Sampa Brazilian Kitchen Gets a Big New Home in the Heart of Santa Cruz

April 11, 2023 – São Paolo has a lot going on. Which is a little like saying Pelé could do a few things on a fútbol pitch.

Brazil’s largest city—which locals call “Sampa”—is also the country’s financial and industrial center.

When I visited a decade back it had 29 million people, 12,500 restaurants and 15,000 bars, and the biggest urban population of Italians outside of Italy (and Portuguese, Spaniards and Japanese from beyond their respective borders).

“If Cannery Row, as John Steinbeck famously wrote, is ‘a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream,’” I reported, “then São Paolo is a samba, a salt fish, a velocity of life, a drum, an energy, an adventure, an intuition.”

So it makes poetic sense that Sampa Brazilian Kitchen’s new spot will have plenty going on too. 

Santa Cruz’s Sampa—featuring street food standouts like pao de queijo and coxinha—proved a hit across an extended residency at Woodhouse Blending and Brewing. Now it will transform from a pop-up style spot with limited menu and kitchen space into a full-service restaurant at the corner of Water Street and North Branciforte Avenue in Santa Cruz. 

Anticipated open date is early May, mid-May conservatively.

Its family of creators face an interesting challenge: For all that Brazil has to recommend it—music and beach, jungle and river, soccer and sun, Carnaval and caipirinha—food rarely cracks the list. 

Fortunately siblings Ricardo Malia, Natasha Reber and Fernando Neto all hail from São Paolo, so the authenticity element is securely in place, as is an enthusiasm for its food.

“São Paolo is super strong culinarily,” Malia says. “With so many people from all over the world, and so many places and cultures to enjoy, it has an amazing restaurant scene.”

It also helps that they know what they’re doing. The trio shares a combined four decades of experience working in hospitality, namely food. 

Reber was the first one to come to Surf City, to learn English post-high school. She talked Ricardo into doing the same thing, and he fell for the beach town too, as would Fernando. 

“After I realized what a special place Santa Cruz is,” Reber says, “I started working here in the restaurant business.” 

The familial team started and ran other restaurants, then opened Sampa 1.0 at Woodhouse because they remained fixated on the cuisine they ate growing up. 

It’s no coincidence that the best selling item at Woodhouse (the carne louca, a slow-cooked tri-tip, available as a sandwich or a plate with smoked sausage, beans, salad and house salsa) is made with their mom’s recipe.

Now they have the setting to really take a swing. “With our new place we can do whatever we want,” Malia says, “which is super exciting.”

They can play the hits, like their textbook coxinha, a tear-drop-shaped potato-and-chicken croquette, and skirt into more adventurous territory with items like their carne louca nachos with tri-tip and smoked sausage covered in cheese and jalapeño bites.

Meanwhile the new brick-and-mortar spot—and its substantial kitchen—will widen their repertoire to feature other Brazilian staples. 

That will include pasteles, a popular empanada-like streetside delicacy back home; churrascaria-style grilled meats; and traditional feijoada, a thick black bean and pork stew.

Pizzas will also come into play, including a take on the number one combo in Brazil, a Portuguesa with ham, calabresa sausage, bell peppers, sliced tomato, onion, black olives and hard-boiled eggs.

Reber characterizes the offerings as “some of the best street appetizers from São Paulo along with unique plates.” 

“The taste and culture of São Paulo and Brazil in Santa Cruz,” she adds.

As this publishes, much of the ambitious overhaul of the former Robbie’s Pizza & Subs (which was Joe’s Pizza before that) is complete, including new floors, fresh paint and a dog-friendly deck. 

“We pretty much changed everything to [translate] our vibe to the place,” Malia says. 

That mood will be aided by local wines and 12 beers on tap (smart money is on several Woodhouse favorites) and mellow live music on weekends. 

“People can come and join us for appetizers and drinks or a full dining experience,” Reber says. “The vibe will be very chill since we are all very chill people—we want people to feel comfortable and have a great experience.”

“A Brazilian vibe, a happy vibe,” Malia adds, “with São Paolo flavor.”

More and full menu at sampabrazilianfood.com.