Ipanema Cafe

Went there for nite life on a Saturday and the Dj was the best.

The bartender just stares when you walk in then the owner comes over about five times asking what you want to order. The soup was bland. The wine was not bad for $ 5 but really the turn off was the owner refused to take a
gift certificate.

Please look past the location, décor, sketchy-​bar vibe, and try this fantastic restaurant! Had dinner here last night and we were very impressed with the authentic dishes and fresh ingredients. Friendly service, and the chef accommodated my request for a meat-​free soup, so will absolutely return.

Great authentic Brazillian cuisine! Had a great time with my wife and kids! Would definitely come back when I am back in Hartford ;)

I designated this as a Brazilian restaurant since the name Ipanema Café says it all, but in reality it’s both Brazilian and Portuguese. When looking at the menu the majority of the dishes are traditional Portuguese fare from (Portugal). From the cod fish cakes (bolinhos de bacalhau), Pork & Clams (Carne Alentejana), seafood stew (Mariscada), seafood paella (Paella a La Valenciana), Portuguese Piri Piri chicken, shrimp cakes (Rissos de Camarão) and grilled Red Snapper, all of it read as Lusitano cooking. The chef herself is Portuguese of who I know from the community. She is exemplary and fantastic!
The four of us visited tonight and the food was amazing. It was all fresh, delightful, traditional homemade cooking. I had the Pork & Clams and it was off the hook. The potatoes were crisp and not fried. The pork was tender and succulent. It was amazingly good. The Paella was beautiful and flavorful. The Mariscada was cooked perfectly. It had such a good taste that one of the girls got an order to go. I’d go back for more, BUT…
The service was almost nonexistent and unfriendly. From start to finish we pretty much were neglected. It took about 20 minutes for anyone to greet us, provide menus and basically notice anything. We were the only table in the establishment. I don’t mind if service is a little lacks, but this place was awful in terms of respecting it’s clientele. Our food order just took forever to be taken and it just was not comfortable. Our tab was $ 100.00 not including tip which was a very reasonable price for dinner, but I have to say that it was seriously over shadowed by the service and the atmosphere. This technically was not a restaurant. It’s a divey darkly lit bar that serves food. Great food, but in a horrible area. Be prepared to park on the street as well, if you can find parking.
Overall, the experience was marred by poor service and the final kicker of not accepting credit cards. They directed us to the in-​store ATM which charged us $ 2.00 for the transaction plus whatever additional fee your banking institution charges.
I won’t be returning. I’ll stick to Primavera where everything is on point.