Samba Taste of Brazil

I had the Feijao Tropeiro and it was amazing. I was really impressed with the freshness of the food. The staff was incredibly kind. Overall a great experience!

Hmmm
I ate some lobster bisque year and a cold Minnesota day. The soup was shy of ok, what I do like is that it seems that this place is a family run business, so that’s awesome they just need to work on the taste of the food.
Service was friendly price was reasonable.

This restaurant is a breath of fresh air! Authentic menu with plenty of choices for everyone. Always greeted with a smile, exceptional service, and a great value for my meal. Highly suggest this restaurant to anyone looking to try something delicious and new.

I went here Saturday night and I was so happy I finally made it in. This place is like going to your friends house and having their family cook for you. Our waiter was so helpful in describing everything on the menu and making recommendations. The food was delicious I have a new favorite which is the Shrimp Pastels and Beef Pastels, they were light and flaky and bursting with unique Brazilian flavors. I had the Seafood soup, which could have been a bit more seasoned in my opinion and my friend had a seafood dish made with coconut milk which was absolutely amazing, full of flavor in a silky delicious sauce that will bring me back to order myself next time. The father and sons team at Samba have a new customer here!

We found this restaurant off Unilocal and my husband and I LOVED this place. I had the Espetinhos, 1 chicken/​1 beef skewer. Both were delicious! My husband has to eat gluten free and their menu has a lot of GF to choose from. He had the Escondidinho Carne Seca and he thought it was very flavorful and good. We will be back, check this place out, you will not be disappointed!

I came here last night and was so excited to warm up with some Brazilian comfort food from the subzero weather. I also came here wearing a new pair of tight pants that I wanted to put through the ringer… I kept the tag on them to see if they’d withstand this test of gastric gluttony. On a Sunday night, we got free street parking right in front and were almost the only ones in there. Our server was very charismatic and welcoming (however, I could have used a water refill at one point). Since Jasmine B and I studied the bejeezus out the menu and Unilocal page beforehand, we were ready to order quickly.
— Guarana (Brazilian soda): Sweet, and tastes like ginger ale with a splash of Redbull.
— Scallop bruschetta: Great balance of the sweet scallop and acidic «salsa», but was a little too heavy on the onions for my taste.
— Shrimp bobo: This was like a coconut curry dish… minus the curry. If that makes sense? The base was thick and both sweet (coconut) and savory (yucca mash), and I was impressed with the generously sized and portioned shrimp! Overall, it was a pretty mild dish.
— Feijoada (beans and pork stew): This was my favorite dish. On an arctic night that pained my body so much, I found this dish so satisfyingly hearty and savory. I enjoyed all of the fresh fixings that complemented this dish. And I loved the sausage.
— Doce Leite + Queso Fresco: We couldn’t not get this. The salty firm cheese with the creamy sweet caramel was sinful. I was so full but I couldn’t stop eating thisssss.
— House-​made hot sauce: blended by the owner. It is HOT. If you are sensitive to heat, you just might die. But it is flavorful and the heat dissolves quickly!
The have a few grocery items for sale at the front. I got a jar of hearts of palm, but for a whopping $ 8.20. Overall, we had a satisfying meal. I think those pants are going back to the store, though.

Who knew such a place existed in downtown Hopkins!!! I was searching for something new to try and there was a birthday in the family, what better excuse???
The five of us made our way to ‘historic’ downtown Hopkins. Just so you know, parking wasn’t a challenge and it’s free (street only). I made reservations online and clearly I was the only one to do so, because when I walked in, we were greeted by last name and ushered to our table. #baller #hollywood
There are many things to love about this place, it’s in the ‘burbs, there is a store general store inside and the owners are clearly passionate about what they serve; places like this are harder and harder to find.
We dived into the menu and landed on…
* Mandioca Frita (Fried Yucca)
* Feiloada (Pork Stew)
* Shrimp Bobo
* Paella
* Chefs Pizza
* Flan and Fried Bananas w/​Ice Cream
What makes this place different is they don’t serve grilled meats on skewers like many Brazilian restaurants we’re familiar with; this establishment focuses on the finer cooking, home cooked meals.
The pork stew is plated to demonstrate all the unique ingredients that go into the dish, the diner mixes everything on their own; creating a flavorful experience. Wicked fresh produce, beans cooked to perfection in a mild soup and the pork — you just have to try the dish to understand the flavor of the pork!
The paella was excellent with flavorful saffron rice and a sweet, tangy layer of sauce.
The pizza really stole the meal with catupiry cheese — it has a silky texture with a sweet oregano sauce.
The service is great, wonderful atmosphere and not in busy downtown Minneapolis.
Give this place a chance, you won’t be disappointed!

