Moqueca Brazilian Restaurant

The food was amazing. We loved the restaurant, so clean and well decorated. Service was also very good. We will be back.

Such a treat to go here. I've dined here just a handful of times over the past 5 years and it's consistently wonderful. Servers are lovely! This time I ordered two of the traditional cocktails, Caipirinha and they were SO good. This restaurant has gotten more popular - def make a reservation, at least on the weekends.

What lovely restaurant in the heart of Thousand Oaks. Quite close to the civic center for dinner before an event. Fish soup is their specialty. I was pleasantly surprised at the reasonable prices. Appetizers and main courses (I had the white sea bass) were full of flavor...I kept thinking of the "flavor party" happening in my mouth after every bite. Plenty of close parking, staff was pleasant, helpful & efficient. I give this place two thumbs up and plan to visit again soon. Oh yes, do try the coconut flan for desert...you'll thank me.

Amazing at every level. Food is top notch, high quality and staff is top tier. Heart of Palm appetizer with bread is a staple. we tried the steak skewers tonight and they were amazing as well. Dessert menu just showed up so I’m going to stop typing.

First time eating here, it was really good. We had the double order of Sea bass (2x) for 5 people. Plenty of food. I loved the sauce that came with it. I will return this was very enjoyable.

Lovely dinner! The waiter was extremely helpful and friendly, and his recommendations did not disappoint. Definitely recommend the signature dish- the moqueca. The shrimp and shellfish were cooked beautifully and if you aren't familiar with Brazilian cuisine, this is a great introduction to it. Atmosphere is very calm and welcoming, so much so that it was lovely even on a quiet Monday evening. Perfect for birthdays, date nights, or work events.

My husband and I enjoy having Lunch here. The food is delicious and well prepared. Our favorite dish is Moqueca with fish and shrimp. Their cocktails are very flavorful “Brazilian Rose” is my favorite. Banana Frita (fried plantains) are always included. Service is great and prompt.

One of the best restaurants I've been to in a while. I had the seabass Moqueca. Everyone enjoyed their food. Even the flan was one of the best I've ever had. Service was also excellent. If I lived closer, I'd go back often.

Delicious moqueca. Good service. Good ambiance Delicious moqueca. Good service. Good ambiance

Food and Ambiance was wonderful. Such a nice and relaxing vibe . Service was top notch and everyone was super attentive . I had the lobster and shrimp Moqueca and it was wonderful .

Haven't been here since I moved away from LA, but I miss this place more than anywhere else! The Moqueca is amazing, absolute best spot to eat around.

We randomly picked Moqueca for dinner one Tuesday night and we were not disappointed. From the moment we walked in and smelled all the inviting aromas of food, to the moment we left, everything was great. Server We opted for the traditional rum cocktails per server's recommendation and were happy with the choices. For food, we stated with the Coxinhas (potato puffs), shared a salad, then enjoyed the sea bass and shrimp Moqueca for two. Moqueca is a tomato and coconut based stew of marinated seafood - and it was so good! We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Moqueca and highly recommend to others to come and try, whether you're familiar with what Moqueca is or if it's your first time like ours.

I will confess, I have never heard of the word, Maqueca. Have you? Even more, what does it mean. And actually, there is a Brazilian restaurant in Thousand Oaks, with that name. Maqueca refers to a type of Brazilian cooking. Here, in a handcrafted clay pot, a choice of seafood marinated with garlic and lime juice, is cooked in a fresh made sauce of tomatoes, cilantro, onions, urucum essence, coconut milk and olive oil. It is served with a side of seasoned white rice. My exposure to this dish was in terms of choosing the Mahi Mahi. How was it? Really superb. Exceptionally prepared. Wonderful presentation. Fish was succulent, and immersed in this well balanced, flavorful sauce in colors of orange, red and yellow. With all the ingredients, married well, fresh. Before that, I asked for the side of Feijao (black beans) first. Yes, before the entree. The owner was surprised too. He kept pushing for booze, cocktails, high end appetizers and entrees. There was only one server when I was there, and she was swamped, hurried, mechanical and ambivalent. My Maqueca arrived over half an hour after it was ordered. Not a problem for me. I like it slow, not hurried, so I can enjoy the restaurant itself (that is also, why I ordered the Feijao). Here, there is Brazilian music, softly done, not blasting the ear drums. Well selected. Yes, all these different aspects, enhanced the ambiance and the dining experience. If you didn't look outside, you were probably in Brazil.

