Sinha Elegant Cuisine

Overall Thoughts: Sinha is one of the most unique and intimate dining experiences I've ever had. I went for the Sunday 2-hour, all-you-can-eat buffet at 4pm, which I called 2 weeks in advance to reserve. Everything takes place in Chef Jorgina's home, beginning with communal appetizers on the ground floor. Later, everyone is seated downstairs around tables arranged according to party size, where the buffet and desserts are served. The service is so warm and absolutely top-notch. Chef Jorgina prepares a full, impressive feast every time. The food was overall delicious with many hits (all the yuca, veggie, plantain, bean dishes) and some misses (some of the more meaty dishes). For $49 total including tip/tax, it was worth it considering the sheer quantity and quality of food and the level of care, detail, and warmth that goes into the service and preparation. I literally could not walk afterwards.
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Price (relative to peers): 4.3/5
Food: 4.4/5
Ambience: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Overall Value: 4.6/5

Great foodie experience!
The welcome greeting at the door , the appetizers, the professional and kind staff, delicious food & drinks, beautiful ambience, and great company made for an amazing day!

The food is absolutely delicious. So much food that I can't even mention them all, some of our favorites were the lamb the fish, the ribs, steak, plantain, the greens, rice, and beans and the empanadas were delicious.

For years, several friends had recommended that I go to Sinha for some Brazilian food. Only recently during Chicago Restaurant Week did I finally get to go to the restaurant.

This is not like going into a brick and mortar establishment. This is going into someone's home. That created an atmosphere of intimacy and familiarity that, of course, is not present when dining at a restaurant. We started out having fruit and hibiscus juice on the second floor. There was bit of mingling before dining, if that is your thing.

For the main dining experience, we sat on the ground level where the tables were prepared. There was a mix of dishes prepared with inspiration from traditional Brazilian dishes. There was feijoada, which is a platter of rice, steamed collard greens, black beans, and farofa. For those who wanted meat, which is cooked with the beans, there was the accompanying meat on the side that could be added. There was cabbage that had a nice kick to it from peppers that had been added. Instead of bobó de camarão (shrimp in a coconut and yucca gravy), they served bobó de frango (chicken in a coconut and yucca gravy). I had shrimp with celery, pickled whole okra, mashed potatoes, mushrooms, and plantains. As to dessert, there was a slice of red velvet cake that had something of a flan baked atop it with a small cup of passion fruit custard. My pre-pescatarian self probably would have indulged the meat dishes more, but I omitted the beef and pork that would have gone into the feijoada, the chicken in the coconut and yucca dish, and the steak.

For anyone who is thinking churrascaria, this is not of the lazy buffet variety that you get at Fogo de Chão, Sal & Carvão, and Texas de Brazil. It's traditional Brazilian food that is very prevalent in Bahia. Having spent time in Brazil and also having gone to several small Brazilian restaurants dotted throughout Chicago, I did find the food preparation to differ only slightly from Brazilian dishes I have eaten in the past. That was not problematic because some of the small adjustments in recipes allowed for sampling certain menu items with a twist. What made it enjoyable is that since not everyone cooks exactly the same, I got to experience Brazilian dishes the way the chef cooks at home for herself.

I almost don't want to write a review b/c I don't want to spoil the surprise of it all! You are in for a treat when you come to Sinha. Ill just say- great experience, great staff, delicious amazing food, ambience is incredible and it's BYOB! enjoy :)

By far the best and most authentic Brazilian restaurant in Chicago! The owner is quite literally inviting you in to her home, and, in the summer, her pretty and eclectic backyard garden. From the hibiscus tea to the plantains, everything is delicious! I planned with the owner, and had my whole Zumba class come after a workout and everyone enjoyed!

This is a really nice place. It's actually in a typical two flat city apartment converted into a restaurant.

It's very inviting and decorative.

There is outside seating and in the basement there is seating as well. The main floor appears to be a waiting area. There you can help yourself to water, hibiscus tea (cold) and chips with homemade salsa. There is also bread and cheese.

