"The wood-stove benchmark for Minas cooking since 1987. Bring a hungry group for frango com quiabo and stay all afternoon."
About Xapuri
Dona Nelsa Trombino opened Xapuri on 22 August 1987, and the fogão a lenha she lit has not gone cold since. Her son Flávio now guards it, cooking the same Minas Gerais repertoire his mother taught him: frango com quiabo, leitão à pururuca, vaca atolada. The address sits out at Trevo in Pampulha, a low rambling property with a sweet factory, a sausage room and a craft shop attached. It is not refined and does not try to be. It is the most complete argument in Belo Horizonte for cooking over fire.
The Kitchen
Flávio Trombino runs the kitchen his mother built, and his title is literal: he is the keeper of the wood stove. The cooking is caipira, the country food of the Minas interior, served à la carte in clay pots from the stove at Rua Mandacaru 260. The signature is frango com quiabo, free-range chicken stewed with okra and served with angu, couve, rice, beans and chuchu; a whole bird runs R$122 and a half portion for two R$82. Around it sit leitão à pururuca with its shattering crackling, costelinha com ora-pro-nóbis, vaca atolada and tutu de feijão. Meats range from R$76 for carne de panela to R$123 for matured picanha.
Trombino took the Dolmã award for best chef in Minas Gerais, and Xapuri carries a Boa Lembrança membership, the national association that vets Brazil's regional kitchens. Pão de queijo arrives hot, and the in-house sweet factory closes the meal with doce de leite and goiabada. Nothing here is plated for a photograph. It is cooked for the table.
The Room
Xapuri is a compound, not a dining room. The main building sits at Rua Mandacaru 260 in Trevo, on the Pampulha side of the city, with a riding stable, a children's play area and a craft store across the grounds. Inside, the mood is rustic and loud in the good way: families at long tables, clay pots steaming, the wood stove visible and working. Tables are generous and well spaced, dress is whatever you drove out in, and the room seats well over a hundred across its sections. Service is warm and unhurried. Come for lunch and plan to lose the afternoon.
Best for a Long Group Lunch
Book Xapuri for a group because the format is built for it: large à la carte portions made to share, a sprawling property that absorbs big bookings, and a pace that rewards staying for hours. A whole frango com quiabo feeds three or four, the sweet factory keeps children busy, and nobody is rushed off the table for a second seating. It works for a birthday lunch, an out-of-town client you want to show the real Minas, or a Sunday that turns into early evening. See more Belo Horizonte dining and the rest of our best restaurants for a team dinner.
Not for
Skip Xapuri if you want a quick, quiet dinner. It is a destination lunch out in Pampulha, loud with families, and the kitchen is built for sharing, not solo plates.
Frequently Asked
Is Xapuri worth it?
Yes. Xapuri is the reference point for cozinha mineira in Belo Horizonte, cooking on a wood stove since 1987 with portions that justify the drive out to Pampulha. Prices are fair for the quality and quantity: a whole frango com quiabo at R$122 feeds three or four. Treat it as a long lunch with a group rather than a quick meal, and order to share.
How do I book Xapuri?
Xapuri takes walk-ins and phone bookings rather than a reservation app, and large groups should call ahead, especially for weekend lunch. The restaurant sits at Rua Mandacaru 260 in Trevo, on the Pampulha side, with ample parking and a children's area on site. Weekday lunches are calmer; Sundays fill with families and can run a wait. Plan to arrive hungry and stay.
What should I order at Xapuri?
Start with pão de queijo and torresmo, then build the table around frango com quiabo with angu, the dish the kitchen is known for. Leitão à pururuca, vaca atolada and costelinha com ora-pro-nóbis are the other classics worth ordering. Finish at the in-house sweet factory with doce de leite and goiabada. Portions are large, so order fewer mains than people.
Is Xapuri good for a group?
Yes. It is one of the best group restaurants in Belo Horizonte. The à la carte portions are made to share, the property is large enough to absorb big tables, and the pace is unhurried, so a birthday or a family Sunday can run for hours. See our team dinner guide for more rooms that handle a crowd.
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Practical Information
AddressRua Mandacaru 260, Loja 1, Trevo, Belo Horizonte, MG
NeighbourhoodTrevo, Pampulha
CuisineCozinha mineira (wood stove)
SignatureFrango com quiabo
Average spendR$76–R$150 per person
Dress CodeNo-rules
ReservationWalk-in / phone; groups book ahead
Open since1987
