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A unique Brazilian experience on the East side

by Ryan Loyd

Food fans with a flair for a taste of festive food won’t have to travel far, come this weekend. That’s because a South American celebration of sorts will get underway with the grand opening of Rio’s Brazilian Café (408 North Pleasant Valley Road) from 5 to 10 PM Sunday.

“We’re a small café that serves traditional and contemporary Brazilian food,” said owner Ben Googins.

Googins and partner Elias Martins specialize in Brazilian street food. Googins said he spent several years teaching English in the Samba country.

Rio's founders Elias Martins and Ben Googins (photo via Rio's Brazilian)

Let your mouth lead the way and eat until your heart’s content; just don’t count on the beef to bog down the menu, or your arteries for that matter, like that of Fogo de Chao (309 E. 3rd Street) or Estancia Churrascaria (4894 Highway 290 West in Sunset Valley)! Googins points out Rio’s is the only authentic Brazilian restaurant option in town that does not offer all-steak-all-the-time. And for the frugal: “Our most expensive dinner is $11,” he said.

Googins’ restaurant got its start nearly four years ago in a highly unlikely location, the Austin Farmers’ Market at 4th and Guadalupe. Although the business produced homemade bread, sauces and salads, it always shared a space with other bars and markets. For a time, Googins called Whole Foods and Spec’s home. Rio’s was even at a 6th Street bar for a time but the relationship didn’t last because the bar closed. “We kind of did the flip side and had our products out there,” he said, “but never had our own spot. Now it’s all us.”

Customers will find a casual, laid-back atmosphere, along with a calm and cool staff with “tattoos from head to toe.” That’s not surprising for an Austin-based business. Googins is tickled that Rio is building quite the following. From the farmers’ market crowd, which is mostly an older patronage, to the young folks on the east side, Rio’s may be around to stay—in one location.

“It’s always been something we’ve wanted to do. We’ve been in Austin just over four years. Austin’s a great place to get started.  The weather’s great year round,” said Googins.

When you go, Googins recommends the Samba Combo. Buy one of the salgadinho (savory pastries), then add a soup, salad or side of Yuca fries or cheese bread, or even another salgadinho, up to three items. Mix and match to build your own meal. Full lunches and dinners are available.

Try the salgadinho! (photo via Rio's Brazilian)

Googins’ journey with Rio’s Brazilian Café, from catering meals inside borrowed kitchens to offering Brazilian sauces and breads at local markets, has led Rio’s to becoming a permanent fixture in Austin’s vast food scene. A journey to Brazil may just be a short car ride away. “We’re very passionate about it. We believe in our brand,” said Googins.

It’s a small world after all.

• Texas Hill Country Wine and Food Festival (April 15-18) – Featuring plenty of local eats and drinks, plus the expertise of chefs and wine experts like John Besh (Domenica), David Bull (Bolla at The Stoneleigh), Bryan CaswellKaren MacNeil (Reef), (Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies), Mike Martini (Louis M Martini Winery), Elmar Prambs (Trio), and Kent Rathbun (Jaspers Restaurant), among others.
• Funky Chicken Coop Tour (April 3) – Who doesn’t love chickens? Check out this self-guided city-wide tour of Austin-area chicken coops to see how others are raising our favorite avian friends, or learn how to get started building a coop to raise some funky chickens of your own!
• Blues, Bluebonnets, Burgers and Bordeaux (April 3) – Pillar Bluff Vineyards, one of the oldest in the state of Texas, hosts an outdoor party featuring everything you’ll need to enjoy yourself on a spring day in Hill Country. Live music (blues), beautiful wildflowers (bluebonnets), tasty burgers and Pillar Bluff Bordeaux wine (among others) will be available at the winery, located at 300 County Road 111 in Lampasas, Texas (about an hour and a half north of Austin).
• Wine and Wildflowers Luncheon (April 10 and 17) – Looking for more wine and less beef? Check out Fall Creek Vineyards’ Wine and Wildflowers Luncheons, featuring a light lunch and wine tastings, along with a souvenir wine glass for only $22.50 per person. Get out of the city and head north to Tow, Texas about an hour and 45 minutes outside of Austin, and enjoy the scenery whilst you sip sweet chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and more.
• For those that can afford it, the Sustainable Food Center‘s Chef Series presents Spring Bounty at La Condesa for $100 per person on April 11, featuring “Austin’s most exciting and innovative chefs” on hand to “prepare an exquisite multi-course tasting menu featuring fresh meats and produce from the Austin Farmers’ Market.” Participating chefs include Rene Ortiz, executive chef at La Condesa; Tyson Cole, executive chef at Uchi; Shawn Cirkiel, executive chef at Parkside; Todd Duplechan, executive chef at Trio; Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due Supper Club; Laura Sawicki, pastry chef at La Condesa; and James Holmes, executive chef at Olivia.
• Slow Food Austin Third Thursday Happy Hour (April 15) – A monthly event, the Third Thursday Happy Hour takes place in April at Olivia, and a portion of the proceeds benefit Slow Food Austin. Participating restaurants and farms are chosen to host events based on their support of a “farm-to-fork philosophy,” encouraging consumption of local food and drink and the support of locally-based farmers.

Got another food related event happening in the Austin area you’d like to share? Get in touch and we’ll be glad to post a link!