I had such a wonderful dining experience. Â The food was delicious. Â I had the adega fish, my friend had the mixed meat meal. Â I added a side of black beans. Â We were both stuffed and I get black beans for breakfast tomorrow. Â I love Brasil and my time spent here took me back to a restaurant I loved in Rio. Â The live entertainment was perfect.
Review Source:The food itself was tasty, but service was painfully slow and we actually felt like we were being ignored at times. The waitress would ask half our table if they wanted refills and run off before the other half could say anything. Drink orders were forgotten and most of us spent our time with empty glasses. The worst part of it all was that we were there for THREE HOURS after ordering the Rodizio and they only brought meat to our table 10 times. I kept track. That's 1 thing for you every 18 minutes. And they kept bringing the SAME cuts of meat; the cheap sausage in particular we had 3 times. Included in that 10 rounds was the grilled pineapple several times as well. I paid for meat, not grilled pineapple, good as it was. Also they did not bring enough for our party of 10 so every time at least one or two people would not get anything, and they did not come back with anything for them. For the price it was extremely disappointing. I would absolutely not go back and would not recommend anyone else visit this place. Maybe if you had a smaller party they'd be more attentive but it's doubtful. They had ONE guy bringing meat to the entire restaurant and I felt bad for him, but not enough to want to go back to this place.
Review Source:Came with our groupon on a Thursday night at 5:30. Our party of two was seated immediately. Wait staff was awesome: attentive without hovering. Food was amazing. I was a little wary as a vegetarian coming to a Brazilian meat restaurant with my carnivorous friend and was pleasantly surprised. Â I absolutely loved my meal--the vegetarian option, which was a saffron rice with veggies--she had the mixed meat plate with rice & black beans, which she liked alot, but some of the meats were dry, the sausage was the best. The Portuguese layered desert was well worth it. We will be back to try some other items on the menu...well, at least my partner will branch out, I'll have the saffron rice with veggies again and again!
Review Source:After stopping by and finding them closed three times when their hours said they should be open, we finally got in for dinner. Â We started with the stuffed mushrooms. After hearing a ding.....was that a microwave?? Our appetizer appeared. They were soggy, like they were microwaved not baked. Tasted like a premade frozen item from Costco. I ordered the Bifa a' Adega. A new York steak topped with ham and a fried egg. The steak was overcooked and the egg yolk was hard. I sooo wanted to break open that yolk and have it run over the steak. Epic fail chef. Hubby ordered pork, also overcooked....dry.. in a lack luster sauce. The dessert, Serradura was good and tasty. Was hoping for better based on some good reviews.
Review Source:If you are looking for a place to eat some south american food, no not Mexican I am talking about brazillian you have come to the right place.
They have an all you can eat buffet to satisfy your downtown hunger pains. The place is a little on the warmer side and has a darker lighting to it.
The service is very friendly.
The food presentation was okay. And a little limited on selection. But a chance to try Brazilian food is hard to pass up.
Food is really good, I came specifically for Brazilian Food, we had the moqueca de peixe and the feijoada and they were both really good. Â I wouldn't say they were the same as I had it in Brazil, but they were both super flavorful. Â Friendly service. Prices are not too bad. Good experience overall.
Review Source:This review has some bias considering my husband lived in Brazil for a few years when he was younger.
We made reservations for 5:30 on a Saturday night. When we got there, it appeared dinner service was just starting, with only one other table being seated and a couple at the bar. My husband mentioned this was a good thing as the meat would be hot and fresh when we ordered the rotisseriea. ($30- for a collection of meats with a side of beans, rice, and fried plantains.) If you are looking for authentic Brazilian, this is definitely the way to go. The meat is served table-side, one after another but not so fast as you cannot enjoy your current portion. This is where the service of the waitstaff is really needed- and you won't be disappointed. 5 stars for the staff. Not only were they able to answer all of my husbands questions (for instance they do NOT have chicken hearts as you would be commonly find in Brazil.) but they had impeccable timing when it came to bringing another meat out.
They gave us more rice and black beans when we were out, so definitely mix the rice/bean combo with the meats. It's amazing. The fried plantain was like an explosion of flavor in my mouth, and I got thirds of the grilled pineapple with cinnamon that they carved. Delish!
To drink you must venture to try a caipirinha, Brazil's national drink made  with cachaça. It will be hard to order just one, but be forewarned: have more than 2, you'll be dancing on the tables. Although I couldn't have one (darn pregnancy) my husband declared the drink made as good as you would find elsewhere.
By 6:30 the place was really filled in, with the servers asking all who entered if they had a reservation. Definitely do it on a weekend. If you can stand to eat at 5:30, try to come then-just eat a small or no lunch so you have room for all of the food. Â Although we didn't take our daughter, I noticed some kids in the restaurant. I think it's definitely kid friendly, and we plan on taking our daughter back when we visit again. There is parking across the street on Smith street. Especially if you come later, park there.
Minus a star for true authenticity (no chicken hearts!) and the American music playing. I get they were trying to go for a relaxed feel but I would have loved to hear some Brazilian or Portuguese music playing. (Although my husband said he liked the American music. "They weren't trying too hard" is how he put it.) we will definitely be returning and would recommend it. If you're looking for a new dinner spot with a cuisine you might not have tried before, definitely give this place a try.
