Lula Brazil opens in Rehoboth

For owner Meg Hudson, opening Lula Brazil at 234 Rehoboth Ave. was a chance to revisit a country she visited as a high school exchange student.

“I really love the restaurant business. I always kept a connection with the culture. I had never really done anything with my language. I’d done a wine bar and I didn’t want to do that. And I thought, a Brazilian restaurant because no one is really doing what we are doing here,” Hudson said.

The country of Brazil is a melting pot of cultures, Hudson said, and is different from other South American countries in that the official language is Portuguese and not Spanish. Lula Brazil’s menu reflects that: the food and drink takes inspiration from three elements: native Brazilians, the Portuguese and the country’s African population, which encompasses much of central Brazil. Hudson said the menu combines spicy African foods, more savory native tastes and Mediterreanean influence from the Portuguese.

She said Brazil is a very integrated culture with culinary influences from the country’s Lebanese, Italian and Japanese populations.

The menu includes Brazilian specialties such as prato de casa, a grilled calamari stuffed with banana and farofa, a flour mix that is traditionally sprinkled over food or eaten on the side like rice. There are also American-style dishes with a Brazilian touch, such as hamburger Brasileiro, a burger with potato sticks, cheddar, bacon and a fried egg.

The drink menu and even some of the food features cachaca, Brazil’s national drink, a spirit similar to rum. Hudson said the most well-known cocktail from Brazil using cachaca is caipirinha, similar to a mojito. She said a variation on caipirinha is caipiroska, which uses the same ingredients but substitutes vodka for cachaca. Hudson said she is also serving several exotic juices and wants to have a juice bar in the future. Juice is very popular in Brazil, she said. Lula is the the Brazilian word for calamari.

Hudson previously owned Domaine Hudson in Wilmington but when looking for a place for her Brazilian-themed venture, Rehoboth was the top choice.

“There’s 4,500 miles of coastline in Brazil, so seafood is a big thing. I thought that was perfect for the beach. I wanted a fun, upscale, casual, bright atmosphere where the food would be approachable. That if you weren’t Brazilian you wouldn’t be intimidated, but if you were Brazilian you would feel connection with your culture,” Hudson said.

She said Rehoboth was also appealing because it allows her to keep Lula Brazil seasonal, with a four-to-six week break in the winter.

Lula Brazil’s opening on Aug. 28 did not come without its hardships; the building formerly occupied by Cloud 9 sat vacant for nearly two years and was set to be demolished before the property owner had a change of heart. Hudson leased the building in January and undertook cosmetic work on the interior, such as new floors, new kitchen, appliances, fire suppression system, patio and fixing leaks. She said the hope was to be open in early summer but the project took longer than anticipated.

“I think it really captured what I wanted to. We’re happy with it,” Hudson said. ‘To me, it was the perfect spot.”

One thing that remains from the Cloud 9 days is the dance floor, and Hudson said the restaurant would host a variety of DJs playing a mix of Latin and modern dance music. Lulu Brazil also hosts a daily happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m.

Lula Brazil is open daily from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. For more information, call 212-2755 or visit www.lulabrazil.com.