Brasil Legal Cafe

Brasil Legal is the place to go! I’m Brazilian (from Brasília, the capital), and I’ve been living in the U.S. since 2022. This is, by far, the most authentic Brazilian food I’ve found here. They have amazing savory options like coxinha, pastel, and pão de queijo. Their main dishes are fantastic too… rice and beans, grilled chicken with onions, yuca… it’s literally a taste of Brazil! On top of that, they have a small market with Brazilian crackers, snacks, sweets, and refrigerated goodies like requeijão. But today’s biggest highlight: they sell frozen food to take home. I got black beans 🥲 and it made my day. If you’re a homesick Brazilian or just someone who wants to try real, homemade Brazilian food, you have to check this place out!

Be aware when you are buying the product on the shelves, always check the expiration date. This cheese bread mix had mold and was best if used by 2024. I tried to call them to have my refund, but they want me to return the product in store. I live around 40 min from the place and I can’t spend time/gas driving back there. I had my refund back by calling my credit card. Never again!

This place is great! The food was awesome and so was the staff! I am learning Portuguese and the staff was so friendly and helpful when I ordered in Portuguese for the first time. If you have never had Brazilian food before, I would recommend the Pao de queijo (cheese bread) and coxinha (a fried dough stuffed with meat or cheese) but you can't go wrong with any of the menu! The steak, rice, and beans were amazing, especially with a guarana (a Brazilian soda). For desert, the beijinhos or brigadeiros are amazing!

Very quaint cafe with delicious food. Tasted like a home cooked meal— you can really taste the love!! Loved it. They also have imported Brazilian goods and a pastries!!

Brasil Legal Cafe is a hidden gem in Chicago’s Bucktown that transports you straight to the vibrant streets of Brazil with its authentic, soul-warming cuisine and infectious hospitality—think flaky, golden coxinha stuffed with tender chicken that melts in your mouth, hearty feijoada bursting with smoky beans and savory meats, and pastel de queijo that’s crispy on the outside with gooey cheese heaven within, all washed down with fresh guaraná or a creamy brigadeiro for dessert. The cozy space doubles as a mini market for Brazilian staples like farofa and pão de queijo mix, making it feel like a home away from home, while the owners’ genuine warmth and passion shine through in every recommendation and smile. Portions are generous, prices are a steal for this level of freshness and flavor, and whether you’re grabbing a quick acai bowl or lingering over empanadas with friends, Brasil Legal earns its flawless five stars as the ultimate spot for anyone craving real Brazilian comfort that leaves you full, happy, and already planning your next visit.

Comforting Brazilian food served in an unassuming bodega cafe with incredibly warm service. During our visit, we enjoyed the Coxinha (chicken pastry) and Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread - very chewy) as appetizers. The Feijoada Completa was very delicious as well, with a rich black bean stew featuring sausage and pork that left us satisfied.

Highly recommend this place! My partner is Brazilian and said the food was super authentic. I loved the food and especially the coxinha. Owner was super friendly, and there was even a mini storefront for some favorite Brazilian goods. I can’t wait to come back here!

This place is amazing! Really enjoyed the different fried food they had to offer. The heart of palm empanada and Kiba were just wonderful and affordable. I was impressed by the different groceries they had. So many that I have never seen or tasted. We loaded up on all the different snacks we saw. Check them out 100%.

Outside of the language barrier, my experience at Brazil Legal is always so heart warming. Somehow I am able to order each time and wait patiently at a table to bring it out. The food is homey and comforting if you have not been yet. The shop/cafe is small but cozy and inviting. We usually come on the weekends to get feijoda along with coxinha and the pao de quejo. Sometimes we pick up a few groceries and/or sweets. We are soo happy for this grocery store / cafe as we can introduce our girls to Brazilian food - where their dad was born.

Don't let the ambiance fool you! The food is authentic and the best coco has (chicken croquettes) you will get in USA!! I have been to several places in Florida ;where Brazilians are everywhere), but this place is modest but makes food just like how you would have it in Brazil! I had a meat pastel and the dough was flaky and filling abundant but the coxinha was superb! The ratio 1/3 dough and 2/3 filling was perfect, the chicken very well seasoned and perfectly shredded and,the special Brazilian cheese catupiry, was plentiful, I don't really think the ambiance is great but the food was amazing! I gave it 4 stars to give justice to the food but this is not a place you will go for a date. It is very modest with a friendly service.

This is a great place to try Brazilian cuisine and to shop for Brazilian goods. The service and food are great. You should try!

Great Food and great environment! The customer service was very friendly and efficient.

