Cafe Casal

I stumbled into Cafe Casal last weekend as I waited for my car to be fixed. Not being that familiar with Inman Square I headed to whatever seemed crowded for some coffee and breakfast. And I'm glad I did.

This little cafe right next door to Muqueca is also Brazilian which I didn't realize before walking in. The decor is bare bones though they have plenty of seating and a TV. It reminded me of a school tuck shop. They serve an assortment of sodas and pastries/breads.

I was pretty excited to see that they had my favorite cheesy poofs aka cheese buns aka pão de queijo (according to wikipedia!). This brought back fond memories of my trip to Brazil. Coffee and cheesy puffs served after every meeting. In Brazil I noticed that coffee (at company events) was served in really tiny plastic cups. Like condiment sized cups. No idea why, but coffee is always welcome! Anyway I digress ....

Back to the cheesy poofs. They are really cheap at 3 for a dollar. On first bite they weren't as good as the ones I had before but they grew on me. In fact, when I was in Inman Square today (the ongoing car saga continues), I went in again and bought another 3. Restrained because I devoured a Zuger Kirsch earlier at L.A. Burdick's.

Here's the cheese buns photo. Forgot my camera so that's it :(



I also tried the egg custard they had (Pastel de nata). The custard was actually lemon flavored which I didn't expect. I would have preferred it plain. They also do a simple toasted Portuguese bread with butter. Pretty interesting and not what you usually get in the U.S.

Cafe Casal
1075 Cambridge St
Cambridge, MA 02139
(Inman Square)
(617) 576-2171




Chomp Meter:
Seems like a place where local Brazilians go. Not sure how good the pastries are but it's certainly interesting and the espresso (Brazilian Style) is decent. Do stop by if you are in the area. It'll be fun!

A Hot Tip! ... Muqueca in Inman Square

A Brazilian friend recommended this restaurant in Inman Square so we headed there promptly last weekend. If you're looking for the typical meat buffet this is not the place for you. :) Muqueca restaurant is named for the dish, moqueca, which is a traditional seafood stew from Northern Brazil. It consists of seafood, onions, garlic, and tomatos and is cooked slowly without water.

The restaurant is small and always packed even at 10pm but it is well worth the wait! This place is definitely authentic since everyone seems to speak portuguese. We ordered the seafood muqueca de paixe and the cod capixaba.

The fish,shrimp,mussel muqueca had generous servings of seafood.


My favorite however, was the cod capixaba. It's made from salt cod, and stewed in coconut milk. The stew also includes plantains, olives, and boiled eggs. A strange combination but DELICIOUS. It tasted even better after adding the hot sauce served at every table. Reminded me somewhat of Thai food, but not really. This is something you have to try...


Chomp Meter:
I have to go back. Just looking at the photos makes me want to jump in my car and head over. PS. And you can stop by Christina's later for homemade ice cream. What are you waiting for? :)

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