AlwaysInvestigating: New York’s Best Pão de Queijo

Arthur Bovino — January 08, 2010

Cross-section from Churrascaria Plataforma’s Pão de Queijo.

If you’ve visited Brazil you know about Brasileiros’ love for Pão de Queijo (learn more), the addictive, gluten-free cheese gougère made with tapioca starch. Like arancini in Italy, doubles in Trinidad, pizza in New York or pan con tomate in Spain, pão de queijo is one of Brazil’s most iconic snacks.

Natives of Minas Gerais may contend this, but some of the Brazil’s best pão can be found at São Paulo’s Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo. There is nothing in New York that approaches Haddock Lobo, but a few places go a long way to giving you a fix. We set out on a mission through three boroughs to find the City’s best, eating pão de queijo at a total of 14 places in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, and keeping in mind the following criteria.

• Size: Domed and about three inches in diameter.
• Exterior: Slightly crispy and without a gummy coating.
• Interior: Light and airy with holes, semi-hollow and slightly gummy.
• Flavor: Savory and cheesy. Adding salt should be unnecessary.
• Temperature: They don’t have to be piping hot but at their best they’re at least a little warm.

We discovered a few things about the state of New York’s pão de queijo. One, it’s easy to mess up. Two, the City’s renditions are smaller by almost two thirds on average, and often, heavier. Three, for the number of Brazilians living in Astoria, we were surprised that so few of the pão de queijo in that area ranked near the top. Lastly, New York’s best pão de queijo are free…with drinks. You’re welcome!

Without further ado, New York’s best pão de queijo, worst to first.

 

14) Favela Cubano (543 La Guardia Pl). These are horrible, literally difficult to swallow. Do not under any circumstances eat these, ever. ($5.50/6) Grade: F

 

13) Miss Favela (57 S 5th St, at Wythe St, Brooklyn). Busy, lively vibe, with pão de queijo that have cheesy Parmesan flavor, but they’re unrisen hockey pucks with crust that squeaks between your teeth. Accompanying Thousand Island-like sauce was baffling. ($7/6) Grade: D

 

12) Brasillianville Café (43-12 34th Ave, Astoria). Approaches the size of the average pão de queijo at the corner stands in Brazil, but unpleasantly hard on the outside, and tough and chewy inside. ($2/each) Grade: D+

 

11) Barbossa (232 Elizabeth St). Silver dollar size with little cheese flavor— more of a stale, cheese aftertaste. With the Brazilian soap playing and a cozy feel, you want to like Barbossa, but it will have to be for other food. This dry pão is eggy with a squeaky crust. ($5/6) Grade: C

 

10) Berimbau (43 Carmine St). A little dry on the outside, like shriveled pizza dough. The staff suggests tearing them open and using butter, good idea. Divides in your mouth like biscuit. ($7/5) Grade: C+

 

9) Casa (72 Bedford St). While inexcusably small, with a touch too much color, these pão de queijo have a crust that establishes the City’s baseline, and encloses an airy interior. ($6.95/5) Grade: B/B-

 

8) Esperanto (145 Avenue C). The crust is too thin and soft, but boy, this is good, like a mochi marshmallow version of pão de queijo. Cheesy and a little gummy. ($3/4) Grade: B

 

7) New York Pão de Queijo (31-90 30th St, Astoria). Larger than most New York renditions, more similar in size to the average version in Brazil. Close in taste to the pão at Esperanto, with a flaky, thin-cracked outer texture that covers a chewy, almost raw-tasting interior— like eating a ball of cheesy tapioca. ($1.75/1) Grade: B/B+

 

6) Cafe Colonial (276 Elizabeth St). Like the pão at New York Pão de Queijo, the pão at Cafe Colonial is larger than the City’s average. This one however, is more akin in size and texture to Haddock Lobo’s— it looks and tastes more like brioche. Crusty exterior, light, hollow interior with a moist, cheesy stretch. ($6/3) Grade: B+

 

5) Churrascaria TriBeCa (221 West Broadway). Exterior is hard where the air bubbles expanded, and the shriveling crust has a glaze-like cheesiness in places. Good lateral give— the interior is still bready, like palatable rubber cement. ($5.95/9) Grade: B+/A-

 

4) La Palette (94 Greenwich Ave). Small, inch-size pão de queijo, with crusty exterior and slightly gummy inside, but not so much to be offensive. Just the right amount of cheese. ($8/6) Grade: A-

 

Beco

3) Beco (45 Richardson St, Williamsburg). This great spot for a drink means ‘side street’ or ‘alley.’ You can smell the cheese in these inch-round pão as they’re set down. Powdery exterior is very thin, as if it only existed because something has to be on the outside. Chewy inside resembles a pale, moist cornbread without the grit. Could use a little more salt. ($4/4) Grade: A-/A

 

2) Coffee Shop (9 Union Square West at 16th St). Can it really be? Coffee Shop at number two? Sure, everyone knows they call themselves Brazilian, but who thinks of it that way? Yes, this place where models wait tables has some of New York’s best Brazilian cheese bread. Hot, crusty, and cheesy. Great with drinks. ($4.95/6) Grade: A

 

1) Churrascaria Plataforma (316 W 49th St). Crispy outside, airy inside. Dough has that squeeze-it-again-bounce. Still much smaller than average Brazilian pão de queijo. Cheesy but not a sharp cheese. Arrive linked and disappear fast. (free with drinks or meal/11) Grade: A+

 

For your own pãoquest, here’s the

KEY: A Churrascaria Plataforma, B Coffee Shop, C La Palette, D Casa, E Berimbau, F Favela Cubano, G Churrascaria TriBeCa, H Cafe Colonial, I Barbossa, J Esperanto, K Miss Favela, L Beco, M Brasillianville Café, N New York Pão de Queijo.