Mesa Brazilian Eatery

Delicious! Healthy food, huge servings, and great fast service.

I’m always up for trying an new local restaurant and Mesa didn’t disappoint. I came here with one friend and we ordered:
–Strogonofe de Frango (bottom pictured). I love how creamy this and smooth this dish is. I asked for black beans on the side instead of french fries. For both of the bowls it was the perfect amount of food. I didn’t end up eating all the rice but I felt full and complete. I loved the seasoning for the collar greens, the plantains were sliced thick and not over cooked.
–Frango Grelhado (top pictured). Really simple chicken dish yet delicious.
–Pao de Queijo. I need more of these in my life. They make them fresh so they are warm and fluffy when you get them. I haven’t tasted anything like this before and the best way I can think of describing it is: imagine cheese bread and mochi making a baby and that baby is called Pao de Queijo. It is gluten free so if you have a gluten allergy, never fear!
They also have a hot cream sauce you can put on top. It isn’t that spicy but it has a tangy flavor. It is in the fridge so you have to grab it yourself.
If I’m in the area again, I definitely want to come back at least to get the Pao de Queijo.

This place caught my. attention immediately. The food is very healthy and the chicken bowl that i ordered was amazing. The sweet potatoes reminded me of the traditonal friend bananas that my parents made me to eat everyday. I also really enjoyed the customer service because they gave us all the extra sauce that they were had leftover. They are very hospitable.

Extremely cost effective, possibly one of the best deals on the neighborhood. 8.50 gets you enough chicken stroganoff, rice, french fries, collared greens, and plantains for 2 people, with all the sauces and relishes you could want for garnish. Brazilian cheese bread was hot and fresh and reasonably priced for a 6 piece portion. Plus they have Guarana soda.

My friends and I wanted to try some Brazilian food so we decided to go eat at Mesa Brazilian Eatery while in the Westwood, LA area. I had no expectations of the place because I have never tried food here before and no one ever told me about it. I’ve tried Brazilian BBQ before, which is pretty expensive, but this place hits the spot.
I ordered a regular Picanha (steak) bowl with everything in it, and wow, it tasted delicious. The meat was medium rare (just the way I like it) and it was very flavorful. Definitely high quality and they give you about 4 oz. of meat (8 oz. for a large bowl). It also came with black beans, collard greens, fried plantains, and a small cup of Brazilian salsa. And for the amount of food they give in a regular bowl, it was very filling and price was amazing (under $ 10). The large bowl is pretty pricey, so I would go with a regular bowl because it left me satisfied (Just to let everyone know, I eat A LOT and a regular got me pretty full). I would highly recommend this restaurant to any of my friends who are in the area.
Staff members were also very kind, interior is small but super clean, and the atmosphere was quiet and chill. I had a great lunch with my friends.

Pretty good. I wasn’t incredibly impressed but it was definitely not anything to complain about. The workers are super friendly though take a looooooong time to get the food out. I got the picanha bowl and let me tell you, that cut of meat is DIVINE. Everything else in the bowl though is average.

Filling, not heavy/​greasy, delicious!
I’ve only gotten the Picanha bowl (steak), and since I don’t like beans much, I’ve been able to switch them out for more collard greens or fries (YES)! I usually get it to-​go, and they package it all very well. The bowl is nicely presented and compact. It comes with a creamy, light sauce as well as some type of salsa.
I definitely recommend! It might be a little expensive for a college student budget, but you can tell that you’re getting pretty quality ingredients and a meal you won’t feel bad for eating.

I am not a Bruin, but I wish we had this near USC. You did it right UCLA (finally, kidding!).
It’s hard to find something cheap and great near Westwood; most things are overpriced, but Mesa is a great place to Brazilian food.
I had the picanha bowl which comes with picanha (meat), veggies, rice, and beans. Get the yellow sauce that it’s quite spicy and add Mexican salsa in your plate, super delicious!
Service was great and the reason why I am giving 5 stars instead of 4 is because I wouldn’t say it’s the best Brazilian BBQ place I’ve been to.

Food was delicious ⁵⁄₅. But I’m reviewing this place as a whole and the pricing is just awful. For a large chicken bowl and a drink it came out to $ 14.44. For rice, chicken, collard greens, and a tiny thing of fries.
Great food. Just overpriced.

