Brasero

Brasero is not a generic Latin American grill with smoke added as a finish; the working grammar is live fire as the primary heat source and South American reference points as the organizing frame. Open-fire picanha, warm pao de queijo, coastal seasoning, mojo de ajo, feijoada, catupiry cheese, plantain, cashew, and house hot sauce all point to a kitchen built around char, fat, acid, and starch rather than a single national canon.

Live fire, Brazilian references, and Chicago menu construction

Opened on February 6, 2024 in West Town, the restaurant is tied to Chef John Manion’s South American cooking register, with Sao Paolo childhood references appearing through picanha over open fire, pao de queijo, and coastal flavors. The useful first pass through the menu is to read it by technique: raw and cured work in the Wagyu beef tartare with smoked onion, horseradish aioli, cured egg yolk, and PQB sourdough; coal-roasted vegetable work in the sweet potato with catupiry cheese and pepitas; and live-fire seafood in the grilled oyster with citrus garlic butter, cashew plantain crumble, and house hot sauce.

The stronger multi-visit strategy is not to treat the menu as a greatest-hits list. Start with grilled oyster and tartare to measure smoke, acidity, and condiment balance, then move toward the braised pork shank feijoada risotto with pork jus, radish and fennel slaw, yuzu vinaigrette, house hot sauce, and mojo de ajo. A later visit can shift toward Brazilian fried chicken with fennel, chilis, and the restaurant Ranch, plus the summer squash and peach salad with spiced peanuts, where fruit, heat, and crunch carry the lighter side of the same fire-led vocabulary.