A staple on the menu, Chavez said the dish has brought tears to at least one customer’s eyes.

“[The customer said], ‘You have no idea what you’ve done for me,’” Chavez said. “She was eating feijoada [and] said, ‘You guys brought me back to my childhood years when I was with my mother,’ and she started just crying.”

Other menu options include picanha as an entree and grilled or drumstick chicken.

“The concept is to have a fast-food-type establishment with very slow-cooked food,” Chavez said. “You come in and you have 45 minutes for lunch. You’ll be able to get in and out eating fresh foods made from scratch every day.”

Chavez said the menu is healthy and affordable, with sides including grilled vegetables, pinto beans, pineapple and fried plantains. What contributes to the taste of the food is the mesquite charcoal on the grill, he said.

The restaurant was conceived after Alegria owner Mark Lewis’ brother had a dream about people who were malnourished, obese and sick, Chavez said. The dream gave Lewis the idea to open a restaurant that would also feed the hungry. Lewis’ brother died, and Lewis opened the restaurant in a Brazilian style because his parents were once missionaries there, Chavez said.

“Every single day when we open the restaurant we start our day with a prayer, not only to pray for our families and everything, but for [all] families and for everybody that comes and spends their time here with us,” Chavez said.

“Alegria means joy,” he said. “That’s part of the purpose of the restaurant … to try to feed people who are hungry.”

Along with main dishes, Alegria serves coffee and several desserts. The coffee comes in accordance with Brazilian culture, Alencar said.

“When you go to visit someone [in Brazil], the first question is, ‘Want a coffee?’” he said.

For dessert there are several options including pudim, a flan served either with coconut or de leite, with milk.

Alegria also offers small rolls of cheese bread, which Chavez recommends be eaten with honey.

“We make it here every day,” Chavez said. “It’s very addicting.”

Specialties

Brazilian combo: mesquite-grilled Brazilian steak (picanha), one grilled chicken drumstick with choice of three sides ($12.49)

Feijoada: slowly cooked black bean stew with pork rib meat, smoked sausage and bacon, served with white rice, sauteed collard greens, farofa (yucca flour) and garnished with orange slices ($11.99)