Small, no-frills restaurant that also sells some groceries. The place has lots of windows so is pretty bright during the day. Service is a bit slow, especially during busy times, and it helps if you speak Portugese. We had a bit of trouble communicating with our server in English. The food portions were large, and all the food was very homey and tasty. We left with enough leftovers for another meal each.

Came here to try the famous feijoada and it did not disappoint. Having been to Brasil and tried it there, this was definitely a very authentic and delicious dish. The cafe also has Brazilian products to buy. However, I will say I was disappointed on the to go plate. For the price, I wouldn't call this a good deal. Maybe eating it in the actual store may be worth the money but taking it to go wasn't. The feijoada dish cost almost $19 with tax. Food 5/5 Value for money 3/5

I love this place a lot. They have genuine Brazilian foods as they are made in Brazil. Plus, you'll not meet nicer people. Suggestion: Try the coxinhas!

Amazingly fresh food, fantastic service and so nice to be able to have a little piece of my home country here.

Truly authentic food and grocery and the owners were so lovely and nice! I'd been craving some good Brazilian food and this hit the spot!

The Feijoada Completa and the Yuuca Fries were delicious. I always come here to get my Guaraná Zero but today was the first time I ordered food and I was not disappointed!! SO GOOD!! I'll definitely order again from Brasil Legal. It's a great spot to get some tradicional Brazilian ingredients and great food.

Boyfriend thought this was a law firm for Brazilians for 6 months before I got him to go inside lol. Amazing, delicious, cozy! We came in on a Saturday and found out they don't actually serve food until 11am. Walked around Western and came back to order some paõ de queijo, feijoada, and a side of Guarana. I was excited to try this because many of the reviews on here exclaim how authentic it is - how Brasil Legal, while small, is probably the most authentic Brazilian food you can get in Chicago. Can't speak to how "authentic" Brasil Legal is because neither of us are Brazilian, but we can confirm that the menu here is super delicious. The beef in the feijoada was so tender and soft, it fell apart on my fork. And the sides that came with it were also flavorful and tasty! TLDR; this is not a law firm and you should come in for some comforting Brazilian food.

I love the products they sell !! They have true brasilian products in their store , from cookies to beans and meats , even our special hot tea cups ! The people who work there are so nice and kind and actually speak Portuguese - I feel like I'm in brasil when I enter this cafe . It's very quaint and the food is delicious!!! Whenever I miss my homeland i come and get some goodies ! Don't think too much just come and try it !

BOM! Mais muito bom great service and delicious meals and snacks. A little piece of Brazil right around the corner

Lovely little place with great pastries. Love the coxinha - so so so good! There is also a small market of grocery goods such as Brazilian hot cocoa powder. A great stop if you're in the neighborhood!

I love shopping at Brasil Legal. Their coxinha is amazing and they always have Guarana. Best Brazilian market around!

Yelpers, you'd walk right past this place because its super lowkey but that's how you can fall in love, it's right there under your nose... Situation: Saturday morning after a long night wanted something good and in the area, at the time. A friend recommended, called up, the lady who answered, not sure if she was the owner but she was Triple OG, literally said "I'm about to chef up soon, so what all do you want" well that's my vernacular but you get it. Experience: This is not a sit down sit down joint, like you can, but it's a grocery too, it's like a Food & Stuff (shouts out to my Park & Recs fans), hence I was only picking up, but they take care of you once you enter, and are very attentive. I ordered a lot of stuff and everything was on point. Standouts: Can't tell you "Til' This Day" what I actually had, but like for real, everything was fire, like my Brazilian Gma made it, so go brazy, but if you go too brazy, remember I didn't have any particular stand outs LOL. Overall: 4/5 for the local "I honor y'all" places like this make the communities of Chicago so dope and unique, this place could easily be 4-star cuisine spot with some marketing dollars, but yet they're for the people and its damn good food. Until next time Yelpers, LOVE, LIVE, and EAT!

Food is not good, the risole de camarão doesn't have shrimp. I just order and really did not like it

What I thought was a small convenience store only turned out to also double as a small restaurant. The one thing I wanted had not been cooked when I arrived. The woman behind the counter told me to have a snack and a pop and wait. Feijoada. Wow. I had feijoada when I lived in São Paolo and during the few trips to Rio de Janeiro. What I had at Brazil Legal Cafe was a big hit, as were the coxhina and risole camarão. For it to have been chilly outside, the delicious food and fantastic service warmed me up.

I have never been to a Brazilian market before so why two stars? When I got there there were people moving things out the door, not bags or items but furniture and paintings. My first impression was that it was out of business and the owner or whoever was moving things out. I hesitated entering because I thought I would be treated with a stern, "we're closed." For a market, which I think it was pretty thin. It seemed like that had maybe ten items just spread out amongst all the shelves. I may not have been to a Brazilian market before but market wise pretty sad.

