem. They offer a premium one which I believe just has a higher grade cachaça, the spirit in the drink, but the regular was amazing itself.

For an entree I ordered Moqueca Baiana which came recommended from the server. This dish is a Brazilian stew with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, coconut milk. I order the combo which came with both fish and shrimp and I'd recommend it that way. This dish blew me away, not only because it was delish but also very familiar. The flavor was very much like a Thai curry with the coconut milk but in place of the spice there was a very nice garlic flavor.

So this is definitely a "can't miss" spot and one that I wish I had tried sooner but can't wait to...

Quite possibly the best restaurant I've ever been to. The staff is super friendly. We made reservations for a party of 8 and were very accommodating. The waitress took care of us the entire night. She was very knowledgeable on the menu and gave us excellent recommendations. We started off with a pitcher of the Premium Caipirinha. I've never had this drink before but it was a hit at the table. Then we got the Pao De Queijo which was very good as well. For entrees we all tried a bit of each others. All were plated very nicely and tasted top notch. I wasn't disappointed with any of them. We tried the Mandioca Frita and Banana Frita sides. Wow! I would definitely recommend trying both. The banana had a great flavor and the fried yucca came with a sauce that was to die for. For dessert I swear we got just about every one. They were all supreme but the churros really took the crown. These churros were the best I've ever eaten. Throughout the meal our plates would be cleared almost immediately and waters were topped off often which is nice. This was my first time visiting but it wont be my last. I look forward to returning.

2023 Update: I've since been back 3 times and all return visits have been just a great as the first. I've always been accomodated and been taken care of. I've met both the owners and they are so friendly. The past 3 times I've just asked the waitresses to surprise me with a meal that they think is the best. Let me tell you, I've tried things I never would have and they have tasted so good. I will definitely be back. Truly a...