Bronxites know Webster Avenue more for its auto body shops than its culinary offerings. But a new Brazilian restaurant in Norwood could change that.

When friends Evelyn Polanco and Alex Perez were spending too much time driving from Manhattan to Queens to their favorite Brazilian restaurant, they decided to open one closer to home in the Bronx.

Under the guidance of a seasoned Brazilian chef, Polanco and Perez opened the Samba Grill Buffet late this summer. The restaurant, located on the corner of Gun Hill Road and Webster Avenue, serves a variety of Brazilian and Latin American foods.

The grill is the highlight, serving “churrascaria” or traditional Brazilian barbeque meats.

Jeffrey Peñalo, manager at Samba and Perez’s brother, says business has been good so far and the community has been surprised by the new addition, especially because there are few Brazilians living in the area.

“We just wanted to bring a different kind of restaurant,” Peñalo says. “We want to be pioneers in the neighborhood.”

The buffet at Samba offers typical Brazilian dishes such as Salpicon, Medallon Frango (chicken medallions), and Covi (collard greens). The buffet also has a variety of Latin American dishes like stewed chicken and beef dishes, that pair well with rice and beans, as well as a great spread of vegetable dishes that include  butternut squash, beet salad, red cabbage slaw, sweet plantains, tostones (fried green plantains), fried yucca, and mushroom salad with pepper and onions. All the food is lightly seasoned and there is an abundance of healthy choices. 

Peñalo says that including healthy food on the menu was essential. “The city is looking for more healthy stuff,” he says. “We want healthy food [at the restaurant].”

The prices are reasonable at $4.99 to $9.99 a pound, depending of whether you want just the buffet or the grilled meats or both. Customers can either eat at the restaurant or choose take-out.

“You can spend $6 [across the street] at McDonalds or with the same $6 you can get a real meal [here],” Peñalo said. 

Peñalo has big plans for the restaurant including adding a breakfast menu, delivery service, and creating a menu where customers can sit down and order a la carte.  He hopes that the restaurant will get its liquor license soon, as the owners are renovating the second floor to open a lounge in the future.

Ed. Note: The Samba Grill Buffet is located at 380 E. Gun Hill Road, at the corner of Webster Avenue. For more information, call 347-843-0140.