My husband and I LOVE a good AYCE place, so when a friend told us that Adega just started to do Rodizio (AYCE brazilian meat buffet) we jumped on the next chance to go! We are both huge fans of Brazilian BBQ at places like Fogo De Chao and the like, so we had high expectations.
Day: We went on a Sunday evening since our friend was going to be performing with the bossanova group on stage.
Parking: We parked on the road across from Adega, being a sunday night we didn't have to pay for a meter which was nice. Note, there are a lot of homeless people and while they all seemed very nice and harmless, just take extra precautions and secure your stuff.
Ambiance & Seating: Upon walking in, I was surprised at how small the place actually was. I'm not sure why I was expecting such grandeur , but it was quite the opposite. This little spot on the corner of china town was like a small tavern, decorated with fake plants, lots of brazilian and Portuguese flags and "bar/divey" decor. I accepted it and we waited to be seated. I had called ahead to make reservations and they seated us quickly. Â
Service: I'm not sure if i'm making excuses for our waiter but he was tending to a lot of people that night. All the tables were filled and it seemed like he was the only server for the whole house. With that being said, our service was horrible. He took forever to take our orders, My husband and I did the rodizio and our friends ordered from the menu. We weren't sure why they took so long to start us, we thought, maybe they are waiting for our friends food to get there and sure enough thats what it was. It took almost 35 minutes for the food to get out though and we were already hungry and irritated.
The Rodizio (which is 29.99 per person) begins: They place a plate in front of you with 3 condiments, salsa, bbq sauce (from a bottle) and something that resembles powdered pork rinds. The next plate is french fries, rice and 2 friend bananas...not plantains. Something seems so strange about all of these things. The waiter then brings out a the stop and go signs to let the waiters know to keep the meet coming or to stop.
The meat started coming out on the skewers and then like any other Brazilian BBQ they ask you if you want it and cut if off and place it on your plate. After eating almost everything on the menu, I cannot say that anything stood out as being the best. It all was well seasoned, and hot from the fire but it wasn't spectacular. The Plantains which are supposed to come frequently to help cleanse your pallet were actual fried bananas..and they seemed apprehensive to give me another set once I finished the first one. Â My husband ended up ordering the adega special which was a pitcher of sangria for $15. It was a huge pitcher and the sangria was delicious.
The environment is very casual, you don't have to dress up, and I'd describe it more as a hawaiian take on a brazilian bbq. Lots that this place needs to improve on.
This place in my book is A-Ok, not sure if i'd ever come back again. The highlight of the night was going to see our friend play sax with the wonderful bossanova duo on stage.
I am "Terry "I'LL TRY ANYTHING ONCE"... and once is all that it will be unfortunately. I tried though, with the help of Groupon and I am glad I just had one groupon for this restaurant.
We had # 32 Chorrasco Misto which is a mixed meat plate with rice and beans. The mixed meats are a single serving portion of the "Roddizzio" which is the grilled meats, poultry and fish carved at your table. The single serving portion however is carved in the kitchen and plated. The meats were dry; very dry.
The # 14 Filet de Reize Recheados which is a stuffed crab filling wrapped with a white fish cooked and then covered in a tomato cream sauce. I had expected the fish to have some moisture to it since it was a "sauce" based dish... but no such luck. The fish was dry also.
The side salad was cutting of romaine, tomato and slivers of carrots. That's it!
The creme brulee is just as its name potrays. It's a custard creme tart with burnt sugar on top. Our server, also our bartender was not used to the flame torch and he more or less melted the creme; and the sugar? The container spilled into the creme brulee dish and rather than to dust off the excess, tried to carmelize the entire top of excess sugar. (Not the brightest but to his credit, I will say that he knew no better)
Parking is available in the municipal lot whose entrance is on Beretania Street or the public parking lot on the corner of  Smith and Pauahi Street. After 4 pm? $3 flat fee
Their happy hour menu of beer looked pretty good. Their wine list was under construction so I'm not really sure what they will have to offer when all is said and done.
The conclusion is no more Adega for me.... unfortunately.
Food was quite good and it has a nice atmosphere, once you get past the bums on the street. Â Good place for some fun with friends or as a casual date. Â Great music when I was there. Â It makes you forget you are downtown. Â If the reviewer with a comment about Rodizio is right, I would agree entirely. Â I've been to one of the finest Rodizio restaurants in Rio de Janiero. Â The food should be non-stop and a wide variety. Â I'll have to try it and provide an update.
Review Source:Well, this was certainly not a good experience. We went for a friend's birthday. A reservation was made and our table was ready and waiting for us upon arrival. The table as a whole promptly ordered the Rodizio and then our wait began....
Our sides came out quickly, but then we waited... and waited and waited... until finally some meat showed up! And then we waited... and waited... and waited... until a little more meat showed up. This continued to repeat until we got fed up and decided that we were close enough to full.
I expected all you can eat delicious meat coming faster than you can handle it. I received a bit of meat coming at a pace that had me staring at the kitchen constantly. Also, the a lot of the items to come out were repeats of the cheapest items. Seven rounds of sausage to one round steak is not even at all (only slightly exaggerated). Â
This is pretty much the only Brazilian experience on the island. However, it's barely a Brazilian experience. I've had better Rodizio in South Korea. Skip this and just grill a nice steak at home.