A tiny mom-​and-​pop shop hidden next to the Yogurtland in Westwood, Mesa Brazilian Eatery offers a Brazilian option for when you can’t afford Fogo de Chao.
Quickly glanced at the menu and briefly consulted other Unilocal reviews before ordering the obvious choice for my dinner that night, the Picante Bowl. I considered ordering Chicken for a total of half a second, but scoffed and told myself to follow my stomach and get the red meat. Per usual, my gut instinct was right. (cue pun jokes).
The organs of the bowl are pretty straightforward: Picante (skirt steak); sautéed spinach; fried plantains; and stewed beans all on a bed of short-​grained rice. On the side lies a generous amount of steak cut into tender ribbons and cooked medium rare. The steak being cut so thin, you can get a bit of protein with every bite. Not being a «bean» girl, I omitted the refried beans in favor of extra plantains (my ultimate weakness). Those golden bad boys are deep fried to absolute perfection – a crispy outer skin with a soft, warm inner. Those plantains add a playful touch of sweetness that really give the bowl its charm. Delicious. A little secret is the sauce kept in the bottom shelf of the refrigerators standing on the side. The cool tanginess will counterbalance the savory picante and sweet plantains.
If you’re looking for something new to try in Westwood, check out Mesa. The self-​service style makes it ideal for a quick lunch, and the smaller (but not stingy) portions saves you from the guilt of over-​eating. You won’t be fainting from gastro-​euphoria, but you won’t be disappointed either!

Brazilian food with Asian people serving it? Count me in! This little eatery is likely a family run restaurant but I like it more because of that. The mom was the cashier while the boys ran the kitchen. I didn’t know what to get so one quick look on Unilocal and I got the regular sized Picanha plate.
For $ 10 it’s not a bad deal and it is enough for dinner but it left me wanting more because it was so good. If I was hungrier I would def have to get the large plate. The steak was perfectly cooked and had good flavor. I wish they gave a few more plantains though. One thing they don’t tell people is to get the sauce! The sauce is key and a must for the dish.

Love. Love. Love.
Can’t seem to stress this enough. Mesa is a very small store front with limited seats inside, but honestly it did not detract from the food whatsoever.
The menu is simple; they offer salads, protein bowls, traditional dishes, and sides. I ordered a regular Picanha Bowl with a side of Pao de Queijo (cheese bread). The Picanha Bowl came with: Brazilian rump steak, black beans, collard greens, fried plantains, and a small container of Brazilian salsa (tomato, cucumber, and onion with dressing)! It was super filling and one of the healthiest meals I probably ate that week. The bowl may seem small but I barely got myself to finish it! Beans were nicely cooked and seasoned, meat was tender and not too chewy, and the plantains were deliciously sweet and not overpowering.
TIP: Grab some yellow sauce from the fridge!
Pao de Queijos were my favorite part of the meal. Be sure to eat this while it’s hot! It tasted just as yummy as it smelled.
Overall, I definitely would recommend this as a great place to stop by for lunch with a friend or
two. Not made for parties larger than four though…

Some friends love this place, I’m not particularly enthused.
Pricing is typical for Westwood, not cheap for the main dishes. Portions aren’t bad. Cheese bread here is pretty expensive.
Pichana quality is just okay, plantains are better, the killer for me was my food took more than ten minutes to come out. Not bad but not nearly as quick as expected for a lunch spot.

I’ve had this little hole in the wall bookmarked for over a year and I’m glad I finally got to give it a try!
Ordered the regular picanha (rump steak) with no collard greens and extra plantains. The meat is so tender and perfectly cooked. The plantains were also delicious! The rice was slightly seasoned however, the beans lacked the pork flavor I’m familiar with at Brazilian steakhouses. At about $ 10 a bowl I think it’s a reasonable price. Sure you won’t walk out completely stuffed, but I felt satisfied as I knew I was eating quality products. I just think that next time I come I need to get the larger order of meat.
A great choice for a balanced meal in Westwood!

