Samba Cafe

I just stopped by for dinner when I came visiting but it’s closed?! Anyone knows what happened? Did they move or? I miss it :(

As a frequently business traveller I eat in many different places. I have been in many restaurants across America! I always look for something that will remind me of home! I have eaten in many Brazilian Churrascarias and to be honest I can’t recall any with a homemade cooking flavor! Visiting Rochester I found this little «whole in the wall» To be honest this place is fabulous! The food is homemade, and yes I can tell you that flavor is very «mineiro». The decoration isn’t that good, but who cares if the food is? I recommend this place to anyone who knows or wanted to know about real Brazilian food!

Felt a little unsure at first because of the basic décor, but what they lack in design, they make up for in flavor. As an adventurous vegetarian, I ordered the eggs and bananas. Weird combination that worked fantastically together. Add that to the handmade hot sauce, it was a great dining experience. Definitely suggest it.

Just ate here again and had the veggie wrap… again! I just can’t get enough of it! the lime balsamic dressing is the best and everythign is super fresh! Next time I am getting one of their salads, the person sitting next to me, his looked amazing!

This is a great little place to eat some traditional Brasilian food. If you have high expectations of a fine dining experience, then you are better off going somewhere else. This is a small restaurant that is owned and run by a young Brasilian family. The food is authentic and the price is right. We had the first thing listed on the menu (diced marinated chicken with rice, beans and shredded collard greens. Their house hot sauce was nice. It was delicious and we were really happy with our meal. The price was very reasonable considering the amount of food you get. We finished our meal with a passion fruit custard (maracuja) and it was delicious!

I love eating there! Their food, from Minas Gerais in Brazil is earthy and simple, freshly made, and they manage to make it both healthy and hearty.
I recommend their «plates». The Brazilian plate is my favorite, rice, beans, and grilled meat of your choice with a salad. If you add some of the «hot sauce» they have, it’s even better!
Their feijoada is wonderful and now they have it every day. I even liked the «Farofa de Ovo e Banana» even though it was a completely unexpected combination of flavors.
They also make smoothies, Brazilian style, and fruit mousses to end the meal.
I won’t give them a full five stars because their paninis are not that good, the cheese is odd and the flavor is no there… But no one is perfect.
The owner is very friendly and helpful.

They offer bacalhau on Fridays now (for Lent, maybe?). It is one of those dishes that make you feel virtuous — salt cod, tomatoes, potatoes and perhaps some herbs served over white rice. To be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for the dish because… how good can salt cod be? I was wrong. So light, delicious and healthy.
I made it a point to promptly fix the whole «healthy» lunch thing by also ordering their flan. Creamy, caramel-​y and close to one of the best flans I have had.
The owner also mentioned he is going to be open for dinner on Fridays. I am not sure how long/​when that takes effect so I recommend calling first.

Somba left me with a bad taste in my mouth, figuratively and literally. I placed a pick up order for the Steak Pannini. It was a poorly crafted concoction of tasteless reheated diced stake, cheddar cheese and a very minimal amount of diced onions. They described it to be on french bread, which it was not. I also asked for a side of salsa which I instead was given ranch.
When I called to explain that I was not given the salsa, and that the food was not to my liking, the guy said «the sandwich is fine» to which i replied, Maybe for you — but I would like to try something different. He would not oblige my request so needless to say, I will never order from there again. The customer service was terrible.
I really was hoping for better food considering I have worked in the area for a long while, and have seen restaurants come and go from this location frequently.
Do not go to this restaurant.