The feijoada is a slow-cooked stew of black beans with various cuts of pork (sausage, ribs, sometimes ear and trotter). Served with white rice, couve (spring greens sauteed with garlic), farofa (toasted cassava flour), and orange slices. The Infatuation calls out the feijoada here specifically. It is a heavy, filling dish — one plate is a full meal and then some. The extra spring greens (couve) at 5 pounds are worth adding.
Tips from diners
This is extremely filling — do not order starters if you are getting feijoada. The orange slices on the side are traditional and help cut through the richness. Squeeze them over the beans.
Feijoada is traditionally a Saturday lunch dish in Brazil. Come on a Saturday afternoon for the most authentic experience — cold beer and feijoada is how it is done.
Picanha is the triangular rump cap — fatty on one side with a thick cap of rendered fat, lean and beefy on the other. At Kaipiras it arrives chargrilled and sliced. This is the most-liked dish on delivery platforms (89% approval from 146 ratings) and the signature cut of any Brazilian grill. The fat cap is left on during cooking for flavour and you can eat it or leave it.
Tips from diners
Ask for it medium-rare so the fat cap renders properly. It should arrive pink inside with a crispy charred exterior. Eat the fat — that is where the flavour is.
Acaraje is a street food from Salvador da Bahia — black-eyed pea batter deep-fried into crispy fritters, then split open and filled with vatapa (a creamy paste of coconut, shrimp, peanuts, and dende oil), dried prawns, and a tomato-onion salsa. This is one of very few places in London to find it. The contrast between the crispy shell and the creamy filling is what makes it addictive.
Tips from diners
If you have never tried Bahian food, start here. The acaraje is very hard to find in London and the vatapa filling is rich and complex. Eat it hot while the outside is still crunchy.
Moqueca is a traditional stew from Bahia, the Afro-Brazilian northeast. Fish or prawns are slowly cooked in dende (red palm oil), coconut milk, tomatoes, peppers, and coriander. The Infatuation describes Kaipiras' moqueca as regal. The dende oil gives a distinctive orange colour and a rich, slightly nutty flavour you will not find in other Brazilian dishes. Six different varieties are available.
Tips from diners
Ask which moqueca varieties are available that day — the prawn version is the most popular but the mixed seafood has more variety. Comes with rice but order extra farofa to soak up the broth.
Beef ribs that are slow-roasted until the meat falls off the bone and the fat has rendered to a glossy sheen. The second most popular item on the menu (87% approval from 63 ratings). The Infatuation review specifically calls out the beef rib stew at Kaipiras. It is a rich, heavy dish — pair it with a cold beer rather than wine.
Tips from diners
This is a very generous portion with lots of bone and fat. Eat with your hands for the last bits — do not fight it with a knife and fork. Order couve (spring greens) on the side to balance the richness.
Tucked away off Kilburn High Road, Kaipiras (formerly Kaipiras by Barraco) is the closest thing London has to a Rio de Janeiro boteco — a small bar with cold Portuguese beer on tap, Brazilian bottles, and a surprisingly deep food menu. The kitchen covers classics from the southeast (feijoada, picanha) but also harder-to-find dishes from Bahia like moqueca and acaraje. The Eater and Infatuation both name it as one of the best Brazilian restaurants in London.
Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days because the full menu is available from noon. Tuesday to Friday the kitchen opens at 4pm. Plan accordingly if you want a long Brazilian lunch.
The beer list is excellent — Portuguese beers on tap and Brazilian bottles like Antarctica. Everything is served very cold. Bottles of wine are under 20 pounds, making it a genuinely affordable night out.
The restaurant is on a quiet side street off Kilburn High Road — a short walk from Kilburn Park tube or Kilburn station on the Overground. It is not in central London but the food makes the trip worthwhile.
Portions are very generous and prices are low for the quality. Two people can eat well with drinks for under 50 pounds. Do not over-order — the mains are huge.
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