So I went to Adega yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to use the Groupon for their Rodizio buffet! Â I was very excited because I have never had Brazilian food before. Â The food was really good, I think they cook their rice in chicken broth - it was flavorful and soft. Â It came with fries and well, you know they were fries - with no salt and pepper at the table so you need to ask for it. Â The black beans were really good. Â I didn't care so much for the fried plantains. Â You can ask for more of these side dishes if you run out.
The BBQ - sadly they didn't have any of their sausage but there were so many other different meats and they had names that I can't remember... All I know is don't get the Turkey wrapped in bacon... I also didn't bother getting the Pork wrapped in bacon either. Â The bacon was very soft and I like crispy bacon. Â Definitely don't get the ham - it's just ham that they put on the grill which I think is used as a filler. Â Aside from one piece of overcooked beef and one under cooked chicken, the BBQ was very good and I was full and had a kanak attack shortly after. Â I guess the best thing to do is just look at the BBQ before just saying yes I will take a piece - if it looks overcooked then it probably is and vice-versa. Â I also had a cocktail that had a Brazilian rum in it. Â Again I don't remember the name because it was in a different language but if you go, it's the second drink on the mixed drink list and it tastes like a margarita.
My son had the chicken fingers from the kids meal section of the menu. Â It was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside - good job! Â My son is a very picky eater and he ate it all up in under 10 minutes.
Oh - service - our server was very quiet and very humble. Â You really had to catch his attention to get him over to the table but once he got to us he was very nice and very willing to make sure we got what we needed.
Live music was an added bonus!
I gave three stars because the a lot of the meats were either over or under cooked - you definitely don't want to do that with chicken!
I don't even know where to begin. The service was the best part and yet our waiter didn't seem to have a clue what he was doing. The boyfriend and I are big fans of mojitos (possibly mojito snobs) and delicious meat so when we saw a Groupon we thought this might be our kind of joint.
It all began with our drink order. It took our waiter at least 10 minutes to come ask what we would like. I watched the bartender put a heaping tablespoon of sugar into the glass, which came out as a low ball filled with ice, a bit of mint, and possibly some rum. It wasn't horrible, but it definitely was not good. I want mint. I want rum. I don't want sugar water.
Next came the calamari. Breaded, oily and rubbery. This might have been the tastiest thing we ate.
We ordered one salad and got another. Since we had debated over which one to order, we decided to just go with the flow. This was edible but in no way delicious. There was lettuce. There were eggs. There was a basic vinagrette.
Next up was the meat platter. We thought we might as well try a little of everything while we were there. The platter came with sausage, pork, steak and chicken. By far the best thing on the plate was the chicken. It was actually juicy and had good flavor. The steak was overcooked, tough and not seasoned. The sausage was tiny, excessively greasy and  not nearly as tasty as the sausages I buy in the grocery store. But the pork, oh the pork. It was rimmed with fat but it was so tough we could not cut through it, bite through it or find any way to get it down our throats. It became the table centerpiece.
We did not get potatoes with our meal thank God. Potatoes? They looked pale and greasy, like they had just pulled them out of the freezer bag and dropped them into a deep fat fryer for a few minutes, just so they wouldn't be frozen when dropped at the tables.
If the music had been good, I would have been nicer in this review but even that was just plain awful. Stairway to Heaven. Need I say more?
I highly recommend that you stay far from this place. As my boyfriend remarked, "How, how, how is that place still in business? Old Country Buffet would have been more satisfying." Sadly, he hit the nail on the head. We rushed home, flossed and brushed our teeth and tried to wash away all of the remnants of disappointment.
A Portuguese restaurant in Honolulu's Chinatown. Â Infer what you will. Â
Not wanting to be that guy whose only knowledge of Portuguese food came from Leonard's bakery, I spent a full 30 minutes online reading about it. Â With my vast minutes of knowledge, the review.
For starters, the Caldo Verde (potato, onion, kale, and chourico sausage), warm and welcoming but texturally  one dimensional.  The starchy, mashed potato base enriched by the fat of the sausage envelopes the sweetness of the onion and bitterness of the kale.  The "Ameijoas a'Bolhao Pato", as good as any perfectly cooked clam dish.  Tender clams poached in simple white wine, garlic and cilantro that adds an unexpected fresh herbaceous flavor.  Only complaint, they didn't pick out the dead clams.  Sure, it's only hiding a problem but seeing three dead clams makes one pause and wonder if continuing to slurp the cooking liquid is a good idea.
Mains; good depth of flavor but improperly cooked by American standards.  Rubbery, overcooked, desiccated potatoes in the "Carne de Porco Adega (pork with clams, fried potatoes and cilantro) that the pork / clam jus could not revive.  Eggs in the  "Bacalhau  A Braz (salted cod, potato, scrambled eggs, onion, garlic, parsley) overcooked creating a rubbery albeit tasty dish.
Finally deserts, the "Arroz Doce", a not too sweet, milky, rice pudding topped with cinnamon that could have been phenomenal if the cinnamon was fresh ground.
Week wine list with only a few selections from Portugal. Â Fair prices.
Servers need training. Â Confused and inattentive. Â Little things like a knife but no fork or wine glasses for three when there are four at the table and this:
"This is our first time trying Portuguese food so what must we try?" Â I ask.
