Brazilian Cafe Evicted From Bed-Stuy Home, City Records Show

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — The bubbly Brazilian Cafe Tucum was evicted this month by a landlord who said the eatery owed more than $75,000 in back rent, court and city records show.

The popular cafe on the corner of Patchen Avenue and Macon Street was evicted from its premises on Oct. 17, months after the landlord took his claims to civil court, according to New York City Marshals data.

The eviction came about six months after Cafe Tucum's landlord filed a petition in Brooklyn civil court demanding back rent from owner Sid Castello-Branco, court documents show.

Building owner Adam Raczynski said in an affidavit that he'd struck an agreement with Castello-Branco early in the pandemic allowing the Cafe Tucum owner to pay only a partial amount of his monthly rent of about $4,000.

As part of the deal, Castello-Branco agreed to pay back the rent at a date not specified in the affidavit, Raczynski told the court.

In emails dating to July 2020, Castello-Branco expressed gratitude for a 50 percent rent reduction, saying "we remain optimistic if we can ride through the rest of this year that in the long run we will create a successful neighborhood business."

In a response filed in Brooklyn civil court in May, Castello-Branco contended the rent reduction was a permanent agreement.

Raczynski disputes and said, "we have not received rent from you in months."

Cafe Tucum had recently applied for a liquor license, according to Brownstoner.

Messages left with numbers associated with Raczynski and Castello-Branco were not returned.