Yemanja Brasil

I’ve visited Yemanja a few times now. They have uniquely interesting food, good service, a nice atmosphere (and I just found out a pretty cool patio). I tried the pescado miranda… a coconut cream cod dish over rice… but it also has banana in it. It was odd but I liked it. My wife didn’t like it so much but she did like what she got… frango minas… basically shredded cheesy chicken over rice with raisins. Service is always good here, and they do have a pretty interesting happy hour with caprinas and chicken wings.

Service excellent. In a family environment and a nice place. The quality of the food met my expectations an is not very expensive compared to other places in St Louis. I had the national brazilian plate. The rice was good and the sausage in the beans was good. Nothing really bad to say

My boyfriend and I decided to try Yemanja Brasil one evening after moving down the street. I have lived in Benton Park for 3 years and this place was always on my list to try. Since I still hadn’t tried it and we could literally throw a rock at the place, we decided to give it a go.
We tried the Caipririnhas, the national drink of Brasil. They were refreshing, but not necessarily our taste. They are a little stronger and meant for sipping. Definitely not horrible or anything, just not for us.
We started with the Torradinhas Leme, as recommended by our server, Zach. These were little french bread slices covered in different cheeses and fresh tomato. They were fantastic, and I would highly recommend trying them.
We shared the Bobo de Camarao for dinner. This was 5 – 6 large shrimp in a cocunut cream sauce served with rice. We both really enjoyed this dish.
The owner and waitstaff were extremely helpful with explaining and recommending dishes, and very friendly. This is a great spot for trying something new!

We love this restaurant! We have been to Yemanja on various occasions and have always enjoyed the food, ambience and service. This most recent time was Mother’s Day brunch. Sitting outside in the garden we felt like we could be in Brazil. We had various dishes, that we shared and enjoyed-​including Eggs Benedict with crab, seafood stew and National meat stew, shrimp empanadas and traditional French Toast. Followed with coconut bread pudding. We had a delicious time!

We stumbled upon this place when our Plan A fell through, and I am so glad we did!
We walked right in and were seated on a Saturday night around 7. Our server was so friendly, and she had on-​point suggestions for us as far as food and drinks went.
I had sangria, and it wasn’t too sweet, which I prefer.
We started out with calamari for an appetizer. I didn’t eat this so I’m not sure how good it was, but it was completely devoured. For an entrée, I ate bobo de camarao, and it was delicious and just the right portion. I had never heard of a couple of the desserts, but our server steered us toward the pudim de coco. It didn’t sound like something I would order but she was right. I would recommend that for something different. I’ve never seen this offered elsewhere.
I’ll definitely be back!
Tip: there’s also a Unilocal check in deal!

Came for a birthday party. The caipirinha was so delicious. Like a mix between a mojito and a margarita. Really enjoyed the shrimp empanadas and the xin xim too was soooooooo tasty. Beef kebobs were good though paled in comparison to the xin xim. Service was friendly and the atmosphere is very cozy and cute. $ 20 average entrée was definitely steep compared to what we got though.

Honestly, I have nothing bad to say about either food or the service. The reason I give it 3 star is because I think the meals are way overpriced given the quality… We had appetizer platter. The yuca is not very crispy and the empanada has no shrimp in it… We also ordered seafood stew which is basically a soup and taste kinda boring… The xin xim taste fine but after a few bites it becomes boring… and the complimentary bread is cold. I really hope they can add some varieties into their dishes. Also their half price appetizer during happy hours is no longer available which is kinda a bummer.

Their Food truck stopped here in Downtown St. Louis and I ordered the feijoada for lunch; since I am Hispanic I pronounced the letter ‘j’ as a soft ‘h’ but in Portuguese the letter ‘j’ is pronounced as a ‘j’ and a co-​worker who frequents Brazilian restaurants and actually visited Brazil some years corrected me. Anyway this was delicious and the Food Truck worker even suggested how to eat it since he asked me if this was the first time eating it, and I said yes. Very tasty!!!

I would love to see more authentic specials, food is wonderful regardless, ambiance /​lighting could use some help.