"Everything's good." Â A long pause. Â "So you ready to order?"
We are big Fogo de Chao fans, so we were super excited to find that there was a Rodizio type restaurant in town. Â (I saw it when I was going to Otto Cake to pick up a cheesecake one day). Â So when I saw the HotDeals for it, I bought one. Â We used it tonight to celebrate my birthday. Â The host was very nice and seated us in a booth, and was gracious when we asked to be moved away from the band. Â Our waiter was very new, so we got a kick out his answer when we asked what certain things were and he said, I'm not sure. Â But we giggled and forgave him cause he was cute. Â Since there were no vegetables offered with the Rodizio, we ordered side salads, which were a very good size, so so far, so good. Â The side dishes of black beans, fries, rice and fried bananas were good, too. Â Ok, we were getting excited that maybe we didn't have to wait till we went to the mainland to get a good Rodizio experience! Â And then the brisket came. Â Oh my goodness, it was so hard, we could not even cut it. Â At all. Â And then the first piece of beef came. Â Same thing. Â And then a piece of "ham" wrapped in bacon. Â The "ham" was disappointingly processed (like bologne!) and the bacon was undercooked. Â I think out of the maybe 7 meat dishes, only 1 was edible. Â And 4 out of those 7 was beef. Â No chicken, no lamb. Â We were so disappointed.
So, the staff was excellent, but the food left much to be desired. Â I don't think we'll go back.
Went here for dinner with the bf on 04-19-13. I'm going to be honest & admit I was a bit nervous about eating here after reading a lot of the reviews on yelp. I had also purchased a $20 for $40 groupon, & while it clearly states that you cannot use it on the lunch buffet, happy hour specials, first Friday, taste of Portugal & brazil, it didn't say anything about not being able to use it on their rodizio (which, btw, idk why NO ONE has yelped about yet... I couldn't possibly be the first to try it). I decided to be safe & email adega to ask if I would be able to use my groupon on the rodizio. They replied back, yes. Awesome!! For those of you who have never had rodizio before, if you love meat, you will be in heaven. Idk if any of you remember tudo de bom, a Brazilian restaurant that was here several years ago... They only lasted for like maybe a couple years though. They had rodizio. I did try their food, which was excellent, but I didn't get to try their rodizio. I ate rodizio at a Brazilian restaurant in the mirage in Las Vegas. A rodizio is basically a Brazilian BBQ. They give you an unlimited amount of sides (in adega's case they give you Rice, black beans, fried banana... Yum!, Brazilian pico de gallo, a red sauce & some spices. Oh & French fries!!). I know I have this awful habit of forgetting to take pictures because I'm so hungry & I'm not even thinking about pictures, so again, I'm sorry. The only pics I took was of our half eaten second round of sides. The chef then comes out of the kitchen with this huge rotisserie with meat on it (the first meat being chicken). He stops by your table & carves you a slice off his rotisserie. You eat & enjoy & wait for him to bring the next selection out. In total, I believe there was about 10 different meats (chicken, sausage, bacon wrapped turkey, skirt steak, garlic steak, pork, sirloin steak, brisket, pineapple (ok yes pineapple is not meat-they serve it to you as a palate cleanser), lamb... Think that's it). After you get to try all 10 different meats AND you're still hungry, the chef will allow you to let him know which meats you would like seconds of. He will ask that you try everything first. The meats are all so flavorful & juicy & delicious, but my favorites were the chicken, sausage & skirt steak. Yes, sorry, too hungry for pictures :(. I also forgot to mention that they give you a sign that says "go" on one side & "stop" on the other. If you leave "go" showing, the chef will keep bringing meat to your table. If you leave "stop" showing because you are full or just need a break, he will skip your table. Anyway, food was amazing awesomeness. I noticed the main concern on yelp about adega is their service. This is why I was nervous about coming here. Lets start off with making reservations. Unless you plan on eating here early (I'm talking before 6pm), it would be wise for you to make a reservation. It is a small restaurant & it fills up quickly. Making reservations is not hard. You can call or even email them (which I did since no one answered the phone when I tried to call). We were greeted when we walked into the restaurant & seated right away. We had our drink orders taken. Because we had never eaten there before, our waiter explained the menu a bit. Then he took our drink orders. He made sure to check on us every so often. When I asked for more rice, fried bananas & French fries, he brought more in a timely manner. Our water cups never got to empty as a waitress was going around & filling everyone's glasses. I hope that means service is much better & that we didn't just get lucky that night because I do plan to come back. I had a great experience at adega & I hope it's just the first of many more to come.
Oh fyi parking sucks. There's only street parking & it's by all the homeless. The other thing about adega is that it's in what I consider Chinatown... Not downtown. If u don't want to park by a ton of really stinky homeless people, you can park farther away where there's less homeless people & walk over to adega.
My boyfriend and i were looking for a place to go to dinner a little late last night, about 7:15. Â I called ahead to ask what time they closed and was told the kitchen stopped at 10:00. Â Perfect. Â So I gave them my name and said we'd be there in about 45 minutes. Â We had been here once before and thoroughly enjoyed the bacalhau and the gambas as well as the caldo verde. Â We were a slightly excited.
