Ever since opening its doors in 1991, Café Brazil has earned a reputation as a sundry neighborhood hotspot that’s a seamless blend of coffeehouse, juice bar, restaurant and art gallery. The café has kept this eclectic approach to its holiday menu with pumpkin treats such as its pumpkin pie latté, served with a gingerbread and white chocolate biscotti that’s good enough to eat alone. Also on the menu? A cranberry-pumpkin pie with cinnamon ice cream, pumpkin pie cheesecake with a brownie crust (sounds like an odd combo, but trust us, it works) and cinnamon-pumpkin pancakes topped with powdered sugar and fresh cinnamon butter. And we’ve got to mention the holiday turkey dinner because they’ve managed to take the traditional dish and breathe new life into it: It’s a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with chipotle rice, turkey and veggies, all smothered with a roasted red bell pepper sauce. It’s not anything like the turkey your mom serves up every year. “We like offering things other places don’t, and we’re not afraid to try new things,” says Brant Wood, Café Brazil CEO. We couldn’t have said it better — Café Brazil is the spot for traditional treats with a funky flair.
Cafe Brazil
2900 Greenville Ave
214-841-0900 Sun-Thur 7 a.m.-midnight Fri-Sat open 24 hours
Five more spots with pumpkin treats
1 PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
It’s so melt-in-your-mouth good that you should consider picking one up for Thanksgiving dinner instead of serving the traditional pie.
Cheesecake Royale
9016 Garland
2 PUMPKIN AND POACHED PEAR SOUP
It’s one of the many pumpkin items chef Erron Thames will be serving up this season. Also try her pumpkin-infused brûlée, truffles, mini-pie, salad …
Corner Market
3426 Greenville
3 PUMPKIN PANCAKES
Forget the hash browns, sausage links and over-easy eggs. Just dig into a stack of these hotcakes, and relish every bite.
IHOP
4040 Abrams
4 PUMPKIN CUSTARD
Served in an actual tiny pumpkin. It’s almost too adorable to eat … almost.
Thai Soon
101 S. Coit, Suite 401
5 PUMPKIN YOGURT
It’s a swirled, soft-serve version and, considering how much we’ll eat this month, it doesn’t hurt that it’s a guiltless 96 percent fat-free.
TCBY
6402 Mockingbird