Amazing food all the way around -- the pastel and coxinha are perfect, the banana frita is the perfect compliment to any dish, the picanha is amazing (especially with Chimichurri and farofa), and the pudim is to die for. One of our favorite restaurants and perfect for a special occasion (or a treat). The service is very attentive and friendly, and the ambiance is great as well. Have been multiple times and everything on the menu is excellent! Can't wait to go back

My first time trying Brazilian food so I was very curious to see how I would like it. I started off with a diet Guarana soda. I can't explain what this food taste like but let's just say that I am now obsessed with that soda. For the main course, I got the vegan moqueca, it came with plantains and mixed vegetables including broccoli and carrot. For the table we also got the collard greens and the black beans. The moqueca was very amazing. The flavors were complex yet simple which I appreciate and I love anything coconut milk based.

Brazilian food is rather rare in Southern California. The Wood Spoon was an institution in Downtown Los Àngeles, but with the Chef-owner's heavy work related injury, the restaurant closed. So Moqueca is one of the few representing a cuisine whose country covers most of South America. 1) Coxinha (koh shin ya) is mashed potato in shape of a large tear drop filled with herb braised breast meat chicken covered in fine bread crumbs and fried. Basically, it's a coquette. Malagueta Chile Aïoli (ah ee oh lee) mayonnaise with a purée of pickled red chiles that is creamy, acidic with a red chile pepper smokiness. Nice way to start off a meal. 2) Moqueca (moh keh kah) is an African influenced fish and/or shellfish stew made from a base of tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime, coriander, palm oil and coconut milk. Moqueca seems to be in a neck & neck race with Feijoada to be the national dish of Brasil. Fibrous Bay shrimp, soft overcooked Bay scallops, squid, bits of mushy white fish in a reduced stew. Pile of chopped Cilantro adds that soapy, fresh green herbal aromatic. Sauce is a bit bland. Perhaps more lime, coconut milk, garlic could have upped the flavour profile. Little sauce boat of not too spicy Malagueta Chile in vinegar-oil can be added to add more piquancy & acidity. 3) Mousse de Maracujá (mah rah coo jah): A creamy, rich yet refreshing light pudding of passion fruit captured the musky, tropical scent of passion fruit to a tee. Great way to end the meal on a high note. 1-3) Caipirinha (kah ee pee reen yah): Cachaça (cah shah sah) is distilled from sugar much like Rum and mixed with lime juice for the main flavoring. Food here with the rather underwhelming Moqueca is 3+, but what made Moqueca restaurant 4 stars is the friendly and understanding service. Due to heavy Ventura Frwy traffic, we were running late so I informed José and his partner that time was of the essence since we were going to the nearby Performing Arts Center. They did a great job in getting us out as soon as possible. Muito Obrigado!

Outstanding food! Been waiting to come here for years and finally made it. I wish I came sooner. Great service and great vibes overall.

We ordered: Scallops on the shell 5 stars They were so fresh and delicous, perfectly seasoned, and I love the spring greens underneath it drizzled in olive oil. I literally wanted to lick the plate. Steak skewers 5 stars These were amazing. The steak was drizzled with chimichurri sauce with a crumbly nutty, maybe breadcrumbs or grounded down cashews they roasted on top, and the spring greens was on the bottom which I also ate all of it. Highly recommend, definitely order. Sea bass Moquecca 5 stars This was my favorite! This dish was dairy, free and gluten-free and made with the tastiest tomatoes and fish that was cooked perfectly with cilantro as garnish, so balanced, highly recommend 10 out of 10