I just have been there one more time last Saturday. I love Yeamanjá Restaurant. It has a authentic Brazilian atmosphere and it has authentic Brazilian food. I love the Feijoada (dish) and the Caipirinhas (Brazilian drink).

Great food, great service from Zach, and nice atmosphere! Make sure you save room for the coconut bread pudding. …it is awesome !!

Great place, great food, great people! Wonderful authentic environment and cuisine. Our waiter Zach was extremely friendly, enthusiastic, and knowledgable about the history of the restaurant (which has been open for 20 years). Gave great recommendations for food which was delivered in a timely manner in BIG portions. Would definitely recommended this place to anyone looking for a GREAT selection of authentic food, culture, and people!:)

I love this cute place. Over the years I have been here no fewer than half a dozen times but I have not yet ventured past the sausages with creamy beans and rice, the empanadas (fried deliciousness), and the beef kebobs (smoky and tender). I am not worried though. I’ll be back plenty of times still. They make a mean caipirinha (hand-​muddled lime and sugar + Brazilian sugar cane liquor Cachaça), refreshing and delicious but very boozy (the way they should be, just be aware as you wouldn’t want to down three of these and try to drive home right after). On some special occasion days (check their events page), they set up fixed price «buffets» featuring several traditional entrees and sides, plus live bands that get the crowd up and going on the top floor. Impromptu conga line to the beat of Samba, anyone?
The owners host the annual «Brazil Day» in the fall, featuring performances, Jiu-​jitsu, live bands, and a couple of food vendors, including their own food truck. I always had a great time there as well.

We went in with such high hopes from all the reviews… we were disappointed course after course…
Walking in, the restaurant gave a very casual vibe, there’s all kinds of art and sculptures on the walls. Walking on the entrance level, right after the hostess stand are 2 tables on the right, a small bar at the opposite end, and a jewelry store display cabinet selling traditional crafts, some flip flops in a basket and a mish mash of other things I don’t remember. The majority of the tables were on a split level to the right.
We first got drinks, the Caipirinha and another brazilian cocktail, they were pretty good. Caipirinha afficionados will appreciate that the limes are muddled fresh for each order. We started with the shrimp empanadas and fried yucca for appetizers. The emapanadas were just ok, but at 3 for $ 10, it was somewhat steep. The fried yucca was different, served with a curried mayonnaise. The entrees came with a choice of soup or salad. We both got the salad which had shredded romaine, 1 slice of tomato and a few very hard croutons. The dressing was not bad though. For entrees, we got the Risoto Copacabana which was shredded chicken, chopped corn, olives and onion, raisins and rice. It was not bad but again, nothing too memorable. We also got the Moqueca Baiana which is a mixed seafood stew in a mildly spicy, but very very heavy coconut cream, served with coconut rice. It consisted of a few mussels, chopped baby squid, a few small bay scallops and a few baby shrimp. The seafood was not very fresh and the cream was far too heavy. The coconut rice on the side was good. At this point, we were already rather disappointed with our experience and puzzled by the reviews on Unilocal.The quality of the food and the upscale pricing didn’t match. We decided to give the dessert a try as we were curious about the coconut bread pudding. It was interesting, seemed like coconut bread base with some custard on top, sitting in a caramel sauce. It was rather heavy and quite sweet.
We had a very different experience from many of the reviewers here. The staff were friendly and the service was good as most of the reviews talk about. However, we were very disappointed with our experience. All the above described items in total came up to a $ 80+ bill. We eat out frequently and will go anywhere, from hole-​in-​the-​wall to fancy restaurants. But this is the first in a long time, that we got just ok food, at rather upscale prices.
We like trying places we haven’t been. We tried. I appreciate that the service is good, the atmosphere is friendly, but unfortunately, we won’t be coming back.

I have been here once and the food was scary to me at first. I had no idea what to expect. I was not very adventurous typically when it came to food but this restaurant had opened my mind. The food was WONDERFUL! I tried to go back a month or so ago for lunch but they weren’t open at that time. :(I think the hours are dinner hours for the most part.

