Manioca
This Manioca location is in the JK shopping mall, where it’s surrounded by professional offices such as Amazon, Johnson & Johnson, Santander, and many more. The restaurant opens sharply at 11:30 AM local time, and at 12:00 PM, all the workers flock from their offices to this mall to eat in the food court and all the various restaurants. Manioca is a restaurant by Helena Rizzo, who also happened to own Michelin-rated Mani as well. We went to this restaurant to try because she has built a very nice reputation of having great foods.
Ambiance & Service
The restaurant was bustling during lunch time as all the tables were filled with people. Fortunately, people during their lunch time come to eat quickly then go back. We waited just 20 minutes for a 2-seater to open up at around 1:10 PM.
The service as with most modern Brazilian casual restaurants is quite speedy and accommodating. Once you order, the food and drinks come out very quickly.
Food
The suco de melancia com agua de coco (R$21 - left) was fresh watermelon juice with coconut water.
The suco de maçã-verde com agua de coco (R$26 - right) was fresh green apple juice with coconut water.
Both of these were delicious partly because these were all freshly juiced. In Brazil, they have a wide variety of juices that are guaranteed to be clean and fresh. These were both pick-me-up type drinks. The watermelon was super refreshing and the green apple had just enough tartness to wake you up.
The peixe (R$135) or fish was wrapped in banana leaf and served with plantain puree, a butter bean (manteiguinha) vinaigrette, and Brazil nut farofa. The fish was cooked perfectly. It was soft, dense, and meaty. For the price, they were very generous with portions. Everything else was quite wonderful. The plantain puree offered a nice, creamy plantain taste that blended well with the fish. The farofa was nutty and seasoned perfectly.
Original translation: peixe na folha de bananeira com purê de banana-da-terra, vinagrete de feijão-manteiguinha e farofa de castanha-do-pará
The cavatelli (R$132) came with housemade sausage white ragu, grilled octopus, and farofa. This was my favorite of the 2 entrees that we ordered. The cavatelli was the perfect vessel for the meaty ragu flavors. My partner wished there was more meat, but I mentioned to them that the meat was actually in some of the cavatelli since it cups the meat sauce perfectly. The grilled octopus was a surprising pairing to a meat ragu dish, but it worked for me. The octopus had a nice bouncy texture and was cooked perfectly. Lastly, the farofa on top gave it a nice starchy, crunchy texture. The flavors of this entire pasta dish was something I can come back and have again.
Original translation: cavatelli com ragù branco de linguiça da casa, polvo grelhado e farofa de pão
The cake (R$48) came with grilled pineapple, a Brazilian coconut cake, rum, coconut ice cream, and smoked milk foam. This was unfortunately a miss for me slightly. The smoked milk foam was way too powerful as if you were inhaling cancer while eating. It was not a nice feeling. Otherwise, the grilled pineapple and coconut cake were pretty delectable. If the milk foam had much less smoke flavors, it probably would’ve been a great dish. Nevertheless for the price, it’s still pretty good.
Original translation: abacaxi na brasa, bolo toalha felpuda, rum, sorvete de coco e espuma de leite defumado
Overall Impression
Manioca was one of my favorite restaurants of this trip. Not only was the food simply delicious, but the value and price range was quite reasonable. The only miss which I will forgive was the dessert, but I’d still like to come back and try other things on the menu. Helena Rizzo has really knocked it out of the park for both Mani and Manioca.
Yelp & Google Jabs
The air conditioning is set to such a low temperature that it makes any pleasant experience impossible. Winter clothing is necessary for a reasonable experience.
I thought this was an amusing comment because you will see locals wear puffer jackets in low 70s weather. I don’t think it was that cold for me when I went as I was in a shirt and shorts, but the locals definitely have a different feeling of the temperature.
The main course was wonderful, very tasty, but 135 reais for a dish of fish, mashed potatoes and farofa seemed a bit expensive
Just wait till this person visits NYC. For a dish of fish, mashed potatoes, and farofa, it will probably run them close to R$270 if not more.
Revisions
- Mar 11, 2026 - Initial revision.