I went for a birthday brunch, there was about 20 of us. We were all seated in the basement. It was nice in the basement, nicely decorated as well.

The brunch was Buffett style. Lots and lots of food. We had rice, beans, collard greens, shrimp, beef, lamb, ribs, quail eggs, asparagus, sweet potatoes, and so much more!

I had a sample plate basically where I tried all the types of meat, and shrimp, and several sides.

Everything was full of flavor, and cooked perfectly. The owner was so nice she even joined in singing Happy Birthday with us and than she and her staff sang it in Portugués the language spoken in her home country of Brazil.
It was great time.

If you want to try some Brazilian food this is a great place to try. It's also a BYOB.

There is a parking lot next to the restaurant and street parking as well.

We were at Georgina's house for an evening event and I HIGHLY recommend this business. All the staff and Georgina were so welcoming. The food was abundant and very very delicious. The space was beautifully decorated and it felt so warm and welcoming, as if you are dining at grandparents house. At the end of the day, Georgina waited for my ride to come and his staff ensured I got to my ride safely. While waiting, we talked about music and I was offered event more yummy pastry. Georgina is a national treasure and her restaurant is a hidden gem in Chicago!

We came here for the first time before spring break ended. The feijoada was buffet style, and then you order your main entrée. Prices starting at $25. Don't forget to make reservations. The eating area was filled, so be prepared to be patient with services. Very cozy set up in their basement, playing music in Portuguese in the background. A great experience I highly recommend it at least once.

Fabulous place to dine. All of the boxes are checked- good service, good food, good convo,attractive decor, and how often do you get to meet the owner (that's a plus). Walked in and was greeted promptly by Leo. He told us to take a seat anywhere we liked. Since we were the only vehicle in the nice sized parking lot at the time (came day one of restaurant week) my husband said we're going to get personalized service, and that we did. The complimentary buffet is a huge plus and a great intro to the brazilian food. Then comes the complimentary chicken croquets and famous cheese bread. That's 3x the free, sold. Our entrees were the horseback riding steak (tender) and the oxtails (yum) and each came with a slightly less than ripe mango (who knew) love it. Last but not least I LOVE that this place is BYOB and the passion fruit mousse was hitting (I had two and I normally don't like mousse). As if I was't shown enough hospitality, right before my departure Georgiana came out with carrot bread to go, what a charmer she is. Thanks and may you continue to succeed at what you do! I'll be back!

Only con is sitting by the window was really cold, in the winter months a little extra warmth would be great.

I took my mom to Sinha for Mother's Day buffet. I chose this place due to the positive reviews. All of us left happily stuffed with an amazing meal prepared by Chef Jorgina Pereira and her amazing staff.

Chef Jorgina is the proprietary owner and chef of Sinha Elegant. The overwhelmingly 20+ dish Brazilian buffet spread is lovingly prepared by the chef and trained staff. On the weekends there are two timeslots (2 and 4pm) for the buffet.

We were running a few minutes late due to traffic but chef and the team were able to accommodate us despite the delay. As soon as we got street parking, we entered up the stairs to the elegant home of the chef's 1st floor salon for appetizers and boy were there plenty!

Cecelia, a friend of the chef, did an amazing job as hostess for the afternoon being engaging and friendly. When it was time for our meal, Cecelia led us downstairs to the main dining area and introduced us to Chef Jorgina. Chef was soft spoken and humble. Prior to starting, chef explained the content and history of the many traditional Brazilian dishes on the menu and I'm glad she did because a good portion of the food tried were firsts for many of us.

I've never had Feijoada, Farofa and Chicken Bobo before and I left loving it. The flavors and textures of Brazilian style food are new to my palette. Chef Jorgina's food is truly unique. Pairing her food with the opportunity to dine in the chef's home felt special and personal.

Her food pretty much speaks for itself. My review doesn't do it justice. She recently won this year's Jean Banchet for Best Alternative dining in 2022 and is very much deserving of this award.

During warmer months, seating is expanded to the outdoors. She also does catering if you're looking to host a special event. All in all, we left happy, and our experience exceeded expectations.