You can tell a lot of care went into this establishment … from the service to the food. I highly recommend the portabella recheado.

Great food and most of the menu is gluten free. Very easy ordering and service is good.
Will definitely go back again.

Probably my first brazilian restaurant outside of the actual country and it’s been a good spot for the most part. The menu is pretty authentic and in the summer it’s a real treat to sit outside which has almost a Caribbean feeling ambiance. The owners (or management, not sure…) greet you when you arrive which is a nice touch and they do take reservations on opentable. They have a really interesting tea that I have them mix up with vodka and couple limes which is excellent (though dangerous too, be ready to call an über if you try this!). The food isn’t remarkable but good, I usually go with the pork being a lover of the swine myself. On the downside… the inside is a tad tight so if busy it can get loud (I stick with the summer months), the bathrooms are unisex which being a guy isn’t the end of the world but I don’t see how girls can tolerate sharing with dudes… and the neighborhood is a little dicey but there is always parking nearby so I feel safe enough. I’d put this on a ‘must-​try’ list if you haven’t been.

Yemanja is a gem. The food is always impressive from start to finish; shrimp empanada appetizers to chicken risotto entrée to Brazilian tiramisu are delicious (I’ve simplified the names from Brazilian to English descriptions). The ambiance is the cutest with quiet music playing in the background with a fire place on the second floor. The entire restaurant is sea themed based on the sea goddess, Yemanja. The owners and servers are very nice, attentive and intuitive. The atmosphere is very welcoming and pleasant. Good for date, family and friends. Definite recommend — especially the Brazilian tiramisu and get it with the Chauvian coffee

Five stars for the caipirinhas + three stars for the food and prices comes out to four stars, right?
The caipirinhas are strong and perfectly mixed – you won’t find better this side of Veloso Bar in São Paulo! In other words, they’re lethal because you’ll want three.
Food-​wise, the yucca fries were so good – would have been nice if there had been more than 8 – 10 on the plate. Likewise, the appetizer sampler came with tasty things on a total of five pieces of toast. In other words, kind of awkward to split with the table, as one usually expects to be able to do with a $ 7 – 9 appetizer. Ouch. Given how good the caldeirada do mar entrée was, though — SO much fish and shellfish, and that perfect broth I’m used to with a good moqueca – I might skip the appetizers next time. Because there *will* be a caipirinha-​fueled next time.

3.5 stars. This restaurant is tucked away in a neighborhood, and I’ve been meaning to visit for a while as I’ve heard great things.
The restaurant was pretty busy for a weeknight. Our server was attentive and they were really quick to clean our table, refill drinks, etc.
We tried the shrimp empanadas– not as flaky of a crust as I was anticipating, prob bc they were deep fried instead of baked
Espetinhos gauchos– perfectly tender, medium beef, but otherwise, just kabobs
Frango minas– so creamy, so delicious, but it looks like chicken salad. Not the most aesthetically pleasing, but can you go wrong with meat and cream sauce?
I’m glad I tried this restaurant, and it was worth the trip. It also looks like they have a decent happy hour deal.

Delicious! We couldn’t choose an appetizer so the waitress suggested an off-​the-​menu «sampler platter» and it was a great sample of what this place can do. Yucca fries with an amazing curry mayo, French toast bites (like bruschetta), and one empanada.
I had a vegetarian dish – a portobello mushroom stuffed with cashews, sides of brown rice, and a veggie medley that had about ten different veggies and herbs and raisins. YUM.
My husband had the kabobs – a popular dish. They were great.
I had a caparinha (when in Rome!). It was strong, a little too sweet, but filled with fresh lines. I’d definitely order it again.
This place looks like a hole in the wall from the street but it was fantastic. I’d definitely call it a hidden gem in St. Louis!

Service was great! The drinks were tasty and they came out quick. Must try the strip steak… Caramelized onions and cooked to the correct temperature. Zach was our server and he was very accommodating. Can’t believe this was the first Brazilian restaurant in St. Louis and I’m now trying it for the first time… better late than never.