Canto Do Brazil

I had dinner and lunch a few times at this restaurant, because I'm brazilian as most of my friends and sometimes we want to eat brazilian food, even if mediocre. But the waitresses always gave me attitude, like ""if you want to eat here it has to be fast because we close at 9:30pm""! Once, we were there in a group of fourteen or so, for my friend's birthday. The drinks took forever, the food was bellow average (but that was no surprise) and when the bill came, they were charging us 22% tip! they tried to come up with excuses like it was what they charge for big parties, but we did not find that written on the menu or anywhere. They probably think big parties drink too much and don't check their bill. Pros: party ambiance Cons: service and overcharging more

I've been wondering how this restaurant has stayed in business so long. Now I know. Their menu, while it sounds impressive, in reality is like a fast food version of what passes for Brazilian fare. Each overpriced dinner entree comes with the same bland side dishes and the ""main"" course is small, cheap, badly prepared cuts of meat or seafood. The service is poor and the ""floor show"" is sad. In this city of restaurants, there are many better choices. more

Caiphirinas: weak, tasteless, tiny.. but lots of ice cubes. Feijoada: hardly any meat, lots of beans....not a true dish by any means. The rave reviews reflect inexperience with authentic Brazilian food, or just plain inexperience. Avoid this place at all costs. Pros: interesting decor Cons: the food and drinks are poorly executed more

I went to dinner at Canto do Brazil after watching their review on KQED Check Please Bay Area, and I was very impressed. My boyfriend and I had a great dinner and we ordered everything that we saw on the TV show and is was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!! I've gone back to the restaurant about 4 more times taking other friends. You must try this place. \r \r Pros: reasonable prices, delicious food, strong drinks Cons: parking, make reservations on weekends more

We went their for dinner last night and unfortunately did not realiza that they had overcharged us until we reached back home. Just like the last reviewer, they added on the tip under the beverage category. Our friend who reviewed the bill did not notice this and so we added on another tip....in essence we paid them a 40% tip. The food was ok but not that great. Pros: Decent brazilian food Cons: Overcharging and bad service more

This was a terrible end to an average dinner at best, and I believe they intentionally tried to overcharge us. First of all, they automatically added in our tip, but they listed it under the ""beverages"" category. If we hadn't reviewed the bill, we would have tacked on our own tip and given them a lot of extra money. When we asked them to explain the charges, they apologized and told us that they ""forgot"" to tell us that the ""beverage"" charges we actually the automatic tip, and that they automatically add a 20% gratuity for show days (dancers). We thought that was a little high, but not totally out of the question, and certainly not a big point of contention all by itself. However, the math just still didn't add up, and pulling out the calculator showed that they actually added on 25% (of food and drinks) for the tip (even though they had just told us it was 20%). Also, the subtotal was off by $5.00 too. Finally, when confronted about their errors, they basically told us off very rudely and at one point resorted to yelling at us. I would definitely STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!!!! They are rude and unethical, and the food wasn't that great either. more

I actually like this place -- especially for lunch. You get big poritions of decent food for just a few bucks, and the fruit drinks alone are worth going for. But the service? Horrendous. I was there for dinner with a friend and there was one other small group in the entire restaurant. Our waiter sat there and chatted away with another woman who worked there. Every once in a while, they'd look over at us (waiting, expectantly, for water, menus, anything), practically roll their eyes and then return to whatever scintillating conversation they were having. I mean, hello, you've got customers here! And it was 6pm, mind you -- half an hour after they'd opened. But I was hungry, and craving Brazilian food, so I actually made the effort to flag the guy down and practically had to force him to bring us anything. It honestly infuriated me so much that i just don't think I'll ever be back -- cheap, good Brazilian food and yummy fruit drinks be damned. Pros: Good food, cheap prices Cons: HORRENDOUS service more

Its a good place to go with friends and have a brazilian flavor in overall. The dancers brings the Carvanal enviroment during the dinner. Pros: Inexpensive, Good Food, Service Cons: Parking more

Yesterday my wife and I had lunch @ Canto do Brasil. The food was exceptional ... My wife loves seafood. She had the Prawns skewers and the Grilled Halibut. I normally stay away from seafood ... but this was outstanding... I'll probably order these the next time I go there. I had the grilled chicken ... This was good too. The service was outstanding and the decor is real nice. Makes you feel that we were someplace else (hopefully Brazil ;-)). It's conveniently located off Market. I want go back there again. We live in the south bay This place was well worth the drive. The house wine was good too. Pros: Decor, Food, Service more