Great food! We originally ordered an American chicken dish and then saw someone else's Brazilian authentic dish. We were like, um, can we change our order? We want what they're having! Done! They completely accommodated our last minute decision and it was well worth it!

Guarana, guarana, guarana! This was my first venture into authentic Brazilian, so having a Brazilian with me who ordered in Portuguese was a big help. Going with several friends, we ordered and shared a lot, but stand outs were the coxinha, pastel, and kibe. I'm a meat eater through and through, but my vegetarian friends also left full and happy.

Although limited in its produce and menu options, its by far the cheapest authentic Brazilian cuisine in Chicago. The extremely nice workers (who will be even nicer if you speak Portuguese) are always willing to explain the menu for first timers. It feels like you're in your mom's kitchen. Also, I've only ever seen Brazilians eating there, so that's a pretty good sign that it's authentic. Obrigado pela melhor comida brasileira em Chicago!

This is my new and favorite restaurant for feijoada. It was super delicious and perfect. My family used to go to another Brazilian restaurant but that place switched to using kale and no longer used collard greens.

This place is a hidden treasure! Just wonderful, everything is just perfect and the food, outstanding!!!!!! Congratulations.

Amazing place for Brazilian grocery and the food is super good as well. Friendly service.

Authentic Brazilian food. You feel like you're in grandma kitchen. Order the feijoada you'll thank me. Also has a small grocery store w Brazilian treats

This is a great place for a brazilian home cooked meal, i go here 2-3 times a month. It is not a full restaurant, it is a mix of a brazilian grocery store and restaurant. Simple food, limited menu - you can have either beef or chicken, along with the Brazilian staples... Rice, black beans, greens, or a salad. For appetizers they have the fried pastries which are not very healthy but so good. On the weekends, they have feijoada. Prices are reasonable and the service is friendly. As long as you go in with the expectation of a basic, inexpensive, home cooked Brazilian meal you won't be disappointed.

I love this little Brazilian market. It is funny how this market looks the one I go to in SF. I looked this place up on google just because I was hankering for Pao de Queso (cheese bread). I bought six bags and they are $1 cheaper per bag here than in SF. I love the Midwest and the cheaper prices! I was also inspired to make feijoada (brazilian bean stew) when I saw a bag of black beans. I was so happy that I had the courage to try to make this again. It worked out well this time and I can now stop my search for a brazilian restaurant since I have my pao and my feijoada!

I was quite excited when I found out about this place, it's in my neck of the woods and there's a great need for decent little ethnic specialty markets, (in addition to just a regular grocery store) but this ain't it. As another reviewer noted, it looked like they might be going out of business, the shelves were packed half full, lots of unused space in general, and what is used is largely taken up by soft drinks and candies. It is perhaps correct that this is the only place in Chicago to keep Guarana in stock, but that won't sell it for me, as the range of the food on offer is weak.

I travel the world for work, and been Brazilian I stop in different Brazilian restaurants all over the world. If you are looking for the real taste of a home cooked meal from Brasil this is your place. 5 starts all the way!

If you have been privileged to visit Brazil and eat feijoada, you probably realize that it's NOT easy to find legit feijoada in Chicago. It's not that feijoada doesn't exist in Chicago, but other than pricey Sinha, there are not many options. I'm grateful to say that I found a delicious and inexpensive feijoada in Brasil Legal. As the other reviews have mentioned, it's a small grocery store with a couple of tables. The owners are Brazilian and they're generously providing Chicago with authentic flavors from Brazil. The Feijoada was served with rice, farofa, greens, and oranges. This is the way it's supposed to be done. The coxinha and beef pastel were a good appetizer. Of course, I washed it down with a Guarana soda. This place is a hidden gem. ***Please keep in mind that the feijoada is only served on Saturday and Sunday***

If you have some kind of freaky fetish about Brasilian groceries, this place is pretty much a wet dream for you. Although the space was small, it was packed with snacks and juices and even a cooler with meat. Everyone there was really friendly, but assumed that I spoke Portugese. I really wanted to try the feijoada that I had heard so much about, but unfortunately they won't start serving that until the weather gets colder. Plus to them for not serving food if it's out of season. OH! And they totally have these cookies called "Bono" *snicker* that are awesome. $10 minimum for credit card.