Recently had the worst experience there, but still giving 2 stars because the food is delicious. Always have bad, slow, inattentive service during the day even when there's as little as 4 customers. This visit was during the day and my husband and I ordered the Mahi Mahi Moqueca and were given cod. The waitress disappeared for 15 minutes to fall into a black hole in the kitchen and sometimes serve 2 other tables of 4 and 2...the other group of 2 was right behind us...She would not make eye contact with us and even when she finally showed up at the table behind us, she kept her back to us and the words "Excuse me" magically never reached her ears. When we finally her attention, she acted dumbfounded that we were not served Mahi Mahi and had to go check with the kitchen. She said she was surprised that they served us cod and had run out of Mahi Mahi. Our only choice was eat the cod or return it bc we don't eat other items on the menu. It was good, but not as great as the Mahi Mahi. There were no apologies, discounts or comps offered. Just blatant disregard for honesty and an "Oh well" attitude. The owners should really check on their waitress and kitchen staff during the day. We never had this experience at night with a full restaurant.

I'm new to Brazilian cuisine. But my husband lived in Brazil and brought me to Moqueca. I love cod, so I highly recommend the moqueca (stew) with cod. So comforting! But you may want to share this giant bowl, and the side of rice (to add). If you are also new to Moqueca, be sure to ask your server for recommendations!! The staff is so friendly. And go early, as this place fills up with Brazilian families for a late dinner

Amazing service; we called ahead for a reservation and they were able to accommodate 12 people on a Tuesday night. The ambience was great as well. I've never had Brazilian cuisine aside from steakhouses such as Fogo De Chao, and so I was very excited to try this place. All of us got the moqueca dish (can't go wrong with ordering the dish that the restaurant is named after)! They came out rlly hot and with fresh seafood. The soup was great poured over rice or by itself and the portion size was huge. I had to take the rest for leftover lunch tomorrow. We also got pao de queso (off menu item), plantains, and skewers as appetizers. All absolutely amazing and cooked to perfection. Recommend trying.

went last night. made reservation. not too crowded but a couple of large groups. plenty of parking. inside brazilian ambience was rather meh , but menu decent. nice staff. pricing reasonable. good selection of foods with meats, chicken, lobster and shrimp options. Decent portions. great chocolate mouse. our lobster on the stew was just a little overcooked. wife got a cocktail. i would go again. took left over home. i take my review seriously. definitely not less than 4*.

Absolutely loved this place!! Arrived right at opening and to my surprise they have a great happy hour menu! Laura was amazing and spent time explaining the menu to us. I would come back just for her service alone. I'm not a huge fan of fish so I was excited to find out they had a vegan version of the Moqueca and it was delicious!! So comforting and flavorful. Overall I thought this place was fantastic. Just wish I lived closer to come more often!!

Moqueca Brazilian Restaurant in Thousand Oaks is located in a small shopping center, where Nothing Bundt cake is located. The restaurant is quaint and a very open comfortable environment. We were there with friends enjoying the evening. We began with beef and cheese empanadas, two of each came on the plate. These empanadas had the flakiest light crust I have ever eaten on empanadas. The filling were amazing along with the sauce that accompanied the plate. I am sure the empanadas carried more calories than I would like to be aware, but it was delicious, light, flaky and a definite recommend. Our waiter was attentive and ensured our orders. Explained any questions and recommended when we inquired. There were several that attended to our tables, so it was a great team effort. When they served our dinners, he also suggested for us to use the chili oil to add an additional layer of flavor to our dishes. They had served our table crostini bread with an eggplant spread and a spicy chili oil. The bread was addictive along with the eggplant spread with droppings of the chili oil. Three of us ordered the White Seabass Moqueca, which is a tomato sauce with onions and garlic along with a squeeze of lime with the seabass. It is served with a side of white rice. It was absolutely delicious and unique. I would definitely come back just to order the White Seabass Moqueca again. My husband ordered the steak, which he said was amazing. He also had some of the Moqueca and thought it was amazing. For dessert we ordered the Passion Fruit Mousse and the Bombom which was chocolate bars layered in flan and chantilly cream to share. Both desserts were delicious and topped off our dinner excellently. Moqueca Brazilian is a definite recommend. The service, atmosphere and food was perfect. And we all enjoyed our evening.