I'm so glad we went here for dinner. We ordered a lot of food and all of it was delicious. I will definately go again. We had: Bolinho De Bacalhau, Calamari Brasileiro, Bife Acebolado, Bobó De Camarão, Muqueca De Peixe, Pernil Recheado - all very good choices. Don't forget to have some Caiprinha ... yum more

I have been to Brazil several times and there is not another place that represents so well the brazilian cuisine. Don't expect fancy plates or sofistication. This restaurant is for those that really want to have a Brazilian experience, like their natives experiment every day. This is the best home made style brazilian restaurant that I ever been. They have quiet nights on weekdays, and very busy weekends, with a sort of Carnaval live samba dance on weekend nights. Service has been always personal and friendly. Great for people that never experienced brazilian food before. Pros: not expensive, great food, nice service Cons: busy weekends more

We dined here before going to the theater (Orpheum, a 15 minute walk). Everything had great flavor but the chicken and the pork were overcooked and tough. We prefer the appetizers over the main dishes, especially the yucca and fried calamari. Our group of 6 were seated immediately even though we did not have any reservations. The waiter was friendly and made great recommendations. more

OK, I had written a glowing review about how much I loved this place. Great food, great prices. Now, after going there a few more times, let me amend by adding: HORRIBLE service. Don't go here if you want a nice dining experience because they barely act like they care about you, if they're not downright rude. Pros: Great food, Not pricey Cons: Can get busy, HORRIBLE service more

There is nothing like Canto do Brasil in the San Francisco! The artwork on the walls is so warm and inviting. At night the lights are low and the Bossa Nova music makes it all quite romantic! The waitresses speak Brazilian Portuguese, which is absolutely beautiful. The atmosphere makes you feel as if you are in Brazil. The well-known Brazilian croquettes coxinhas are SUPER DELICIOUS! My husband and I always have to order a second round! And we argue over who gets the last one, because they are so delicious! In October they have a special dish that they serve in a pumpkin, which my son loves! I also love the crunchy farofa, which I tried to make at home. However, it was never as good as the restaurants. I have been going to this restaurant for years and I have never had a bad meal. Pros: great food, good atomosphere more

I just had dinner with my family at Canto Do Brasil and I absolutely loved it! We were all treated really nicely by the waiters and the food was excellent. We had the traditioanal Brasilian croquettes coxinha for appetizers and then everyone had a different entree- Feijoad, Muqueco ge Peixe, and Seafood Tropical. All of the disshes were delicious and very exotic. My family had a great experience in trying something new. In the end we wacthed an entertaining show by Samba dancers that asked us to dance with them during our dinner. The show is free with dinner every Friday and Saturday night and just enhances the dinning experience. Our dinning experience was excellent! more

I was incredibly disappointed by a recent visit. The food was as delicious as ever, but the service was HORRENDOUS. I went for dinner, and my party of three was the ONLY table in the restaurant (it was 6pm). Our waiter couldn't have cared less about us. He sat at the bar, chatting away with an older woman (who I hear is the owner). I had to flag him down to take our order, then flag him down to ask for more water -- then he didn't even bring it. He wordlessly dropped off our check at the end of the meal and walked off -- I had to call him back to ask about desserts. He just looked annoyed that we were staying longer, and we had only been there for a little over an hour. I don't care how good the food is -- I won't be back. Pros: Decent food Cons: Horrible service more

i go to canto weekly for the caipirina and galhina na cerveja (sp?).. the snapper and paella are very good, too. Not too crazy about the calamari as i think it's too salty. I love this place cuz it has a quaint neighborhood feel and i don't feel uncomfortable dining solo. Service is average, but that doesn't matter. it's definitely not a dining ""scene"" but i go there for the good food. The lunch is the best value ($5-7 entrees!) and dinners range $12-16. Pros: cheap lunch, not pretentious, fresh food Cons: parking, salty calamari more

the food was delicious! i had red snapper and salmon with a coconut milk and fruit sauce served in a hollowed out half pinapple, i highly recommend it. i thought it was a little expensive, just like every other restaurant in hayes valley. definitely the best south american food i have had, ill be back. more

My friends and I came to Canto for a birthday dinner and we were utterly satisfied with our meal! This was the first time we had the privilege of eating Brazilian food and it was such a treat! Appetizers consisted of bread served with a special and delectable salmon butter, followed by fried calamari with a spicy sauce! We all had different entrees and all were very good...I had the beef (bife) and the meat was very tender and flavorful! Cocktails were also sweet and full of lots of vodka! The waiters were incredibly helpful, friendly...what more could u ask for?? more

Excellent food! I'm from Brazil and this was the most delicious Brzilian food in the region. I recommend! more