We got there a little tardy, a little after 8:00. Â We walked in and were greeted by a less than bubbly woman who proceeded to seat us at a two-top. Â There was an empty booth so we asked if we could be seated there and were told no. Â While we settled in I watched our less than gracious hostess talking to what would soon be our waiter and pointing at us and then at the table we coveted when we first entered. Â When the bright spot of the entire experience, Bruno, came to the table to ask about a drink order we ordered two grey goose tonics and again requested a move. Â Even after explaining and preemptively asking our patience since he was new, Bruno gladly obliged our request.
The rodizio was new to us and I am a consumate carnivore so of course this buffet of meats was a no brainer. Â I ordered one for each of us plus the bacalhau a braz. Â When our drinks came they seemed extremely light but we didn't say anything. Â When the second round was also light we asked our friend the hostess to check and the bartender, who was now in earshot, said that they had been ordered without the vodka. Â I don't buy it. Â An experienced bartender should have double checked on the first order, especially if you have new wait staff. Â
When the rodizio started I was extremely happy. Â Glorious piece of meat after glorious piece of meat interrupted by pineapple started coming out. Â The beef was very rare and perfectly seasoned. Â The pork and sausages were unlike other places that have done this type of prep and the fried bananas were the perfect compliment. Â The other starches (rice pilaf, black beans and fries) were cold, but I wasn't really interested in those anyway. Â As usual the bacalhau was amazing.
As part of the rodizio they place a card holder on your table with a green "Go" and red "Stop" marker on it. Â This is to tell them when you're full. Â I never got the chance to turn it. Â Shortly after the rodizio service started I noticed the guy bringing out the meat skewers was cleaning up in the back. Â My meat river had ceased flowing.
I inquired with Bruno about it and he said the chef had made a mistake and there was more coming. Â I declined on principle. Â Poor Bruno had worked the entire room (us, a four-top and an eight-top) by himself with little help from our ever polite hostess. Â We proceeded to order dessert, the serradura, which ended up being cool whip with cookie crumbs and some rose port. Â I highly recommend the rose port if you like fortified wines.
When Bruno brought us our check he said the chef/owner had offered us a free round of drinks. Â I know he didn't offer because I saw Bruno talking to him before bringing our check. Â And if the point were to make amends on cutting us short on two rodizios at $30 each then I think comping the two rounds we already had would have been a much more satisfactory gesture. Â The meal ended up being more than $130 with tip and I left what was supposed to be a buffet hungry.
If you are looking for good food and spectacular service my advice is to call ahead and make sure Bruno is working and go early if you want the rodizio. Â Bruno is the only reason for the second star. Â I was excited for a Portuguese restaurant in Hawaii and Adega seemed to foot the bill until last night. Â I don't see going back there again nor would I recommend anyone else to.
I saw this place several weeks ago and thought it might be a good place to go for lunch one day. Â Well, today was the day. Â I called about 10, made reservations 11:45 am (couldn't call earlier as the phone is hooked to a fax machine before 10). Â
Got there, walked in and stood there while the lone bartender serviced the customers that were already sitting. Â No acknowledgement, no nothing. Â Eventually after several minutes, another person showed up behind the bar and acknowledged me. Â I said I had a reservation for 2 and pointed me to small table with two chairs even though there were several booths open (I guess they want to save the booths for parties of three or four). Â No menus, no water, no nothing. Â I'm guessing the second guy is the owner as he went to a booth to talk to the customers there that spoke Portuguese.
My cousin showed up about 10 minutes later and sat down. Â In the meantime, I guess the female server started her shift and started serving the customers that came in later (including a party of two that occupied a booth. Â After taking care of that customer and checking in on a couple of other tables did she drop off menus to us and took our drink order. Â After that, it seemed that she was taking care of all the tables. Â She did check up on us periodically and was pleasant and friendly. Â She was a plus for this restaurant. Â
My cousin ordered off the menu and I decided on the buffet for $12.99. Â The buffet had a couple of tossed salads with a balsamic vinaigrette, three entrees (a chicken/sausage dish, a penne pasta dish, and a Portuguese stew) and two kinds of rice. Â Maybe small in selection but for me it was fine and the taste was pretty good. Â I don't have a big appetite and who wants to get stuffed at lunch in a business district? Â
Will I go back again? Â Not sure as my cousin and I like to eat at different places for lunch. Â It would also help if they did something to their entryway. Â It looks like they slapped several plywood sheets together to create the entryway and didn't bother to stain or paint it.
Saw Adega on groupon and decided to get it. I was really looking forward to eating here due to the lack of options on Brazilian cuisine. They have a churascaria and was in the mood to eat meat. I have been to several churascarias around the states and hoped that Honolulu would have a place like that. I couldn't wait to go there to get my meat fix. We went there early so that we would not have to wait for the meat waiters to come and deliver our choice cuts. Unfortunately the experience was nowhere near what I expected.
We got there at 5:20. We were the second table to be seated. We were not served our meals until about 6:30. Our appetizers got to us after the main dishes arrived. Not to mention I ordered the all you can eat grilled meat extravaganza. The service was TERRIBLE! There were suppose to be 10 different meat options. I think I got 10 different meat options, but needed to wait some time before the next serving became available to my table.
