Best Brazilian Restaurants in NYC

Churrascarias, caipirinhas, pão de queijo -- where to eat before Brazil plays all three MetLife matches

Best Brazilian Restaurants in NYC: World Cup 2026 Guide

Brazil plays all three of its group stage matches at MetLife Stadium -- June 13 vs Morocco, June 19 vs Haiti, June 24 vs Scotland. For Brazilian fans, and for anyone who wants to eat extraordinary food before the best-supported team at this World Cup plays, the NYC area has excellent options. The key insight: don't eat near MetLife (limited options, high prices). Eat in the Ironbound or Astoria before making the NJ Transit journey.

Newark's Ironbound -- The Best Brazilian Food Near MetLife

The Ironbound district in Newark is the most underrated dining destination in the New York area and the best Brazilian neighborhood in the entire United States. Ferry Street and the surrounding blocks have Brazilian churrascarias, Portuguese bacalhau restaurants, and cafés serving pastel (fried pastries with meat or cheese filling) and café com leite. It's 20 minutes from Penn Station by NJ Transit and about 10 miles from MetLife -- the perfect pre-match dinner location.

Seabra's Marisqueira is the flagship -- seafood and grilled fish in the Portuguese-Brazilian tradition, with a wine list that takes both countries' producers seriously. For a full churrasco experience, the restaurants on Ferry Street serve the rotating skewer service that defines the format. Arrive hungry, order the picanha (top sirloin cap with the fat cap intact), and eat until the red coaster goes down.

Astoria, Queens -- NYC's Brazilian Neighborhood

Astoria is New York's most diverse neighborhood and home to its strongest Brazilian community. Brazilian restaurants and cafés are clustered in the streets around 31st Street and Ditmars Boulevard. On Brazil match days -- and all three MetLife matches make every 10-14 days a Brazil occasion -- Astoria transforms. Yellow jerseys appear at breakfast. Flags go up. The sound from the restaurants and bars makes it hard to distinguish the street from inside.

Look for açaí bowls (the frozen Brazilian superfood that New York adopted completely), pão de queijo (warm cheese rolls, eat them immediately), and coxinha (chicken croquettes) at Brazilian cafés. For full meals, Brazilian rodizio (rotating churrasco service) restaurants in Astoria deliver the experience at a lower price point than Midtown steakhouses.

Little Brazil Street -- Manhattan (W 46th Street)

West 46th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues is officially "Little Brazil Street" -- a handful of Brazilian restaurants in the heart of Midtown with community ties and match-day energy. Convenient for visitors staying near Times Square who don't want to leave Manhattan. The street has a few excellent spots serving full Brazilian menus including feijoada (the black bean and pork national dish, best on Saturdays) and several caipirinhas-forward bar setups for match watching.

Essential Brazilian Dishes

• Picanha -- Top sirloin cap, Brazil most important beef cut, with a thick fat cap that self-bastes during cooking. The crown jewel of churrasco. Order it everywhere that serves it.
• Pão de Queijo -- Small cheese rolls made with tapioca flour, warm from the oven, served as a bread course. Addictive and unlike any other bread you've had. Eat them immediately.
• Feijoada -- Black bean and pork stew, Brazil national dish. Slow-cooked, deeply flavored, served with rice and farofa (toasted cassava flour). The most comforting dish in Brazilian cooking.
• Açaí Bowl -- Frozen açaí berry base topped with granola, banana, honey, and sometimes peanut butter. Originally from the Amazon, now the defining Brazilian health food export. Available at Brazilian cafés and dozens of juice bars across NYC.
• Coxinha -- Teardrop-shaped chicken croquettes, breaded and fried. The most beloved Brazilian street snack. Order a plate to share before the match.
• Caipirinha -- Cachaça (sugarcane spirit), fresh lime muddled with sugar, ice. Brazil national drink. Cold, strong, and exactly right for a June afternoon before a MetLife match.