Minas Carne Brazilian Barbecue Replaces Mariposa Taqueria in Danbury

At the end of March, the Reyes Family announced that Mariposa Taqueria would be closing after six years on Mill Plain Road. Technically, though, they weren’t going anywhere. Instead, they decided to change it over to one of their other long-standing concepts in the city of Danbury.

Not Amigo’s Deli. Not Mezon Tapas Bar, which was previously in the Mariposa space. But rather, a second, slightly different iteration of Minas Carne Brazilian Barbecue called Minas Carne Brazilian BBQ & Bar.

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Inside, there’s a buffet where the bar used to be and a tinier bar in the dining room’s casual digs.

The faces involved at this Minas sequel are all familiar; Javier, Sam, and Richard Reyes, and their manager at Amigo’s, Evandro Silva, but, of course, like at all of their restaurants, it’s all family hands on deck.

Javier, who tells us he’ll be the one who will be at Minas on Mill Plain the most, said this new chapter was sparked by the current state of the restaurant climate and by listening to the people of Danbury.

At the end of the DIY buffet, you have an option to request churrasco roasted meats that include picanha, garlic picanha, bacon wrapped chicken breast, chicken thighs and wings, homemade linguica sausage in both mild and spicy, pork tenderloin, cinnamon dusted pineapple, and more.

At Minas’ buffet, you can load up with as much or as little as you’d like.

And don’t worry, there are plenty of veggies and greens, too.

“I don’t want to harp on Mariposa too much,” he says. “Mariposa was great, but given the times, it was necessary to give Danbury another Minas. We’re trying to respond to what the community was asking for. Mariposa was somewhere in between fine dining and casual (less people are going to the in between places). The same thing happened when we changed from Mazon to Mariposa.”

What Javier is talking about, in part, is affordability, and Minas’ buffet-based model gives customers to have as much or as little as they want since you pay by weight.

Something that the original Minas doesn’t have that this one does? Beer (a few on draft), wine, and cocktails, including, of course, a classic caipirinha.

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Frozen margaritas come as is or “fully loaded” for an extra $3. The upgrade involves a Tajin rim, chamoy, a tamarind stick, and a tequila floater on top, so take that first sip slowly.

But they’re not exactly following the exact same blueprint at the original Minas that opened in 1997, the same one that their father, Luis, took over 18 years ago.

At this version of Minas, the buffet—where you’ll encounter rice, beans, greens, potato salad, spaghetti, Brazilian meat stews, and more—is augmented with made-to-order Brazilian classics from the kitchen and drinks from a small bar.

Griddled Queijo Coalho (with sweet BBQ sauce) is a hard cheese that doesn’t fully melt, but rather, gets soft when cooked, is a popular Brazilian snack.

And there’s a loaded up Brazilian style fast food burger here!

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“We wanted to speak to Mill Plain Road specifically because there’s a lot of bars here, so we thought it would be cool to create a Minas buteco style—they’re little bars, like your neighborhood bar, in Brazil that serve snacks, fried food, cold beer, and caipirinhas,” Javier says. “We thought it’d be cool to incorporate all of that and we don’t have any of that at the other spot. It’s make-your-own-plate for a good price, and you can control what you want to eat, but we also have this other experience where if you want to have a beer or a cocktail, if you want to watch soccer, if you want takeout, or to come in real quick for a meal on your lunch break, sit and have a beer with friends, you can do that. There’s something for everyone here.”

Buffet aside—where you can also get sliced to order meat, fresh and juicy off the churrasco—in the kitchen, this Minas offers both snacks like empanadas (chicken, cheese, or beef), coxinhas stuffed with chicken and cream cheese, and cod fritters, plus, larger plates like a five-piece fried chicken, moqueca, a Brazilian coconut milk seafood stew, and an X-Tudo burger, meaning “loaded,” that comes topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, a fried egg, house-made linguica, and potato sticks.

Anyone familiar with Mariposa’s churros knew those had to stick around.

But, sweet, buttery, chocolatey brigadeiros are a must after you crush a couple plates.

While it’s still early for this second installment of Minas, Javier says that he and his family are excited for what’s ahead and that they’re looking forward to serving the community.

“Our dad started Amigo’s 35 years ago, and about 18 years ago, he was presented an opportunity to buy Minas,” he says. “He bought it not knowing anything and that’s the same way he opened his deli, one of the first Latin American delis in the area, too. He saw an opportunity with lots of Brazilians living in the area. It took years and years to make small improvement to it. The employees will always greet you with a smile and we’ll do anything to make you happy. Whatever the community response is, we’re willing to do it.”

56 Mill Plain Road, Danbury
203.748.0875, minascarne.com