I don't usually complain about service knowing how hard the waiters work to keep up with the demands of their customers, but it made the dinner experience unpleasant. The amount of time sitting and waiting was too much. Our waiter had to be flagged down on several occasions so that we could get what we needed.
I wish there was a positive thing to say about the experience, but unfortunately, there is none. If you decide to go there, I hope you have a better experience.
I rated this one star because I had to give it a rating. I was willing to give it no stars.
Food was mediocre. Â It wasn't worth $19 an entree. Â The waiter who served us seemed very inexperience. Â He was very timid in every way. Â When I asked for a "to go" bag, he hesitated, stood there and then asked whether I wanted him to bag it up for me or not. Â Hmmmmm......think he needs more training. Â The only good thing was the live music. Â Would I ever come back? Â Probably not.......
Review Source:Don't get me wrong, I love me some aloha. Â But there are times when I'm visiting Honolulu and I want to kaukau on something other than musubi, poke, or Cheeseburger in Paradise. Â My mom heard about this place and set up a lunch date with me within hours of my plane landing. Â At new Brazilian spots, I always start off with the Brazilian Feijoada... and their's was very good, though I probably wouldn't order it the next time. Â One menu item that does come highly recommended is the house made ginger beer. Â I don't know how the bartender made it so smooth, but I could sip on that brew all day long. Â I hope to make it back on my next trip for some more eats and to check out the live music!
Review Source:Visited Adega for lunch on the $20 for $10 coupon..service was very "dont't care" attitude about their job nor their restaurant and patrons..Food was average at best. Â I had the salted cod with potato and eggs, would have been nice if the waiter said it would be a good complement to another dish...my friend had the mahi which was ok..will not go back for sure..nothing good about it
Review Source:The reviews seem to be all over the place for Adega, and after my experience last night, I can see why. This was similar to a roller coaster ride where I had my highs--which were great, and the lows--which were abysmal!!!
It started off by making reservations for a group of 10. Very easy to do, cool. Made them 3 weeks in advance, since it was a large party and I was thinking they would be busy on a Saturday night.
The Friday, a week prior, I saw an article about Frank DeLima performing the same Saturday. And tickets were $40. Hmm....There wasn't any mention of this when I made the reservation, and I was very clear about giving them my phone number. Decided to check their website. It still has postings from December. Nothing there. Tried calling on Saturday. Tried calling on Sunday. Tried calling on Monday. Not cool. (Turns out, unlike what their website mentions, they are NOT open 7 days a week. They're closed on Mondays. And they don't have an answering machine, it goes to a fax machine after 4 rings.)
Finally got in touch with someone on Tuesday. Nice enough, but he couldn't give me an answer about what a possible solution might be so he said he'd have someone call me. Cool.
Waited. And waited. And waited. Finally called back late Tuesday night and talked to a host. Didn't go well. Finally spoke to the owner. Went even worse. Bottom line was the person taking my reservation never saw the information about Saturday's event and wasn't supposed to take bookings without informing people about the performance. The only option was to move the dinner. I decided on Friday, in the hopes of everyone being able to reschedule. I asked if he was going make sure we were taken care of, and he assured me we would be. (pay attention, important foreshadowing!)
*whew* Haven't even made it to dinner yet. Still have my fingers crossed!
Let's see if I can make this part much shorter:
-Tried to order the first wine listed on the menu (a Portuguese wine, no surprise), they were out.
-Someone else tried to order a mojito, they were out of mint. (In Chinatown, REALLY?!?!?)
-Complimentary bread-eh. Wanted it to be yummy and soft inside and crunchy outside. Didn't happen.
-Most of the food was beautifully presented, but lacked flavoring.
-Our server, Heidi, did try hard to redeem the night. Super-sweet.
-Had all 3 desserts...creme brulee'-eh, rice pudding-eh, Seradurra-OH MY GOD YUMMYNESS. (see previous reviews re: food porn and swimming in desserts--that good.)
The musician they had was decent. I could sing along with the songs, which meant they weren't Brazilian or Portuguese, 'cause I don't know either language. (Last time I checked Careless Whisper was neither Brazilian nor Portuguese, but that could just be me.)
As we walked outside, there was a table set up selling "street food." Looked delicious, and yet none of it was on the menu inside. Not cool.
Turns out, the woman selling the food was one of the chefs. And who was she talking to? The owner. Who had been there the whole night. And never introduced himself. Or did anything to make me feel better about the screw up with the reservations. Gr....
So boys and girls, my final thoughts: the anticipation was so high, and then got dashed, and then it was raised again by the beautiful looking food, and then dashed by the lack of flavor.
Ride at your own risk!
Kinda pricey for lunch in downtown for the downtown work force... Â With prices in the neighborhood of Cafe Julia & HASR Bistro, your food better be on point!
Sooooo.... I thought the food I ordered did not have enough flavor... I asked my lunch partner for his thought, and he thought the appetizer needed salt. Â That was the missing ingredients for their food--spices. Â I thought on paper and visually, their offerings looked appealling, but they failed the taste test... Â Perhaps, that is how Brazilian and Portugeuse food are supposed to be then I can't really complain??
Not much else to report... in chinatown and not within the busier downtown lunch zone, it wasn't very busy. Â Service was good here but thought we would have better attention with only 2 other parties in the restaurant...
