Absolutely fantastic Brazilian style cakes, pies, desserts and coffee. For those who may not trust…read morea mall food court it is important to understand that in Brazil the malls are truly a destination for a safe and fun environment so the food is often the destination itself and not just a collection of low quality chains like is often the case in the US. Brazilian cakes and desserts in the south of the country (like Florianópolis) are on a league of their own for freshness and excess. This is NOT traditional European, which are more restrained. The southern Brazilian sweets are very sweet and take pride in joining every delicious ingredient in a single dessert. For those untrained in the art of extreme sweets, I recommend sharing with a friend and getting a black (or barely sweetened) coffee and eat slowly. Either way, this place is great for the quality, freshness and friendly service for what it is meant to be served.

I stumbled upon this cafe on a windy winter day when I was a bit underdressed for the temperature…read more I saw a sign for chicken soup (caldo de galinha) in the window and thought it would be the perfect thing to warm me up, and it was. The soup was delicious and served piping hot. I decided to also get a cup of hot chocolate, expecting chocolate milk, and got a cup of hot chocolate pudding that was amazing. Since it was cold and windy outside and I was in no hurry, I pulled out a book and took my time. It's a nice place to stop for a quick, or slow, lunch. They have various pasteles, i.e. meat filled pastries, and an assortment of chocolates to choose from as the name would suggest. If you're close and hungry, stop by. It's not quite worth driving across town to get to though.