This is so obviously a family-​run restaurant it is charming. It was my first time eating Brazilian food so I cannot judge its authenticity but judging by the owner’s pride I would say it must be. Also seemed to be family-​friendly since most of the clientele seemed to be families.
We started with the fish cakes which turned out to be more like croquettes and were nicely crispy on the outside and soft and flavorful inside. Each of the four of us had different mains from the «Brazilian Specialties» section and we all were pleased. I had the feijoada which was nice and hearty on a cold night. Others had the Amazonas, paella, and another meat dish. All were different and as a friend said «I don’t feel like I am in Hopkins, Minnesota». The portions are LARGE and we left with a couple of doggie bags. Even so we tried the desserts — the flan was good but a bit small. The molten chocolate cake was generous and nicely bitter chocolate. Coffee was good for a restaurant but I was disappointed when served those plastic cup things for cream.
Wine list is fine and well-​priced. Service was friendly and prompt.
My other complaint is that it is way too BRIGHT. They need to tone down the lighting considerably. I felt like I was dinning at Kmart. I think their business would increase considerably if they upped the atmosphere a bit.
We will be back.

We decided to come here for a Friday date night since my boyfriend came here for lunch and raved about it. And it also happened that they were participating in restaurant week. Score!
The pastel empanada appetizers were excellent! I tried the one with catupiry which is a soft Brazilian cheese that the waitress said was popular and would definitely order it again. The carne seca pastel was excellent too.
I ordered the moqueca entrée since I love coconut curry and got it with shrimp. It was amazing. My boyfriend ordered their restaurant week entrée with shredded beef which was also tasty.
We ordered a pitcher of their caipirinha cocktail and it was only mediocre compared to what we had in the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador but it had a decent amount of alcohol and limes.
The chocolate mousse cake was decadent and a great way to end the meal. It was also part of their restaurant week special.
This is an excellent place to dine at if you want delicious and authentic Brazilian food. I am excited to try their lunch specials soon!

Delicious flavors and incredible quality, thoughtfulness, and service. LOVE Joe and his fab restaurant!

Keep it casual and allow your palette to explore. This may be one of the most fantastic representations of traditional cooking of Brazil. There is no pretentiousness in dining and asking questions. Los Angeles chef is quite satisfied and beyond impressed.

OK, I know nothing of Brazilian food beyond those massive meat dinners that are offered in a few places. Those are good in their own right, but stuffing your body full of pounds of meat probably isn’t the typical way Brazilians eat so I was certainly intrigued when we stumbled across Samba. Located on Main Street in Hopkins, it is part restaurant and part small Brazilian grocery.
We arrived for a late lunch. The menu had a number of specials on it, some I knew and some I had never heard of before. Naturally, I picked something I didn’t know nor could pronounce, Feijoada, which turned out to be a pork and black bean stew served with sides of rice, collard greens, and something called farofa. Farofa turned out to be some kind of toasted cassava flour which I used as an accompaniment to the stew. The stew was excellent. I generally like hot and spicy foods, but this was not that. It was flavorful though and the greens were cooked perfectly. Whatever the farofa was, it did serve as a good addition to the plate. My wife went with the Cubano; ground beef, rice, beans, an egg and a fried banana. The ground beef was well seasoned, but I didn’t care too much for the flavor. The rest was very good.
Service was quick and polite. Overall, I will definitely be back, especially if we end up buying our home in the area which is rather likely. Enjoyed the offerings and look forward to trying some other Brazilian specialties.

I’m having a hard time coming up with a proper rating. The service was good, the owners very friendly, the food was OK yet somehow I walked out somewhat disappointed. I’m sure it doesn’t help that my only reference point for Brazilian anything is Texas de Brasil in Fort Worth, TX where the salad bar alone is worth a trip across town. Oh, almost forgot that 0 – 3 against Oranje last year. That has to be my favorite Brazil related memory.
Anyway, six of us ordered the all you can eat and had it brought out family style with the same 3 appetizers for everyone as suggested by the owner or cook (a pleasant older guy). At the time it seemed reasonable when that was suggested. In hindsight it would have been nice to try a few more different things and it’s not like we weren’t paying for it.
The beef was good, the sausages great, the pork was OK and I didn’t try the chicken. The nice thing about TdB was that you didn’t feel bad about leaving anything on the table, they just walked by and if you didn’t want something you waved them on. I (we?) ended up feeling kind of shitty by having this plate of chicken sit on the table that almost nobody touched. ‘Uhm sir, more steak please, go ahead and throw this chicken away’ although not word for word was pretty much how it ended up.
The vibe was somewhat industrial, for lack of a better term. Go in, eat, go home. After gorging yourself on a massive amount of meat it would be nice to just sit around and have a beer of coffee and shoot the shit for a while before leaving. That part was missing as well.
It was a decent meal and fairly cheap considering what we ate yet I doubt I’ll be back.

Love this place. If it’s your first time I highly recommend the Fijuada or the Churrasco (Piccahna, Pork, and Sausage is my favorite combo) with greens vinaigrette/​farafo and beans. Grab a nice ice cold Xingu!

