Overview
Taste of Brasil Hawaii is a Brazilian food-truck operation in Waikīkī, set up in the back of the food truck park near Kalākaua and Keoniana. The business is currently listed as operational, with a nightly dinner window on Google and an active ordering/pickup setup on its website, so this looks like a real, currently serving stop rather than a legacy listing. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
For travelers, the main appeal is a Brazil-focused menu in a very walkable tourist zone, with especially strong emphasis on picanha, Brazilian snacks, and a few familiar comfort plates. The setting is casual and non-fussy; the place seems aimed more at a quick, flavorful meal than a long sit-down dinner. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
Cuisine & Specialties
This is a Brazilian restaurant with a strong steak-and-snack lane. The website frames picanha as the signature cut, and the online menu leans on steak plates, chicken plates, strogonoffe, Brazilian soda, and Brazilian small bites. The mix suggests a menu built for tourists and takeout as much as for dine-in. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- Overall menu style: Brazilian steakhouse-inspired food truck with plates, bar snacks/pupus, pastels, drinks, sides, dessert, and breakfast listed on DoorDash. (doordash.com)
- Notable dishes/specialties:
- Picanha - Brazilian Steak Plate; website describes picanha as the most prized rump cap/sirloin cap cut. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- Combo - Picanha Steak and Grilled Chicken Plate. (doordash.com)
- Grilled Chicken Plate. (doordash.com)
- Strogonoffe - Loaded with Chicken. (doordash.com)
- Brazilian Cheese Bread / pão de queijo; the site says it is naturally gluten-free and sold as a 5-piece order. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- Chicken Drumsticks / coxinha; the site describes these as breaded chicken-filled bites served with sauce. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- Brazilian Açaí Bowl and Guaraná Antarctica are also highlighted on the website/menu. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- Price range / spend expectations: Expect roughly mid-$20s to low-$30s for main plates, around $10 for pão de queijo, $12 for coxinha, $15 for an açaí bowl, and about $4.60 for Guaraná Antarctica on DoorDash. That puts it in a casual-but-not-cheap tourist-food bracket. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- Dietary usefulness / limitations: There is at least one clearly labeled gluten-free option: pão de queijo. Beyond that, the public evidence here does not support broader dietary claims, and the menu appears meat-forward. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
Notable Features & Ambiance
This is a food-truck setting, not a full-service dining room. The website says it is in the new food truck park behind ABC Store on Kalākaua, and also emphasizes pickup plus delivery, so the experience is likely quick, casual, and heavily takeout-oriented. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- Service model and seating style: Food truck / casual counter-service model, with pickup and delivery available. Google and the website both point to an evening-only dinner service window. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- Atmosphere and decor: Little is stated explicitly, but the setting is a back-lot food truck park in Waikīkī rather than a polished restaurant room. The tone is casual and utilitarian. This is an inference from the location and service model, not a stated design concept. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- Amenities or practical features: The website mentions B.Y.O.B. and says ABC Store is next door, which is useful for travelers who want drinks with their meal. The site also advertises a $10 try-us discount and delivery/pickup ordering. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- Best fit: Good for a casual Waikīkī dinner, a quick Brazilian food stop, or takeout after a beach day. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- Weaker fit: Probably not ideal for a long sit-down meal, a special-occasion dinner, or anyone looking for a full-service ambiance. This is an inference from the food truck format and ordering flow. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
History & Background
The website says Taste of Brasil was founded by Juan Galarza and Margo Ferreira, also identified as “Chef Mama Rio,” with a stated aim of bringing Rio de Janeiro flavors to Honolulu. The site presents the story as a home-cooking-to-business origin, and says the concept was built with family support. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
There is also a clear relocation note: the business says it moved its truck “2 blocks down Kalakaua Ave” and now sits behind ABC Store at the food truck park. That matters because it suggests a recent location shift, and the current address is part of the identity. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
Review Sentiment Snapshot
What People Love
Public review evidence is still somewhat thin, but the strongest positive pattern is that people who like it tend to praise the flavor of the main plates, especially the chicken and steak dishes. The overall Google rating is strong at 4.6, though the underlying review count is modest. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
Common Gripes
The recurring downside signal is value and portion size. DoorDash reviews repeatedly mention that plates can feel small for the price, with too much rice relative to meat, and some commenters also called the packaging messy or the dessert portions tiny. That complaint pattern is fairly well supported across multiple recent delivery reviews, though it is mostly based on delivery orders rather than verified dine-in visits. (doordash.com)
A second, weaker complaint is that some customers found the food bland or “nothing special.” That theme appears, but it is less consistent than the portion/value criticism. (doordash.com)
Practical Visitor Tips
- Google lists daily hours of 5:00 PM–9:00 PM; the website also points to dinner service, though its order page currently shows a broader online-order window. For a traveler, the Google hours are the safer in-person reference. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- The business appears to be walk-up/casual, with pickup ordering and delivery options; do not expect a conventional reservation model from the available evidence. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- The current location is in the food truck park behind ABC Store at the corner of Kalākaua and Keoniana, so plan for a casual Waikīkī street-food environment rather than dedicated restaurant parking. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- The restaurant says B.Y.O.B. or cachaça and notes ABC Store next door, which is useful if you want drinks with dinner. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- If you are ordering for value, the repeated review complaint is that portions may feel small for the price, especially on delivery. (doordash.com)
- If you want to try the place at lower risk, the website advertises a $10 try-us discount. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
Verification Notes
- Google Places and the website agree on the business being Taste of Brasil Hawaii / Taste Of Brasil at 2002 Kalākaua Ave, Honolulu, HI 96815, with phone (808) 381-7036 and website tasteofbrasilhi.com. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- The website also shows a 1950 Kalākaua Ave footer reference, but the contact and home pages both point to 2002 Kalākaua Ave as the current truck location. This looks like a stale footer artifact rather than the live address. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
- Google lists the business as OPERATIONAL; the website and DoorDash presence both support that it is active. (tasteofbrasilhi.com)
Sources
- Google Places record for Taste of Brasil Hawaii —
https://maps.google.com/?cid=5504661227733972213— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for official identity anchor, rating, hours, status, and mapped location. - Taste Of Brasil homepage —
https://tasteofbrasilhi.com/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for ownership/origin story, relocation note, signature dishes, B.Y.O.B. note, and current address. - Taste Of Brasil contact page —
https://tasteofbrasilhi.com/contact-us— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for confirming the current food-truck-park location and spotting the stale footer address. - Taste Of Brasil order page —
https://tasteofbrasilhi.com/order-on-line— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for pickup/delivery posture and the order-page hours reference. - DoorDash storefront for Taste Of Brasil —
https://www.doordash.com/store/taste-of-brasil-honolulu-35570047/— retrieved 2026-04-02. Most useful for menu pricing, dish names, service model, and recurring delivery-review complaints about portion size/value.
