A family-owned Brazilian restaurant and grocery store has packed up its Taunton storefront and set up shop in Fall River, bringing a daily buffet, a full bakery case, and shelves of imported goods to a renovated building on King Philip Street. Real Brazil Restaurant and Market, owned by Alan Martins, held its grand opening on October 8 at 755 King Philip Street, just over a week before this report.
The move caps a journey that started in 2021, when Martins first opened Real Brazil at 17 Tremont Street in Taunton, according to the Fall River Reporter. The new Fall River location is a family-owned eatery and grocery spot offering dine-in, takeout, and delivery through DoorDash and Grubhub, per the same report. Before the restaurant could open its doors, Martins had to appear before the Fall River Licensing Board to secure a new common victualler license, a step required under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 140, Section 6, for any establishment serving food for on-site consumption with seating, according to the Town of Uxbridge.
A Renovated Building With a Rocky Tax History
The building Real Brazil now calls home has its own backstory. The 1,606-square-foot commercial structure sits on a 0.04-acre lot and was listed for sale at $219,000, according to Compass Real Estate. Before it went up for sale, the property underwent a round of upgrades that included a new 30-year roof, vinyl siding, interior and exterior LED lighting, two mini-split heating and cooling systems, commercial windows, and an ADA-compliant restroom, the listing notes.
That transformation followed a rougher chapter. The City of Fall River had held the property as a tax possession after it drew no bids at a 2019 city auction, then put it back up for municipal tax sale in May 2021 with a required $5,000 bid deposit, according to the City of Fall River. The property's path from vacant, city-held parcel to a working restaurant and market fits a pattern local officials have pushed for with tax-auctioned buildings around Fall River.
Licensing Board Signs Off at One Government Center
Martins brought his application to the Fall River Licensing Board, a three-member municipal panel chaired by Attorney Gregory Brilhante that reviews and votes on common victualler and food service licenses during public meetings at One Government Center, according to the City of Fall River. That approval cleared the way for the buffet, bakery, and grocery operation to open its doors earlier this month.
What's on the Menu and the Shelves
The restaurant's daily buffet features barbecue and grilled meats alongside rice, beans, and sides like potato salad, per the Fall River Reporter's account. Traditional Brazilian churrasco buffets typically feature meats cooked on rotating skewers, including top sirloin cap known as picanha, along with chicken, pork, and linguiça, served with staples like feijoada and coxinhas, according to a Facebook post from the Fall River Reporter.
Beyond the buffet, the menu includes appetizers such as cheese and corn risoles, coxinha, and house-made pastel pastries filled with cheese, chicken, or pizza toppings. Other popular items include linguiça empanadas, salsicha empanadas, and chicken pastel. Diners with a sweet tooth can order passion fruit mousse, tres leches, or Brazilian French bread for dessert.
The attached market stocks imported cheeses, snacks, candies, and other home-cooking essentials, rounding out the grocery side of the business. Real Brazil Restaurant and Market is open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Part of a Growing South Coast Market
The relocation lands in a region with Brazilian residents. Fall River itself has more than 2,190 Brazilian residents, per demographic data from Zip Atlas.
Statewide, Massachusetts is home to 100,356 Brazilian residents and accounts for 17.7% of the Brazilian population in the United States, Neilsberg's analysis found. That concentration helps explain why a Lusophone grocer and restaurant moving from Taunton to Fall River has room to grow in its new home.
