Cuca Libre
Credit: Matt Keller Lehman

Cuca Libre. Yes, Cuca, not Cuba. Cuca as in the Brazilian slang for mind. Libre like free, but not free of charge. Cuca libre like carefree — like free and easy — like leave your worries at the door when you walk into Cuca Libre in MetroWest, where the playful approach to its brand name carries over to the menu and vibe. 

Brazilian celebrity Zilu Camargo and business partner Jackson Martins da Costa are the duo behind this Orlando outpost of the small restaurant chain born in Nova Era, Brazil. Camargo, who lives locally, was present during each of our visits gently orchestrating Cuca Libre’s lively interplay of conviviality and comfort food — food that is big and bad for you in the best of ways. Expect fun munchie fare — burgers, pizza, pasta and traditional Brazilian bites — enjoyed in a smartly spaced dining room that frequently bounces to the beat of live music. We visited twice, and twice waited for tardy friends over friendly chatter and nibbles. We found perfectly crisped tapioca cubes ($17) with spicy pepper jelly blandly soulful but with a pleasant little kick — think Ed Sheeran post-espresso — and chicken croquettes ($11) dipped in green mayo subtly satisfying. But starters weren’t where things really got started. 

In the beginning there was the Genesis burger ($19), towering and impressive — a sloppy commitment that, once made, has you thanking its creator. Stacked with beef, Brazilian grilled cheese sealed in molasses, crispy kale confetti, guava ketchup and tomato confit, it oozes with burger-porn main character energy. Speaking of characters, there’s one named Steak n’ Fries in the Brazilian movie City of God. The favela-dwelling street urchin has a singular mission: to prove himself a man. Picanha steak ($26) with yuca fries at Cuca Libre is indeed “man food” — simple, satisfying and best enjoyed with a frosty Hofbräu ($9).

Cuca Libre
Credit: Matt Keller Lehman

I have a weakness for meat-and-bean cuisine like cassoulet or fabada, and the feijoada ($24) at Cuca Libre had me a touch wobbly in the knees. It’s Brazil’s national dish and was one of the best bites to hit our lips: a hearty stew of black bean and mystery meat (carne seca? paio?) with some assembly required. Add-ins and add-ons included fluffy rice, farofa (toasted cassava flour that lends savory crunch), hot sauce, molho campanha (think pico de gallo), pork crackling and greens. 

A Lazy Moon-sized slice of the menu is dedicated to pizza — both Brazilian and Napoletana. Brazilian pizza is a lot like pizza-pizza. More mischievous perhaps. Sweet in some cases. A tablemate shared her greatest fear isn’t public speaking or spiders — it’s ordering pizza that arrives with too little cheese. Have no fear. Queijo is here. And there. And there. Cheese is prominent, especially in a quattro formaggi ($23) of mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan and creamy catupiry. A margherita ($19) with fresh basil and tomato ate perfectly well, but it was the signature Cuca Libre ($24) with its carne seca and arracha cream that proved the most memorably satisfying. 

There’s a saying from São Paulo: “Tudo acaba em pizza (everything ends in pizza).” Much of life’s ugly nonsense is ultimately swept under the rug, the broom being the sharing of food, of pizza. This was the case with us; the everyday worries of the world were swept away with each cheesy bite. Muito obrigado (thank you very much) is the extent of my Portuguese. I wield it when I’m happy or drunk or both. Muito obrigado, Cuca Libre. Thank you for making space for us to free our minds for a beat — for delivering the joy of simple, tasty, turn-your-brain-off eats.

Cuca Libre, 2589 S. Hiawassee Road, 407-203-5054, instagram.com/cucalibreorlando.

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This article appears in Aug. 5-11, 2026.

Michael Murphy scribbles and thinks too much about food.