Right on Thousand Oaks Blvd in a strip mall, you will find Moqueca,..one of the best restaurants in Thousand Oaks. It has been a few years since we have visited, but the food remains top notch. I started with a classic Caiprinha cocktail. It is no joke and has a lot of alcohol. I recommend the namesake dish...the Moqueca. I ordered the Mahi Mahi -- mixed shellfish version. So yummy. My partner had the Hearts of Palm salad---light, refreshing and delicious. We had the Coxinhas appetizer which were tasty and different. Service was great. The waitstaff help each other and are helpful.

the food and service are always spot on. We go for the Moqueca bowl every time and every time it is so delicious!

An authentic experience in Brazillian cuisine. Their specialty is the Moqueca seafood soup but they do have other selections that are equally tasty. Don't forget their desserts. Reservation ahead is recommended especially during weekends. The service is prompt and attentive. A restaurant for a romantic night out or any celebration . You can be assured to have a memorable experience in this establishment.

It's great Brazilian restaurant in town that has some special weekend dishes that are not available during the week. I had the shrimp and sea bass moqueca for one and it was a very hearty portion of yumminess. Comes with rice and honestly one can load up with rice, is so good. I had a side of collard greens and plantains. Left full and happy. I tried their steak and chicken plates, awesome food. Staff are very friendly and knowledgeable of the menu. Large dining area and easy to hold conversation with your own party. Facilities are clean and plenty of free parking.

I always love LOVE love this place. Tucked away in a small strip mall with ample parking for all. The owner is accommodating, the food is outstanding and the drinks will not disappoint. I typically get the scallops (on the shell...yep on the shell), empanadas and the fish in the tomato sauce. They have hot peppers in oil that is super hot and adds so much to each dish so make sure to ask for it on the side. For dessert try the banana dessert with ice cream...YES do it!!! I would highly recommend this place to anyone.

It had been a few years since I had dined here. Our group enjoyed sharing our dishes. The fried yucca was delicious. We ordered the shrimp moqueca, feijoada, and the sun dried tomato grilled chicken. All were very tasty and good-sized portions. I think the heartiest dish was the feijoada and was probably my favorite of the 3. Service was prompt and friendly. The restaurant was not super busy for a mid week evening, so it was nice to be able to chat with each other, as it was not too noisy.

We came to Moqueca for my son's birthday. The whole experience was amazing!!! Everything we ordered was cooked to perfection and so full of flavor. The service was exceptional. We will definitely be back.

Wow! This place is a local secret that serves some absolutely delicious morsels. We all know the traditional Brazilian steakhouse way -- with servers carving meat tableside straight from the skewer -- but this restaurant is taking a completely different route. My aunt and I planned to taste a mix of flavors, by sharing several small dishes family- style, yes -- we preferred to miss out on one dish. I highly recommend going out of your comfort zone and trusting your server. However, when we ordered the sea bass speciality dish with coconut milk, I am not a fan of coconut milk but it tasted very mild and was fabulous! I am definitely jonesing to get back there next time my family visits Ventura County.

Truly a gem in the suburbs, Moqueca stands out as a rare find for unique regional foods in this area. All the moqueca dishes are delicious, but my go-to is the mixed seafood with fish--it's simply divine. This is not your usual Brazilian meat dishes that Americans are familiar with, making it a refreshing and exciting culinary experience. The appetizers are equally impressive, with standout options like the meat skewers, empanadas, and scallops on shells. Also, you absolutely must try the caipirinha. It's delicious and very strong, perfectly setting the tone for a delightful meal. There's always a fun crowd at Moqueca, some of whom I assume are of Brazilian origin, adding to the vibrant atmosphere. I've even been there when they were showing a Brazil football game, which made for an even more engaging experience. And let's not forget Rodrigo, who is wonderful. I believe I first met him when he opened in Oxnard, and it's always a pleasure to see him.