Had lunch here recently, and it was great. Everything is made to order, so if you're in a hurry call ahead. I had the chicken sandwich and it was unique and well made. Tried a couple of the pastries which were ok. I'd really like to return on the weekend to try the feijoada. Picked up some Brazilian coffee and Guarana. Noticed an assortment of sausages in the cooler including cured linguiça and some fresh ones too. Fairly good assortment of imported packaged goods on the shelves. Great little hole in the wall place with charm, it was packed on a random Friday when we visited. A Brazilian friend mentioned this may have correlated with a passport renewal deadline that was around the same day.

I have experienced better in the very same place. It used to be a very nice Brazilian specialty market until a couple years ago. Five years ago the store was packed with products, today it looks like it's going out of business. It feels so sad and empty it's almost depressing. Don't get me wrong, it still has a bunch of the products I love, but not the same vibe anymore. If it was '06-'07, I'd give it a 4 star. Today 2 stars is it.

I had just traveled in Brazil and was looking for a place for good food and commodities that would bring me back... and it totally did! Really down to earth place with delicious food and really sweet manager. No frills = my preference

Amazing little place in the heart of Chicago. Not fancy by any means, but really authentic, delicious brazilian food. A brazilian friend of mine took me here and according to him, this restaurant is as authentic as it gets! You can get a big plate of food (steak, rice, fried yuka and beans) for $11, so it's not expensive at all. Highly recommend!

I'd never had authentic Brazilian food before stopping in here. A friend was visiting from Brazil so we took a chance on this place when she was homesick. She LOVED it. Swears it's like being home. Personally, I thought the coxinha was awesome, and I really liked that they sold groceries so that we can buy more for home! It's an unassuming little place in the middle of nowhere. If you blink, you'll miss it. But it's so worth the trek out there. Everything was amazing, 10/10 recommend.

My wife and I have enjoyed this place on several occasions. It's always pleasant. The mom and pop who run it are very nice and patient. The menu is authentic Brazilian, but fairly limited. The food is wonderful and inexpensive ranging from about $6 - $12. The dining area is tiny; about 5 small tables, surrounded by some shelves filled (maybe) with various imported Brazilian food items. The Sunday treat is the traditional Brazilian sausage and black bean stew. A real winner! We have visited Brazil and this is a nice reminder.

Legit Brazilian food, home-cooked meals. I have a feeling of nostalgia everytime I go there.

Didn't see many of the Brazilian treats I miss at this store. Had Guarana and pao de queijo mix, though. The selection is pretty small overall, and a tad overpriced. Not sure if I'd go back, probably only for the pao de queijo mix. The lady at the cash register was super nice, though!

This little gem may not stick out when walking by, but you definitely have to go in and try it! Delicious food and friendly staff. Will be going back to get the Gauraná too that they sell in 12 packs. Must visit! They were busy the whole time we were there.

This place is the bomb and the portions are so filling. Staff is amazing and the food is superb. Definitely not a one time experience. I will be back!!

GUARANA! The only place in the city of Chicago that always has that exotic Brazilian softdrink, Guarana, in stock. It's Antartica too -- the best. For you Brazilians who need to matar as saudades do Brasil e da comida Brasileira, you can buy some Brazilian food here too.

Only place I have found in Chicago to get any delicious Brasilian Feijoada (beef stew). Havent been there in over a year, but will be returning soon. I only wish Chicago had proper Brasilian spots like NYC...

Great place for brazilian stuff. I have a Brazilian wife and she loves it. Feijoada is the bomb. The items are all from Brazil but sometimes their shelves are a little empty. They just moved two doors to a nicer facility which is great!

You can find some Brazilian products in this market, but as other reviewers said they usually have many shelves empty and they don't have much variety. What's more important: they are NOT the only place to buy Guarana in Chicago! You can buy a 2 liter bottle of Guarana for $2.50 at Pepe's, another market in the same street. I usually go just to Pepe's. UPDATE: they completely revamped the store! And it's not just about the layout and decoration: they have many more products now. And they also prepare a very good Feijoada for you to take home...

If you want homemade Brazilian food made with love and dedication - Brasil Legal is the place to eat! It has a step up over other Brazilian cafes because the food tastes very homemade - and I love it! I love their Feijoada combo and their "Pratos Feitos"... Adoro! I couldn't make it to Brasil with my friends this year, but eating here gives me a little piece of brasilidade!

Remodeled, full shelves, looks great. Best, they accept visa now. Little on the pricey side, but when a man wants pao de queijo, a man wants pao de queijo.

The place looks recently remodeled and it has a decent amount of Brasilian goods. You can find Acai frozen packets here, great tasting but very strong coffee, Brasilian Havanas sandals with the cute Brasil flag on them, chocolates, Pao de queso, Guarana soda and many Brasilian ingredients to make great tasting dishes like feijoada. This place is muito bom para voce, tchau!