The family-run hospitality group Todos os Santos opened its first restaurant, Santo Brúklin, in the tidy Carroll Gardens space previously occupied by La Slowteria in the months before the tumult of 2020. Its Brazilian-influenced menus and charming garden quickly grew neighborhood esteem that earned it a spot on Yelp’s top 100 list by the following year. The group's second venture, Santo Parque in Williamsburg, is poised for similar success.
The new space is larger, with high ceilings and exposed brick walls. Overall, it has a pleasantly open and lofty quality. Two- and four-tops line the perimeter around a communal table. Neutral hues are dabbed with pops of leafy green in potted plants.
You have to get the pão de queijo ($10 per pair), an anytime cheesy bun ubiquitous in Brazil. Order it with your drinks; the pretty Smokin’ Betty ($14) with fragrant mezcal and the classic Caipirinha ($10) are some of the ace bar’s best cocktails. Santo Parque’s PDQ forms two types of yucca flour and its secret cheese blend into a muffin shape with a satisfying pull. A trio of accompanying spreads includes a sensational house made 'nduja. The rich, salty spiced pork brilliantly factors into a number of dishes to follow.
Santo Parque’s 'nduja also headlines its pork and bean fritter ($9 for three), which cuts that titular mix with collard greens before feijoada spheres are fried into crispy golf ball-sized bites, equally ideal as an app, snack, side or apex bar food. The swine’s more subtle in the standout Spanish octopus in malagueta pepper vinegar ($21). The bed of red sauce is deep with a near-heat that perks up the mild tentacles and bits of plump, slightly sweet yuca fries.
One of Parque’s runaway standouts swaps all that porcine perfection for seafood. The moqueca ($26) arrives absent any fiery flavor from the kitchen. Instead, it's served with a shot of malagueta hot sauce on the side for DIY-intensity. It's wonderful either way, even to a person who annoyingly treats heat like a sport. The beautiful bowl suspends shrimp and mussels in savory, slow-cooked coconut milk stew and tops it with a salmon filet that demonstrates the kitchen’s texture expertise. With the bivalves freed from their shells and the whole dash stirred in, the moqueca’s gentle notes are punctuated by a rising heat that halts before tears spring. Personal palate thermometers, however, will vary.
Vitals
The Vibe: Lofty and sprawling with flattering lighting—equally suited to date duos and larger parties.
The Food: Standouts include the moqueca with a trio of seafood and shot of malagueta hot sauce for DIY fire, the PDQ and anywhere else the house-made 'nduja appears.
The Drinks: Precise caipirinhas and marvelous mezcal applications join more cocktails, beer and wine.
Time Out Tip: The printed menu diverged a bit from what appears on Santo Parque’s on a recent visit. An image of the current menu as of press time appears above.
Santo Parque is located at 232 N 12th Street in Williamsburg and is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5pm to 10pm and for brunch Saturday from 11am to 5pm and Sunday from 11am to 7pm.
