Coxinha Lanches

Yeesh. Creating business listings in Rio is not my strong suit. I think I got the address right. If not, please feel free to edit. This Coxinha Lanches location is in the Portuguesa neighborhood… and I like it. Situated in the middle of a park in a residential neighborhood, I was completely immersed in local flavor. After an evening of walking, exploring, drinking, and laughing, my friends decided it was time for me to enjoy a Brazilian tradition: hanging out at Coxinha Lanches and eating an ice cold acai slushy/​frosty thing. But before I get to what is going to become an obsession of mine, let me start at the beginning.
There’s a food stand with all sorts of sandwiches and burgers from which to choose. Once you choose one, you get to top it with an assortment of condiments, vegetables and other goodies. Go back to your table, kick back in the bright red and/​or yellow chairs, check out Brazil’s version of SNL playing on the television (yep, there’s a TV outside), don’t forget the Skol beer, and get ready to get a grub on. It was a fun experience to be eating 4^th meal outside, watching tv, laughing with friends, meeting new ones, and listening to kids run crazy at the park in which we were grubbing. It sounds bizarre but it was completely right. But as much as you’re grubbing you.must.save.room. Evidently, beyond any savory items you’ll find at Coxinha Lanches, the one (ONE!) item you cannot leave without trying is their frozen treat. I can’t adequately describe it. Perhaps its closest American cousin is the Frosty. It’s a similar consistency (but completely different flavor, of course). Served ice cold, the treat’s eaten with a spoon. At first I was turned off by the dark color and thick consistency, but once I’d had a spoonful — it was on! Why this isn’t all over the US… I don’t know. I blame Monsanto. Ridiculous. Not only was I having a sweet frozen treat that got better as it warmed and the consistency mellowed, with every spoonful, I was adding, like, another 45 years to my life. Awesome. The sandwich was good. The beer hit the spot. But, I would come back here at all hours of night JUST to have another one of the acai frozen treat thingie. Yes, I believe that’s its Christian name. Fan-​freaking-​tastic.