Ahh another girls night. Â One of my favorite nights of the month. Â
I had such high hopes about this place. Â I mean, we live on an island the Portuguese people helped settle, and the closest thing to Portugal on the island are Leonard's and portuguese sausage (which they call linguica, and if you ask any Portuguese person the stuff here is NOT linguica) Â
It was Friday night and crowded.  We were sat right by the stage and were very excited about the upcoming entertainment.  Unfortunately though, I had to move  seats because their air conditioner was dripping on my head!  When we told the server about it, there was no effort made to reseat us or reposition the large table of 8 out from under the AC.  I felt bad for our late comers who had to sit there. Â
Did I mention it was Friday night and crowded? Â Yeah, they only had one chef working. Â I almost thought they only had one server working too because our order wasn't taken for almost 45 minutes. Â Each dish basically came in one at a time. Â Our reservation was for 7 and we left close to 10. Â We didn't stay late chatting to one another. Â That was from the moment we arrived to the moment our check was paid. Â Luckily we enjoyed each other's company else this review might have one less star.
I can't take away from the authenticity. Â I couldn't tell you if the food was authentic, but one of my friends ordered a drink off the menu to test their Portuguese knowledge, and they passed with flying colors. Â
We ordered the cogumelas and the pateis for appetizers. Â Granted we may have just been hungry for waiting for our food, but the mushrooms (cogumelas) were delicious! Â They were stuffed with crab meat and cream cheese. Â At 10 pieces in a dish, this would have been enough food if we weren't a party of 8. Â The pateis was ok, but nothing I can remember after a night of sleep.
I had the bacalhau for my entree. Â Protein in a bowl! Â enjoy your fish omelette, but good luck trying to finish it. Â It's hefty. Â Now that I'm revisiting the menu, I didn't receive the bread that went with my meal. Â It was a little salty, and I probably wouldn't order it again.
For dessert we had Serradura split amongst us. Â Now THAT was gobbled up in 30 seconds. It's hard to describe but it's a sweet mousse that reminded me a little of leche flan.
I do not recommend this place for a group for dinner. Â The music is too loud to hear the people across the table. Â The restaurant is too small to be seated away from it either. Â I would suggest only eating here with a group of 4 or less or drinking in a group. Â The drinks and dessert were the high points.
PARKING NOTE: there is a lot across the street from the restaurant.
First, some context: Â We came here after walking out of JJ Dolan's because of an extraordinarily rude bartender. Â Service is important to us and we aren't in the habit of giving our money to places that can't provide it. Â Needless to say, we were a little on edge and not feeling like our evening was off to a great start.
Thanks to Adega, our evening turned around and ended on a great note!
It began with a soft-spoken and gracious waitress who very competently helped us navigate the menu. Â This isn't easy given my children have food allergies and we needed to make sure the items we ordered didn't have specific ingredients.
We selected three different dishes, a soup and a salad, and all were excellent. Â The portions were generous and the flavors savory and rich. Â
Although the food did take a while to come out, we needed the time to unwind and spent it enjoying the mellow vibe in the restaurant. Â They were playing an easy-listening Motown-type Pandora station at just the right volume and the conversation of the other diners was unnoticable. Â The bread was refreshed regularly, which kept the kids from getting antsy, and the waitress was attentive, but unobtrusive.
All said, we left the restaurant feeling like we had received our money's worth in food and service and much more than our money's worth in being released from the evening's earlier negativity.
It's a no brainer to try Adega. Â On this basis I am giving it the highest rating. Â Portugese and Brazilian food restaurants are not common in Honolulu, so for those that like to try new types of food, here's your chance.
Nearly every dish we tried over two visits were delicious. Â To start, I recommend the cream seafood soup "Sopa de Marisco". Â We ordered one to share but ended up ordering two more, it was so tasty. Â
The Vinho D'alhos is different and tasty. Â The closest I thing I can compare it to is Pork Adobo, but not quite. Â It's not oily like adobo usually is. Â We also had the salmon, also very edible.
On Friday and Sunday they also have Brazilian dishes. Â We tried all three and agreed we would have them all again. Â My favorite is the Mahi in coconut milk and red palm oil.
One the first visit we had fresh malasadas.  They were the best I've had, with a little crispiness on the outside.  I've been back twice for malasadas.  I recommend you get them only when fresh, as  the crispiness can turn to hardness if left out too long.
The service was very friendly and accommodating on both dining visits. Â
I haven't been able to visit the buffet because I don't work in downtown, but I hope to soon. Â I'll definitely be back for dinner.
Reading through other it seems that most 1-star reviews came from not being able to use their yelp deal for the buffet. I am not rating them 1-star because of that. But you should be warned if you do want to use a yelp deal to purchase a buffet from them.
The entrance is boxed in. It makes the opening uninviting. Now I am not claustrophobic  but it did give me a sense of claustrophobia.
We come in, sit down. A gentleman takes our order. Then we wait...what seemed to be extraordinary time. Do you know what the difference is between ordinary and extraordinary? The little extra. I digress. We're the only patrons so this seemed odd that we wait so long.
Out pops the appetizers. Then more waiting. In the middle of this a second employee enters the restaurant, goes to her station; completely ignoring us. We waiting. I think it's a good 20 minutes between our appetizers before food comes out.
