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Brazil’s street food scene is a celebration of flavor, movement, and everyday life. Across busy avenues, coastal boardwalks, and neighborhood squares, vendors serve snacks that reflect the country’s incredible mix of regions and traditions. Some bites echo the comforting dishes you’ll find in home-style cooking, while others feel closer to the bar foods and quick eats locals reach for after work or during a night out.
Brazil’s street food reveals the country’s culinary personality in its most spontaneous and delicious form. Exploring these snacks is discovering Brazil through its simplest pleasures, one irresistible bite at a time.
Street foods you should try when in Brazil:
Pão de Queijo: Cheese puffs like you have never had before. An absolute must.
Pastel de Carne: Very much like a deep-fried beef fried wonton. In fact, you must try this.
Pastel de Queijo/Camarão: Just like above, but with cheese or shrimp.
Empada de Camarão: Shrimp cup pastry.
Kibe: This Arabic snack is made from deep-fried whole-wheat surrounding a spicy ground beef center.
Coxinha: Shredded chicken inside deep-fried dough.
Bolinho de Aipim: Deep-fried cassava dough with a ground beef center.
Croquete de Carne: Oven-baked whole-wheat dough with ground beef center.
Pão de Batata: Potato bread with chicken, sausage, or ground beef center.
Cachorro Quente (hot dog)
A variation of the NY-style hotdog: bread, sausage, tomato sauce with onions and peppers, then optional: corn, string potatoes, parmesan, and other stuff. Forget the other stuff.
Cachorro Quente de Forno: Oven-baked hotdog in croissant-shaped bread.
Esfiha: A tri-folded pizza of Arabic origin. A definite must-try.
Churros: Deep fried dough filled with none other than doce de leite (caramel’s rich cousin). Then roll in cinnamon sugar. Mmmmm, delicious.
Misto Quente: Ham and cheese sandwich, made with stringy mozzarella. A must and usually very safe.
Hamburger/x-burger: Hamburger/Cheeseburger.
X-Tudo: Double cheeseburger with everything they have to offer: bacon, fried egg, sausage, shredded chicken, string potatoes, corn, etc.
Salsichão: A big hotdog sausage on a stick, grilled then pointlessly dipped in vinaigrette and farofa.
Pastel de Forno: Oven-baked folded pie with various flavored fillings. Usually great.
Bolinho de Bacalhau: Cod fish cake in ball format. Very good. Eat it with olive oil. Don’t try the peppers.
Folheado: A flat croissant filled with ham and cheese, spinach, or chicken.
Joelho: The poor man’s ham and cheese croissant. So doughy, you’ll need 3 cokes to choke this down. Waste of money.
Sanduíche natural: Simple sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and ham and/or variations of these, without any condiments. Light and healthy.
Cook with us
If tasting Brazil’s street food leaves you wanting to dive even deeper into its flavors, there’s no better way than stepping into the kitchen yourself. At Cook in Brazil, you’ll learn these everyday favorites the way locals make them, guided by a Brazilian cook who brings the country’s energy and warmth straight to the table. It’s the perfect chance to turn curiosity into real flavor and take a piece of Brazil home with you, one delicious recipe at a time. Join us!
