Tia Maria is a Brazilian bar and restaurant in Vauxhall that combines authentic Brazilian food and drink with live entertainment and music. The team here are passionate about music, and you’ll find regular live samba, forro and blues nights going down at Tia Maria, along with plenty of passionate dancers.
Tia Maria has taken over the site of an old pub on Wheatsheaf Lane, giving this Brazilian bar and restaurant and charming pub vibe that perfectly suits the live music and atmosphere. The interiors are still quite smart, with exposed brick walls and original wood floors, and the bar has been retained. There’s also a sizeable beer garden at the back, where you can enjoy food and drink in the summer months.
The menu kicks off with starters like Brazilian chicken croquettes, onion-fried chicken hearts, slow-roasted beef short rib with fried cassava and salad cod fish cakes. If you’re struggling to choose, just plump for one of the mixed platters, which give you a taste of multiple things (there’s a veggie mixed platter too if you’re avoiding meat).
The mains stick to authentic, comforting Brazilian food, like feijoada - a black bean stew with pork and beef, served with sauteed greens, roasted cassava flour and rice - and palm heart stroganoff with basmati rice and shoestring fries. There’s also spaghetti in a rich tomato sauce, and plenty of meat from the grill, including Brazilian cuts like picanha. Finish things off with something sweet, like a sweet pastel, fried milk caramel churros or ice cream.
Tia Maria also doubles as a juice bar, with lots of fresh fruit juices available, as well as tropical fruit pulp juices like strawberry, cherry, pineapple, cashew and papaya.