Chef John Manion was eight years old when his family moved from the Midwest to São Paulo, Brazil. Those formative years shaped him in ways that only became clear decades later. Now, with Brasero in West Town, he's channeling everything he fell in love with as a boy into a wood-fired South American restaurant that feels like a tropical vacation.
The big open kitchen sets the tone immediately. Watch the action unfold as flames dance behind the team, everything kissed by wood smoke and fire. The dining room features plush booths with beautiful carved wood accents—comfortable enough to settle in for hours.
Start with the yellowfin tuna crudo: tender tuna with compressed green papaya, papaya leche de tigre, and a Marcona almond crumble. It's a dish that transports you instantly to somewhere warm and wonderful.
The grilled oysters ($6 each) arrive with citrus garlic butter and a cashew plantain crumble—spicy, warm, and succulent. Brasero's rendition of pão de queijo, Brazil's beloved cheese bread, is comforting and chewy, served warm with seasonal jams (currently pineapple and habanero) and prosciutto if desired.
Side dishes steal the show. The roasted squash features delicate tempura-fried Nichols Farm squash atop roasted delicata and pureed butternut, with goat cheese, brown butter pine nuts, pomegranate, and pecorino Romano. A tangy agrodolce adds sambal heat. "It's a side dish with main-character energy," notes one reviewer.
The branzino is a showstopper: a whole grilled fish served with salsa verde, harissa, and chile crunch aioli, offering heat and spice with wood-fired flavor.
Every Wednesday, the wine team selects six bottles from their 100-bottle list and marks them at $60 per bottle. Happy hour (5-7 p.m. daily, including Saturdays, and all night Sundays) features prawns, oysters, noodles, and Manion's legendary La Sirena kale salad at special prices.
"This is the food that shaped me," Manion says. "I just want to share it with Chicago."