A solid restaurant in my weekly lunch rotation. They have only about 4 entrée choices to keep it simple: 2 chicken ones, beef (reg. and large), fish. Suffices to say, I like them all! Each rice bowl has beans, salsa, some plantains, servings of chard (?). A perfectly-​portioned meal, really

After 5 years of living in Westwood, I finally got to try Mesa Brazillian. The place is super tiny, but a good place to grab lunch/​dinner. And you can get dessert afterwards at Yogurtland next door!
I got the regular sized picanha bowl (steak). It’s a pretty big bowl and very filling for $ 9.75. The bowl includes beans (you can replace it with fries), rice, some sautéed greens, fried plaintains, and your choice of protein. On the side, they give you salsa. In my opinion, the meat was a little on the flavorless side, but I poured their house sauce on top of the bowl and it tasted amazing.
Also, the cheese balls are a must get. They are super flavorful and cheesy. I feel like I’m at an all you can eat brazillian BBQ place (Fogo de Chao).
I’m glad I got to finally check this place out. I would definitely go back :)

Another great find in Westwood. It is a little tucked away so I would not have noticed it if I was not looking for it.
The place itself is average, nothing fancy but not a mess. The workers were friendly so that’s nice especially when friendly service is hard to find in this area (in my opinion). I had trouble reading the menu but thats because I never wear my glasses. I just went based on Unilocal suggestions and got the Picanha steak bowl.
In addition to the steak, the bowl included beans, plantains, and greens, with a side of pico de gallo. I could have done without the plantains just because I do not like to mix sweet with my savory food. There is also a sauce they keep refrigerated that you can take when you order. I thought the sauce added a nice flavor to the bowl. I wish I could have had more pico de gallo because that makes everything better. I also had to try the cheese bread because who does not like cheese bread. I was expecting a little more cheese but it was still good.
Overall the food was tasty and affordable but it was a simple meal hat I likely could have conjured up at home. Still worth a try!

Checking this out after raving Unilocal reviews.
Picanha large: steak — not the most tender cut of meat but it isn’t bad. The entire bowl is delicious. I can just eat the rice and black beans!
Frango Grelhado: chicken — nicely marinated and clean. But again, the rice and black beans distracted me from the meat.
Side order of collard greens
2:15 on a Thursday, 9 square tables, all occupied. Our order took 15 mins, as forewarned by Unilocalers and the cashier. The place took on the «Brazilian» name, but the cooks and all the workers here were Asians … Asian-​Brazilians… loved it!!! Must be family owned because mom and pop were in the back preparing the food. They must know what they were doing because this place was getting more crowded since we had placed our order.
Prices are reasonable: two large orders of chicken and two large orders of beef and a side collard greens: $ 57.77.
They grill the meat when you order so do prepare to wait a bit for your food to be ready.
The orange sauce is creamy and has a kick to it. I didn’t want to contaminate my rice and beans so I just dipped the meat in a hefty serving of it, and talk about a new metaphor for heaven.
Can’t wait to try EVERYTHING else on their menu next time we go to Westwood.
Phil was our order taker. He was business like, not too friendly, but very accommodating … packed us extra extra orange sauce and pico de gallo when asked.

Stopped by here for lunch when we were in the area based on Unilocal reviews. It was quiet when we arrived but quickly filled out. It’s a small, clean family run business. Service was quick. The cheese balls were tasty and cheesey. We also had the picanha each and also tried the passion fruit juice. We felt everything was tasty and well cooked. We would eat here again if we were in the area, however parking is a little difficult, they don’t offer to validate parking if you parked in the structure behind them and they also don’t have a restroom for customers.

I’m so happy that the ratio of meat to rice is now perfect. I love that their plantains are bigger now. I’m always iffy in ordering fish but their fish here is boneless, tasty and moist. Love their yellow sauce they call it orange sauce. Keep up the good work guys! Ill see u soon!

Um lugar simples com comida brasileira perto do campus da UCLA. Os pasteis sao um pouco caros ($ 3.50 o de queijo e $ 4.00 o de carne), mas os pratos principais variam de $ 8.00 (peito de frango com vegetais) a $ 14 (a picanha com feijao, arroz, couve mineira e platano grande).
Nao resistimos aos pasteis (um de cada) e o pedimos a picanha regular size. Com 2 limonadas (o restaurante nao tem licença para vender bebida alcoolica). Tudo por $ 34.
Os pasteis estavam bons, embora a massa não fosse crocante.
A picanha ja veio fatiada, mas estava gostosa. Porem faltou o tempero brasileiro no feijão e arroz, a couve não estava fininha o suficiente e a apresentação do prato em uma tijela não ajudou. Pelo mesmo preço, comemos muito melhor no Pampa Grill.

Eu esperava que a feijoada fosse melhor. Não tem um gosto forte e marcante Como a brasileira. Apesar disso, o preço é muito justo. O brigadeiro é incrível