Brazilian Bakery & Cafe — Restaurant in Takoma Park

Was super happy to come across this place by chance while shopping at another store in the shopping center. I visited Salvador de Bahia, Brazil last year and the morsels I had here took me back to that trip! The pao de queijo was fresh out of the oven and heavenly as well as the ham and cheese empanada. The one thing that fell a bit short for my taste memory was the bolinho de bacalao-it wasn’t as salty and flavorful as I recall and they didn’t have a fresh pepper sauce to go with as a condiment. That’s ok-I made my own when I got home but it would have been better to have it already made. Nevertheless, I’ll be back for the cheese bread and I’ll give the other empanadas a try too. So glad I found this place. Also, they have those fluffy bread rolls for sandwiches that are used a lot in Brazil and Portugal (might even be called Portuguese bread(?). And, no small thing: the staff was very friendly and welcoming, something that struck me during my travels through Salvador was how hospitable everyone was. I don’t remember her name but when she pointed out the pao de queijo she had a sparkle in her eye-she knew I wouldn’t...

I got invited to a Yelp Elite experience at this bakery & restaurant so I went not knowing what to expect. Fred, the restaurant associate/manager was a rockstar. He provided one of the best services I have received in a long time, not something I was expecting from a hole-in-the-wall place like this bakery.

The experience came with complimentary, two, dulce de leche churros, which were so delicious. I can say that they were the best churros I have ever had. Since I was one of the first 50 elites who checked in, I also got two empanadas - I chose their chicken and ham & cheese empanadas, both of which were super delish! I loved that they were bite size. I also decided to purchase a Brazilian cheese break and their coffee - the cheese bread was also super delish but coffee, not so much. They now have a new customer at their Wheaton location. :-)

I included photos of their menus as all the food items look delicious as I will return to their Wheaton restaurant to order those food items as well. I strongly recommend this bakery to anyone looking for a great Brazilian dining and...

Customer service gets 5 stars. I love how the salgadinhos are fried to order. The kibe and coxinha were delicious. The Pão de queijo is pão de queijo - exactly as I would have expected it to be - tasty, the right texture, and cooked well. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is because of the limited selection of Brazilian sweets, which is really why I went there. When I would go to a padaria in Brazil, it would be full of different types of bolos, biscuitos, bolachas, doces, etc. I saw mostly Latino-style sweets at this Brazilian Bakery, which I'm sure are tasty, but I can find these in abundance around this area. What I can't find is Brazilian baked goods, and that's what I was looking for. How about some bolo de brigadeiro or de chocolate, bolo de cenoura com chocolate, bolo de fubá, etc.? Maybe it was the day and time I went (Saturday early afternoon)? Eu sinto muito falta dos bolos, biscoitos, e doces do Brasil. Maybe I will try another...