Batuqui brings Brazilian brunch to restored Cleveland church

A passionfruit mimosa and caipirinha from Batuqui.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Batuqui, the beloved Brazilian restaurant, has added a new reason for Clevelanders to linger over the weekend with its Sunday brunch set in a restored church.

The restaurant’s Cleveland location at 12624 Larchmere Boulevard now serves brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays, offering a menu that blends traditional Brazilian flavors with familiar morning favorites. The second Batuqui location in Chagrin Falls previously tested brunch before the pandemic, but staffing challenges paused the effort.

Now, chefs/owners Carla Batista and Gustavo Nogueira are bringing it back — this time with a clearer vision.

“It was always on my list because I love brunch,” Batista said. “And it was the perfect opportunity to do brunch inside of a church.”

The Larchmere location, which reopened in the newly-renovated space last August, sets the tone. The restaurant transformed a former church building — preserving much of its character — into a warm, expansive dining room that grew from 38 seats to nearly 200. The space includes a downstairs dining area, private room and a small market featuring Brazilian products.

The eggs moqueca from Batuqui.

The brunch menu reflects both Batista’s roots and her curiosity. Dishes include acai bowls topped with strawberries, banana, homemade granola, toasted coconut and raw honey, as well as fresh smoothies and juices. Savory options range from toast de salmão, sourdough with whipped lemon ricotta, smoked salmon, avocado and herbs, to Nordeste, a couscous dish topped with short rib stew and sweet plantains.

Batuqui now offers Sunday brunch at its Larchmere location.

There are also nods to classic brunch staples, like steak and eggs, omelets, quiche and pancakes. But even those are shaped by Batista’s perspective. To build up her confidence with cooking non-Brazilian staples like French toast and pancakes, she brought in a chef for more than two months to help develop a menu that balances both worlds.

One standout, the Rabanada, is a Brazilian-style French toast served with passion fruit whipped cream, local maple syrup and fresh berries. Another, sunrise moqueca, reimagines a traditional seafood stew as a breakfast dish with eggs and pays homage to Batista’s ultimate cooking inspiration — her grandmother.

“She used to make a seafood moqueca on Friday or Saturday, so the little sauce that was leftover, the next day she would just throw some eggs in there,” Batista explained of the dish.

“My whole reference in cooking is my grandma.”

Batista, who grew up on a farm in Brazil, said those early experiences continue to shape her approach, from minimizing waste to emphasizing fresh ingredients. She sources bread and produce locally, often from the West Side Market, and has long relied on vendors like Dionne’s Meats for bacon and smoked meats.

“I’ve been very surprised,” she said of early brunch trends. While she expected mimosas to be a hit: “My beautiful guests come here at noon, they have a caipirinha,” she laughed. “The caipirinha just keeps winning.”

The brunch launched about five weeks ago and has already served more than 400 guests, largely through word-of-mouth and social media.

“I cannot be happier for that,” Batista said.

Next month marks another milestone: Batuqui’s 11-year anniversary on May 16. The restaurant began with a modest 36-seat space just up the street on Larchmere and has grown to become a major player in the Cleveland culinary scene.

“We didn’t have a dollar, but we had the dream,” she said.

Still, her mission with brunch, and the restaurant at large, remains rooted in sharing Brazilian culture through food.

“I would love for people to come and give it a chance to try a brunch, not only for the food but for an experience,” she said.