Brazilian Kitchen brings the bold, generous flavours of Brazil to Saint Asaph Street in Waltham, Christchurch. It's a kitchen built around churrasco-style grilling and the country's beloved street foods — picanha hot off the grill, golden coxinhas, and hearty plates of rice, beans and fries. Whether the craving is for a proper Brazilian steak dinner or a quick savoury snack, the menu covers both ends comfortably.
The heart of the menu is picanha, the prized Brazilian rump cap, offered as a 300-gram steak with creamy mushroom sauce, a 200-gram plate with the full trimmings of rice, beans, fries, salad, farofa and vinagrete, or a simpler platter for sharing. Alongside sit the Executive plates — straightforward, satisfying combos of beef, chicken, calabresa sausage or fried eggs with rice, beans and fries, the kind of everyday meal Brazilians grew up on.
Starters lean street-food: the in-house artisan coxinha filled with shredded chicken and cream cheese, crisp pastel with minced beef and cheese, pan-fried calabresa with onions, and marinated chicken hearts. There are parmigianas (including a tempe version), a beef schnitzel, grilled chicken salads, a loaded Brazilian hot dog, and vegetarian options like the veggie-patty rice meal. Drinks run from guarana to Coke, Fanta and ginger beer, with farofa, vinagrete and other sides to round out any plate.
Pickup is available daily from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm, and orders can be placed in advance. Delivery runs through the Order Meal platform in two windows — 11:00 am to 2:45 pm and 4:00 pm to 8:45 pm. Menu items are flagged for gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan diners where they apply, making it easy for mixed groups to order.
On Saint Asaph Street in Waltham, Christchurch, Brazilian Kitchen is serving the food Brazilians actually miss when they leave home: picanha straight off the grill, coxinhas fresh from the fryer, and generous plates of rice, beans and fries. It is a takeaway and delivery kitchen at heart, set up for easy online ordering, but the cooking is unmistakably homestyle Brazilian.
The menu reads like a tour of the country's everyday eating. There are street snacks to start, substantial rice meals built around grilled meats, comforting parmigianas and schnitzels, and simple Executive plates that mirror the prato feito — the working lunch of Brazilian cafes.
Picanha, the prized rump cap that anchors any Brazilian grill, headlines the rice-meal section. The biggest statement is the 300-gram Steak Picanha with Mushroom Sauce: grilled rump cap served with rice, beans, cassava and potato salad, brought together with a creamy mushroom sauce. The 200-gram Picanha plate takes the classic route, arriving with rice, beans, fries, salad, farofa and vinagrete — the toasted-cassava sprinkle and tangy dressing that complete a proper Brazilian spread. A Platter Picanha with salad and fries keeps things simple for sharing.
For everyday hunger, the Executive section is the move. Choose Executive Beef or Executive Chicken, each a 150-gram serve with rice, beans and fries, or go full Brazilian cafe with Executive Calabresa Acebolada — smoked sausage pan-fried with onions. There is even an Executive Fried Eggs plate: three eggs, rice, beans and fries, humble and exactly right.
The starters are where the kitchen's Brazilian soul shows most. The Artisan Coxinha is made in-house, a golden fried parcel stuffed with shredded chicken and cream cheese. Pastel — crisp pastry with minced beef and cheese — is the other essential. More adventurous eaters can order Coracao de Galinha Acebolado, marinated chicken hearts pan-fried with garlic and onions, or Calabresa Acebolada, fried sausage with onion. Chicken skewers in the house signature seasoning, plus fries and cassava dusted with that same seasoning, round out the list.
The Specials board keeps things interesting. The Brazilian Hot Dog, loaded with toppings, is a genuine street-food icon rather than a novelty. Chicken Parmigiana comes with homemade tomato sauce and parmesan alongside rice and fries, and there is a Tempe Parmigiana for plant-based diners. Beef Schnitzel arrives with creamy mushroom sauce, rice, fries and sauteed veges, while the Grilled Chicken & Salad on Rice and the Chicken Fillet Salad with halloumi and Brazilian vinagrete cover lighter moods. A dedicated Vegetarian Rice Meal pairs a veggie patty with rice, mashed potatoes and salad.
To drink, the list runs from Guarana — the Brazilian soft drink — to Coca-Cola, Coke Zero, Fanta and ginger beer. Extra sides of farofa, vinagrete, rice, beans, green salad and fried eggs let you build any plate out further. Menu items carry flags for gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan diners where they apply, so mixed groups can navigate the menu easily.
Brazilian Kitchen is at 270 Saint Asaph Street, Christchurch 8011. Pickup runs daily from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm, and you can order in advance and schedule a pickup time. Delivery operates through the Order Meal platform in two windows — 11:00 am to 2:45 pm and 4:00 pm to 8:45 pm. Questions can go to the kitchen on +64 22 451 4419.
Whether it's a picanha feast for the table or a single coxinha with a guarana, this is Brazilian comfort food done plainly and well, right in the middle of Christchurch.