Yuma is revving up to kick its widely popular Brazilian and Cuban Sandwich brand into overdrive. According to a press release, Yuma will debut its first brick-and-mortar location in the former Ninja Ramen space at 4219 Washington Ave. this Spring.
“When people think of Brazilian cuisine, they think of the churrascarias that are just meat smorgasbords that have become synonymous with Brazil here in the United States. We have so, so much more to offer,” Yuma co-owner Miriam Leek-Meira said in the press release.
Leek-Meira teamed up with husband and former Brasserie 19 executive sous-chef, Mike Hartley, to bring this culinary vision to life. The two own MMH Provisions together, and following the success of Yuma as a pop-up, they are ready to take the brand to the next level.
Both Houston natives, Leek-Meira brings her Brazilian heritage to the forefront, introducing guests to lesser-known, traditional Brazilian-inspired dishes alongside popular favorites. Meanwhile, Hartley creates each sandwich with high-quality, made-from-scratch ingredients, including baking their own bread.
Together, they set out to reimagine the Cuban sandwich as a canvas for expression, drawing inspiration from the flavors of Brazil, the Caribbean, and Houston, the city that raised them.
What Now Houston reached out to Leek-Meira to bring you a closer look at the new Yuma restaurant to come this Spring.
“We are definitely going to bring some lesser known Brazillian dishes to the forefront or like flavors,” Leek-Meira said.
“I want to ‘Yumify’ everything, which pretty much means we’re going to find some way to zhuzh it up. Maybe fuse it with some other culture.”
And all through the prism of a sandwich.
Menu highlights include the Classic Cubano, the El Penny Cubano Banh Mi, the Sampa Gallo Chicken Sandwich, and the A Caipira, a Brazilian take on a cheesesteak.
“All of our sandwiches kind of resemble a Cuban sandwich. So, you can easily say that our Cubano sandwich is the signature, the one people have to get,” Leek-Meira said.
“We didn’t reinvent it. We just make everything from scratch.”
That means the mustard, pickles, everything. You name it, it’s from scratch at Yuma.
“Also, my favorite is the Chicken sandwich,” Leek-Meira said.
Sampa Gallo Chicken Sandwich captures the essence of a common chicken pizza sauce known in Brazil.
“What we did is turn this pizza topping into a sandwich by making that same kind of stew tomato sauce, chicken, adding some Tinga sauce, and then all Brazilian cheese and a bunch of fresh herbs. It sounds really simple, but it’s just got such deep flavor, and it’s a perfect example of something so common in Brazil that no one here knows and they’re just missing out.”
The restaurant will have a full bar, consulted by Jamie Diaz of Nancy’s Hustle, featuring Brazilian and Cuban-inspired cocktails made with cachaca and rum.
And for those who don’t drink, well, Yuma has you covered as well.
“Everything is trending towards people drinking less and less, and we want to give those people, for whatever reason that they’re not drinking, a reason to drink something good that’s not just some sparkling water.”
Yuma will keep a nice, tight core menu of sandwiches and bar bites. A well-thought-out foundation.
“We’re going to keep it really tight so that it kind of gives us creativity for collaborations with other spaces.”
Speaking of spaces, elements from the former Ninja Ramen space will also inspire some of the design as a nod to the location’s history.
Check out all of this and more when Yuma opens 4219 Washington Ave. this Spring.