I've eaten at Moqueca three times recently. My go to dish is the ravioli and it's fantastic. My latest choice was the spaghetti and it underwhelming. Way too much cheese. I wouldn't order it again. But, I'll come back and try something. Service excellent. Staff are very friendly. You can't hit a home run on every dish.

Love the food and friendly waitstaff. The Brazillian drinks are awesome. The owners are hard working people who also hire wonderful staff.

This is easily my favorite spot for Brazilian food. They specialize in seafood cuisine, and the Moqueca is a must when you come here. I always start with a caipirinha - cachaca muddled with fresh limes and sugar. I've never had it better any place else, and I love that the owners frequently bring in new cachacas to try. Highly recommend. I had the Mariscada Moqueca, which is a mix of seafood including lobster, shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, and sea bass swimming in the most amazing soup. I love coming here on a cold day, and it's plenty for leftovers the next day! Service is great. Huge shoutout to Laura and Jose who always make you feel like you're dining with family! Ambiance is good for date night or even a family dinner. I look forward to my next meal here!!

Can a fabulous dinner at Moqueca Brazilian Resturant for valentines. Reservation was required for this day. The staff was attentive and kind also very hopeful with explaining the menu their signature cocktails. It made the whole experience wonderful. The restaurant has plenty of tables very spacious. The decor was nice really made you feel that you were in a fancy restaurant the food and the cocktails were amazing. I enjoyed the moqueca seafood. The steak that I had was well cooked to perfection and all the cocktails were good. I would recommend this resturant for those who want to change it up. Brazilian food is delicious.

Service was friendly and helpful. Really comfortable and welcoming experience. It's great to see food from another region of Brazil. Definitely, we will be back.

Planning for dinner on the weekend? Definitely make a reservation! We had a reservation at 1830..but since we were both starving, we got there an hour earlier. Got seated and about 15 mins, the restaurant was packed & people waiting. Since it was our first time, we ordered the recommendation. Everything was good and flavorful. But it all changed when I put the chili oil on.. maybe I put too much. It wasn't spicy but i feel like it masked all the other flavors.. Got a cashew fruit cocktail, tasted like limonade. Refreshing. Recommended Capa Santa Gratinada: it's a chance of luck - we didn't get lucky, a couple small scallops.. but the flavor was perfect. Coxinhas: chicken filled (almost mistaken as crab meat), tastes great its own- the malagueta sauce is a bit odd for me (color reminds me of cesar dressing). Lobster Moqueca (individual): tender perfectly cooked lobster- stew had a lot of tomatoes.. so much so much tomatoes.. try this with rice without the chili oil - Pudim de Caramelo: this flan is extremely dense but so smooth and delicious (get dessert first) Pave De Bombom: dessert in a cup, texture reminds me of tiramisu-layers of chocolate candy and milk flan and chantilly cream (would lick it but kind of hard)

Great food and service. Cocktails are also great! Love the shrimp moqueca! Drinks from bar are quite good.

Beef Empanadas Sea Bass Moqueka Plantains The drink ciaprinna not sue of spelling quite delicious. All wonderful and service impeccable. I highly rate this restaurant

We ordered the Mahi Moqueca. When it came out we noticed it tasted and looked different than usual. After notifying the waitress, she went back to the kitchen where she was notified that they were out of Mahi and substituted Cod instead without notifying or checking with us. No compensation was offered.

Such a great Brazilian restaurant in town with delicious and flavorful seafood and steak. We had the picanha starter, which was wonderfully tender. A little on the salty side, but not enough to complain about. The moqueca bowl was a large enough portion for around 4 people, and included fresh and equally tender seafood. They serve you rice and chili oil on the side if you're into that. We also ordered the flan for dessert, and it was some of the best flan I have ever had. Service was also great. We were one of the last group of people that came in for the night and we didn't feel rushed.

A great place to have some fresh seafood dinner. I have always ordered their shrimp and seabass combination. Their fried plantains and yuccas are always on point too!

The food here is excellent, best food I've had in Thousand Oaks! Service was attentive too. Would definitely go back here.

Nice service from our server. The environment was very chill and vibey. Got there around 5pm and there was no wait. We got two appetizers and the sea bass and shrimp moqueca. It's one of their specialty dishes, which is nice to try but I'm not sure if I would get it again since it was about $70 for two of us.