At this point it seems that the 2nd employee wants to find new ways to ignore us. She stares at her station. Goes to the buffet and stirs the food. (We're still the only patrons.) Walks by our table three times, spots our empty water glasses, but keeps walking by. Then makes small talk with the male employee and returns back to staring at her station in the corner. Are you getting the picture here?
If you want to wait for your food and be ignored, this is the place you want to dine at. Reading other reviews it seems that a few others have complained about the service here. Which I am not surprised. I will not be returning. We were also not impressed by the taste of the food. My company stated that this food compared to that of Brazil was day and night.
The food is good and is a nice change of pace from other local fare. Â The sangria was delicious. Â Portions were good, and they gave us plenty of bread.
Service was friendly and laid back, too.
We were a little puzzled when, after a long wait, our soups, appetizers and entrees were served at the same time, but thats my only complaint.
I actually stumbled upon this place as I was going to a store around the corner and I'm glad I did. Â I saw Happy Hour and I looked at my watch and said "hey I did some work today and now it's time to be happy." Â
As I did my check in on my Yelp app on my phone, the Yelp deal buy $20 for $10 came up and I said BINGO! Â It doesn't cover any alcohol but it was happy hour so it was all good! Â
I said hey since this place is like a Portuguese / Brazilian place so I started off with their Portuguese Bean Soup $6. Â Traditionally made, so it had the kidney beans, some carrots, of course cabbage and sausage. Â It seemed like it wasn't made fresh as the cabbage was a little too wilted for my taste not that I like it super crunchy either but it wasn't freshly made. Â It was like it was made days before and just warmed up. Â At this point I was like hmmmm. Â Then I turned around and saw Frank DeLima walk in with a group of people. Â The bar tender told me he comes in a couple times a month... So when I see one authentic Portagee eating in this place I knew it had to be good so I was looking forward what was coming next.
Next I had the Filetes De Peixe Recheados $17 which was a fresh fish fillet stuffed with a good amount of crab meat goodness then it was baked and topped with a tomato cream sauce that was soooo good I had to grab my bread and soak it all up. Yes It was that good.
At this point I was pretty full but my friend told me that I have to try their dessert. Â Since I love dessert I sucked it up ( meaning my gut from the floor ) and ordered the Serradura $3. Â Let me tell you that I'm glad I did. Â It's a traditional Portuguese layered dessert with a condensed milk base. Â If you like tiramisu then you should like this. Â
If you cannot find street parking there is a lot right across the street from the restaurant. Â I for one will be back to try their seafood combo that my friend said she is in love with. Â I also want to try their creme brulee. Â This place is very reasonable and the food is delicious! Â Nice hidden gem in downtown Chinatown.
Read a review my friend Teri K. wrote and decided to try the place out. Bought the Yelp deal. My co-worker tried it out too for dinner and loved it.
Parking is somewhat sketchy because of the neighborhood...and it's paid parking everywhere, whether it's in an underground municipal garage or on the street with a meter, so bring some loose change just in case.
I came in on a work week day for lunch with my boss and co-workers. Didn't have any problem using the Yelp deal. Some of us had the lunch buffet and others ordered off the menu. Everybody enjoyed what they ordered. I had the buffet. It was colorful and tasty. I'd go again. Maybe try dinner.
DO NOT PURCHASE YELP DEAL (DECEPTIVE MARKETING)
Purchased a Yelp DEAL from this restaurant.
They did not honor it! Â The server claimed the deal was not valid for the buffet (which is listed on the menu) Â or drinks (We had plain iced tea).
The Deal restrictions "only" state Not valid for the purchase of alcohol. Not valid with other vouchers, certificates, or offers.
Food was good but server Sophia (name printed on the check) seems to just going through the motions, with no emotion, speaks quickly and walks away (like a rehearsed script). Â I will not patronize this establishment for their deceptive marketing practice.
I purchased a $10 for $20 deal, specifically for the $12.99 lunch buffet. However, once we arrived at the restaurant, we found out that the yelp deal was not valid for the lunch buffet; wish I knew that prior to purchasing the deal.
We also had a coupon for two free malasadas. After speaking with the waitress, we were informed that we could use either of the coupons, but not both. She told that we could not combine offers. However, she was more than willing to give the couple next to us (who purchased the lunch buffet) free malasadas. Talk about inconsistency.
With regards to food, we sampled the Bacalhau Adega and Vinho D'alhos. Other than portion size (which was substantial) neither dish had anything going for it. Considering the $20 price tag, I'd steer clear.
Overall, 1 star for the lackluster, rude service and mediocre food.
I really like the flavors that invade my taste buds at this place.
Brazilian place, but not the meat on sticks kinda Brazilian place. Â Still wonderful. Â I heard mixed reviews prior to going there so I was on the fence. Â
I'm off the fence and playing in the yard for sure. Â I can't remember the names of anything because it's all in Portuguese, but I do know my favorite is the steak, with egg and garlic sauce with rice and potatoes. Â Goodness all over the plate.
I like the malasadas they have as well, the creme brulee, and some layered pastry something. Â They even have a very subtle rice pudding with cinnamon that's not for everyone, but still tasty to me.
Sometimes there's live music which is a treat. Â The drinks can be a little hit or miss, I recommend the Passion Fruit Caiparinha.
I think it's worth a try, you may or may not like it, but it is definitely worth finding out.
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