The phrase “come to Brazil” has been used so frequently on the Internet that it has become a verified meme. But, now Brazil is coming to you.
Luccas Leite – whose family owns Beija Flor in Long Island City, Queens – wants to bring his family’s authentic Brazilian cuisine to the Lower East Side. He submitted an application to bring his yet-to-be-named concept to the vacant ground floor space in the five-story mixed-use building at 154 Orchard Street.
“Beija Flor is a staple for the Brazilian community and the neighborhood, and I am eager to bring a similar experience to the Lower East Side with tasteful live bossa, jazz and samba, [as well as] authentic Brazilian cuisine and delicious cocktails,” he said in his application.
Beija Flor is a “contemporary Brazilian cuisine” concept that debuted its flagship at 38-02 29th Street in Long Island City in 2014. The team says they were on a mission to “provide delicious Brazilian food in a cozy environment.” It describes itself as having a “rustic, yet elegant vibe” that makes you feel “at home.”
“Our restaurant is a celebration of Brazilian culture, offering an authentic and immersive dining experience that combines delicious Brazilian cuisine [and] live music [in] a warm and welcoming atmosphere,” Lucas wrote about Beija Flor.
He included Beija Flor’s menu in his application, which includes starters such as pão de queijo for $10, linguiça caseira acebolada for $18, and tábua de vegetais for $18 to a soup of the day, a chef salad for $22, and entrees ranging from feijoada for $26, their signature Beija-Flor burger for $24, to salmão assado for $30.
Leite’s concept is slated to offer 18 tables with 58 seats, as well a customer bar and a service bar, and its anticipated hours are 4 p.m. until 2 a.m. from Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. until 2 a.m. from Saturday through Sunday.
He received his B.A. from SUNY-New Paltz, as well as studied hospitality at the International Culinary Center, and has experience as an operations manager at Agave & Mojave in Queens, lead operations manager at Alchemista in Boston, and operations manager at White Horse Hospitality in Rhode Island.