Great service and amazing food The Brazilian steak one of the best I ever ate . Definitely coming back

I've eaten here a couple of times and every time, I wonder why I don't go more often. There are so many delicious appetizers and entrees on their menu, so many delicious things to try!!! The stroganoff and steak have been my favorites, but the moquecas are amazing as well. I love the steak skewer and empanadas appetizers, too. The service is great and it feels welcoming and warm inside the restaurant. A great date night or girls' dinner spot!

Great meal here. They had a ribeye as the special which tasted great with the sauces. Also the sea bass Mosquera was good. A lot of food for one person. The plantains were a taste side slight I do like mine a little sweeter and moister usually. The dining room was the right size and set up well for a pleasant evening with unique decor. The service was very attentive. Would recommend for anyone.

Delicious!!! One of the best meal I ever had for 2023. We made reservations three hours before and got a table. When we got in, our mouth started watering. The aroma was indescribably amazing. We were greeted warmly and sat right away. The place was packed. Glad I made reservations because we were starving. A friend of mine recommended this place and he just became a great friend. Obviously we ordered one of their main dishes. The Moqueca. We ordered the fish (sea bass) and shrimp moqueca but first the beef empanadas came along. We love the crispy light texture and inside is packed of well seasoned ground beef. I ordered the roasted chicken breast. By far it's the most tender juiciest chicken breast I ever had. My knife cut through with little effort. Smokey and lots of flavor. Back to the moqueca, the broth was heavenly. I immediately drenched my rice with it. The shrimp was sweet and fresh and the sea bass just melted in my mouth. Wow! Mind blown! If you read this far then stop what you're doing and pay a visit and get ready for an experience of a lifetime. I could easily say the people who works there love what they do. Five star service! So much love goes in to one plate. Way to go Chef!! Can't wait to try them all!

Came here for my birthday over a month ago and had a really great time! The owner was friendly and explained all the dishes to us. The sea bass moqueca was delicious as was the Caipirinha.

Brazilian steaks are supposed to be tender but the steak we had here was the hardest steak we have ever had.We complained and nothing was done. This place came highly recommended but not sure what others ordered but nothing we ordered met the grade.

All of these years later I came back to say that I have not yet been disappointed. The food is still amazing, the service is fantastic, and the ambiance couldn't be any better. Unlike many restaurants that fade away after a strong start, Moqueca has only gotten better!

Loved everything about it. Food. Service, ambience and easy parking.*******************

Amazing! It was a lot of food so you can split one of the bowls or save for leftovers. The ambiance and service were nice as well.

The place has nice interior even though it looks like it's in a strip mall. The food was not what I expected. The menu was talked about as if it was good but it most of the dishes were missing any flavor that would indicate as such. The famous moqueca bowl was bland and here's what they did - they made a big stew that was missing flavor entirely and add your protein to the boiling mix, so if you get seabass or anything seafood, it's cooked beyond the point of rubber. You get wads of rubber in liquid mixed with rice. It's like someone is pulling a prank or something on everyone. And they charge you like they know what they are doing in the kitchen. How hard is it to folow a recipe and cook a stew? Clearly it's a challenge for this crew.

Where do I start?! This place has been a favorite of mine since my now husband took me here on our first date back in 2016. The atmosphere is welcoming to either casual dress or fancy dressing. The food is amazing! I haven't had a bad dish from them. From the salad to the moquecas, they make food very well. In my opinion, there are only two downsides. 1. They aren't open for lunch anymore since stupid covid. 2. The takeout on the delivery apps can be disappointing. Otherwise, the food in the restaurant seems authentic (since I've never been to Brazil). The food has great flavor and is seasoned to perfection. Our favorite dishes are the Moqueca and the stroganoff (either rice or noodles) can't go wrong. The eggplant topanod (probably misspelling) is delicious. I also get the crab or lobster mixture to put on the bread. The staff are friendly and welcoming. All-in-all, go to this place and eat some deliciously unique food.