Brasa Rodizio Sets Up Shop in Mineola

With a large portion of its population of Portuguese heritage, the village of Mineola is not in short supply when it comes to restaurants that cater to the culinary tastes of residents.

The latest restaurant to add its menu to the mix is , which opened its doors Sept. 1 at 100 Herricks Rd. – a location that has seen its fair share of restaurants and bars over the years, including Piri Piri and Weigel’s.

Paul Batista co-owns the new spot with his nephew, Joe Rosemaninho. He said that when they saw that the location was available they decided to “give it a shot” and open the new restaurant.

“We thought this would be a great place for business because there is a large population of Portuguese here,” he said. “Mineola is good – I have been here my whole life, so I love it.”

Batista, who grew up in the village and is still a resident, started in the food industry at the age of 13 in a bakery. He previously worked at Jericho Terrace during high school and at another Portuguese restaurant with his sister and brother-in-law for 16 years. In partnership with his sister, Batista opened up Luso in Smithtown, which has now been running for 3 years.

“We have been doing this for a long time,” Rosemaninho, himself a Smithtown resident, said. “We have more or less helped our family open three or four restaurants and now we have done our own.”

One of the location’s previous restaurant owners stopped in recently to wish Batista luck and to ask what he plans on doing differently with his business. Batista said that he has “over 20 years of experience in the restaurant business” and many customers already have known him for many years from previous restaurant ventures.

“The gentlemen that were here (before) didn’t have any experience,” he continued. “I mean, they worked in a restaurant serving, but they never actually had any cooking background or anything else. I know everything about the business, that is what I have picked up over the years.”

The restaurant’s Portuguese barbecue cuisine has been bringing in repeat diners and a thriving take-out business in the weeks it has been open. Customers have been drawn to the , as well as fish and steak options, Batista said.

“We have been getting a really good response on our food,” he added. “A lot of people have been telling me that the food is great.”

Though Brasa Rodizio is still very young, Batista and Rosemaninho already have big plans for the business which include a possible franchise if the restaurant is successful.

“We would like to try to do that - if everything works out with this,” Batista said. “We have been open for six weeks and I think we have been successful so far. We are doing very well.”