I finally made it down to Boxpark Croydon for a forage, including a big Brazilian style lunch at Cariaco.
Croydon’s Boxpark is steps from East Croydon Station and offers a broad choice of food vendors within super close proximity of each other (plus, lots of communal outdoor seating). But if you saw what I had to eat at Carioca you might think twice about ordering elsewhere.
Highlights from my lunch included new menu item, chicken pastel (filled with chicken, bell pepper, onion, corn, leek, potato, green chilli, spices and cabbage, £4); classic Brazilian street food, coxinhas (shredded chicken croquettes with homemade churrasco sauce – five for £5); and a substantial mound of food called Favela Cantagalo featuring braised beef atop a cassava rosti (with bell pepper, onion and spices and topped with banana and bacon farofa and served with slaw, crispy sweet potato, chilli and watercress, £8.95). I washed it down with a fresh juice and a good dose of sunshine wolfing it down al fresco.
It had been a while since I’d enjoyed Carioca’s creations (at the original location in Brixton). I was glad to taste everything was as tasty at the new Croydon outlet as I remembered with new treats to try as well.
Carioca is located at Unit 8, Boxpark Croydon, 99 George Street, CR0 1LD. There’s another outlet in Brixton as well. Find out more at cariocastreetfood.co.uk.
