Linni Eats L.A.: Malagueta

Colorado Blvd. zips through Old Town Pasadena in a flourish of magicians and overpriced boutiques, of diagonal crosswalks and captivating cafes. There are restaurants on top of restaurants, literally in the case of J.J.’s Steakhouse, which sits atop Melting Pot, which sits atop Kabuki. Amid all of this bustle, it’s hard to find a truly stellar, mind-blowing dining experience every time. This is where Malagueta steps in.

In the grand tradition of Pasadena cuisine, it combines exotic cooking styles for a Brazilian-meets-Mediterranean festival of delicious. There is prime people-watching to be had, so sit outside if you can. Inside, the restaurant’s wood-burning oven casts a glow on the happy diners. The pile of logs next to it provides a cozy juxtaposition with the contemporary bar’s vividly illuminated bottles.

The menu of Homer-esque proportions has small pictures in the back to serve as a guide to the laundry list of foreign dishes. Take a risk and share the Brazilian or Mediterranean Sampler, both of which feature a large selection of traditional finger foods with names you might not recognize. We ordered the Brazilian variety, which included Bossa Nova bread that resembled cheese puffs, plantains, hearts of palm, calabresa sausage and fried yucca with their signature salsa that is more like a choppy chutney. Yucca is a root not unlike a potatoe and at Malagueta, they slice it thinly and serve it like French fries;. Calabresa is a Brazilian take on pepperoni that is sliced smoothly and has an addictively sweet taste. The plantains, a fruit similar to the banana, are grilled with an aptness that leaves them neither greasy nor mushy.

Our pleasant waiter was attentive despite the fact that we were his only outdoor table, and brought water refills and drinks, like the Guarana soda, promptly. Half the meal may be spent deciding on an entrée from the extensive, multi-page and multi-meat list. They offer the Brazilian Barbecue craze, Churrasco, as well as pizzas from the wood-burning oven. Pizzas can be topped with virtually anything, from banana to smoked gouda and from shrimp to calabresa sausage.


The Northern Brazilian specialty Moqueca de Camaro involved ample chunks of silky shrimp sautéed in cilantro, onions, tomatoes, pepper, dende oil and coconut milk. It was served with more of the plantains, as was the Bife Acebolado. This abundant serving of skirt steak was also topped with onions, garlic and parsley and was accompanied by black beans and rice, which all blended together in a jumble of juices and spices that I could not stop eating, long after I was full. If you’re feeling really hungry, the Gaucho ribs offer a thicker cut of beef and additional yucca French fries with the entrée.


The menu also has pastas, salads and more Mediterranean fare, including the Mediterranean Sampler, which features falafel, grape leaves, hummus, yogurt and cucumber dip, taboule and pita bread. They do offer some simple desserts such as flan and chocolate cake, as well as myriad inventive cocktails if you’re of age. The proximity to 21 Choices ultimately kept me from tasting any of these treats, however, and I went on to stuff myself full of fro yo. There is always next time—I will definitely be returning to Malagueta, which is a huge compliment to any eatery on the dizzying Colorado strip.