Went here last night on a work trip. Overall I thought this was a great experience. The host is awesome and incredibly personable. The location is super convenient and they have a huge free public parking garage about a block south that made parking super easy. On to the food:
I started out with the host’s recommendation of a Xingu Dark beer. «It drinks light» the host said. Boy was he right. It was delicious and not heavy at all. I then had a couple different pastels; these are the Brazilian version of a Jamaican pastie or empanada. Both the ground beef with olives in the filling and shrimp were incredible. They were helped along by a little touch of the owners homemade hot sauce as well.
For the main meal I got a couple items off of the grill; the Picanha (top sirloin) and pork. For sides I got Farafoa, veggies and rice. I found that even though the host asked how I liked the beef… you kinda get what you get. It didn’t matter though, both we really good especially teamed with the pico de gallo that it was served with.
Great place and CHEAP. Even with the beers I didn’t break $ 40. WOW!

Samba is a quaint Mom and Pop (actually dad and papa) café restaraunt with the charm of European style dining. Meaning if you are expecting fast meals with one course flowing after the other go some place else. Gabriel (son) is attentive but he and papa (and occasionally mama) run the show.
The dishes and market are classic pan-​American with an Iberian influenced paella worth trying. The feijoada (black bean stew) is excellent. If you like the authenticity you can take many recipe ingredients home from the market for use in your own kitchen.
Also the menu has many offerings for gluten free high protein eaters just by virtue of the cuisine. Another consideration.

The three of us split our meals. I ordered the flatbread and it was AMAZING. The chorizo, or whatever the other two guys got was amazing.
I loved the service, I would have liked draft beer, but what are you gonna do?

Second time’s a charm — 1^st impressions can be deceiving. On a whim we visited Samba Dec 19^th for only the second time since they’ve opened. My reaction is WOW and I cannot wait to go back.
The host was very warm, and quickly picked up, I was out with my wife to enjoy a night without the kids. He offered my wife the choice of remaining tables and was very much the gentleman. We were seated at the front window which was offers a view of busy and hip Hopkins Main Street.
Our waiter was very engaging and quick to take a beverage order and ask if we were ready to order dinner. He recognized we were not in a hurry and backed off a bit with the disappearing act some spiteful waiters practice when they are only interested in turning a table.
We enjoyed the Cod Cakes as an appetizer. They were warm and the tasty but
I would prefer more cod and less other ingredients. The feijoada was very good. I would rate great if there we a few more pieces of pork. Their was a good quantity of beef. I loved the side of collared greens. My wife ate the Picanha. It was cooked to near perfection. The portion was almost too much for her. Nice!
So, I recommend Samba. My first visit wasn’t disappointing but we felt we were in a fishbowl. The place was new, not crowded and music wasn’t enough to create some privacy for conversation. Our visit last night was very comfortable. I get the sense there is a steady clientele and the owners have established a nice cadence. If your looking for something in Hopkins, pay them a visit. There is a nice variety or independent restaurants happening in Hopkins, plus the LTD Brewery which allows to bring in food from a local joint, and our business will help them survive and get better.

I left Samba disappointed but thinking I just ordered the wrong item on the menu. Samba has the appearance of a restaurant that is mom-​and-​pop and should crank out nothing but amazing food. It’s in a very average/​bland space the best compliment to which I could give is «functional.» We dined there on a Wednesday night for dinner, and there was one guy running the entire place. He was the cashier, server, bartender, all in one. Now it wasn’t packed, but there needed to be at least one additional staff member helping him out.
There were some highlights to my experience (and I think this review could easily be upgraded if I go and try more items on the menu). The sangria is legit (I had the red, gf had the white, and we were both impressed), and so are the Yuca fries (especially the incredibly good dipping sauce).
I apparently should have ordered the Paella or perhaps any other item than the chicken Atolado. Were I a vegetarian and content removing the chicken (or what resembled chicken) in the dish, I think I would have walked away happy. But this guy eats meat and factors the quality of meat in a dish highly into the overall appraisal of it. The chicken in this dish was exclusively small, overcooked fried drumsticks. First of all, there is no indication on the menu that the chicken is fried chicken. That’s a huge strike against any restaurant (if it’s not on the menu, the server should be clear — I’m assuming it’s grilled chicken unless told otherwise). Second, fried chicken wouldn’t be a problem it it’s good quality and cooked properly. This chicken was mostly breading and fat, with next to no meat. Due to the circumstances of this meal I couldn’t complain about it and ask for something else, but I definitely would have.
The ceiling on this restaurant is 4 stars given the price. A basic Paella is $ 17, with a seafood one going for $ 22? In downtown Hopkins? Even if it’s the most amazing dish I’d ever had, that price is not commensurate with the atmosphere or the offering. Maybe I’m just missing it, though. It’s definitely mom-​and-​pop all the way (you can tell from the menu) and I’ve probably been seeing too much of the professionally developed menus and market-​research driven pricing.
I’ll give Samba another shot, for sure. Just drop the Atolado from the menu or actually include real, high quality chicken in it.

Came here a couple times before but this just made me take the time to review. After all, all 3 times they aced it on the food. If you feel like authentic brazilian food and drinks, this is the place. The feijoada was amazing! Bobó so delish, and I’m not a fan of meat but the picanha was cooked to perfection! Now, do me a favor, don’t come here and order an Italian dish like the gnocchi or pasta, and expect it to be better than at an Italian place.
P. S. Order the mariscos appetizer, thank me later! ;)