The 15 Best Brazilian Steakhouses in the U.S.
Brazilian steakhouses, known as churrascarias, offer a unique experience, especially for those who love variety. These restaurants are famed for their rodízio-style service, which more or less translates into an all-you-can-eat bonanza, where servers (often called passadores or gauchos) bring a parade of grilled meats directly to your table.
The selection typically includes various cuts of beef such as picanha (top sirloin), alcatra (rump steak), and costela (beef ribs), as well as pork, chicken, lamb, and sometimes exotic meats such as rabbit or ostrich. The meats are often seasoned with simple yet flavorful ingredients like rock salt and sometimes garlic or herbs, allowing the meat's natural flavors to shine through.
In the United States, these steakhouses have grown in popularity over the years due to their hearty portions—they also often feature a buffet of salads and sides—and abundance of well-cooked and seasoned meats. Most of these restaurants have a fun, boisterous atmosphere, making them the perfect spot for a group dinner or celebration. You can find these steakhouses in most big cities; some chains are scattered throughout the country.
Whether strictly traditional, or offering a twist on the churrasco experience, these are the best Brazilian steakhouses in the U.S., where you can eat all the meat your heart desires.
Fogo de Chão
One of the most popular steakhouses in America, with annual sales upwards of $500 million, this Brazilian-influenced bastion of beef is beloved. The restaurant has won diners over with a diverse selection of meats, high-quality cuts of beef, and a well-curated, souped-up salad bar that Fogo calls its market table. One of the fastest-growing restaurant brands in America, Fogo currently operates 69 U.S. locations from California to Massachusetts with some 20 new spots currently in the works worldwide.
Texas de Brazil
A contender with Fogo for the most popular Brazilian-style steakhouse in the country, Texas de Brazil has more than 50 locations, from California to Florida and everywhere in between. The chain cooks its meats over natural wood charcoal, imparting that familiar smoky flavor of a backyard grill mixed with Brazilian spices. Like all the restaurants on this list, the restaurant serves all-you-can-eat grilled meat, including flank steak, pork ribs, leg of lamb, bacon-wrapped chicken, and more.
Galpão Gaucho
This chain has most of its locations in California, with outposts in South Carolina and Las Vegas. Galpão Gaucho is a crowd-pleaser with 17 cuts of meat, including beef, pork, chicken, lamb, and fish, so even pescetarians can get in on the action. The restaurant is primarily known for its massive salads and sides buffet, which ranges from the traditional manchego cheese and pork black beans to shrimp and chicken salads.
Espetus Churrascaria
With locations in San Francisco and San Mateo, Calif., this small chain delivers big on flavor. Skewered rotisserie meats are cooked over an open flame, imparting flame-grilled flavor at Espetus Churrascaria. Dinner offers 12 to 14 meats, grilled pineapple, appetizers, salad bar, and side dishes for under $75. For a real deal, hit the restaurant for weekday lunch, when you can select from seven cuts, along with appetizers, salad bar, and side dishes—for under $55.
Rodizio Grill
With more than 20 locations around the country, Rodizio Grill has locations from the Southwest to Tennessee. The restaurant offers a rotating—and varying—selection of seasoned, slow-roasted, and skewer-carved meats. Rodizio also offers a selection of Brazilian hot side dishes, along with a salad bar that includes couve (sauteed collard greens and bacon) and pas de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread).
Casa do Brasil
With three locations in Texas, Casa do Brasil is a popular micro-chain in the Lone Star State, where there are a plethora of great steakhouses. But even Texans sometimes crave a little something different than the traditional steak and potatoes. The restaurant's menu offers traditional cuts like top sirloin, ribeye, and pork tenderloin served on skewers, as well as New Zealand lamb and bacon-wrapped chicken. Start your mighty meal with some Brazilian-style empanadas.
Chima Brazilian Steakhouse
This small chain, with outposts in Florida and Pennsylvania, provides an upscale rodizio experience. Chima offers a wide range of rotisserie-cooked meats, including the traditional picahna and the less so, like Cajun spiced ribeye. The gourmet salad bar includes charcuterie, fresh cheeses, and an array of salads to pair with your meats—if you have room!
Tucanos Brazilian Grill
With locations in Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, New Mexico, and Utah, Tucanos serves meat rodizio-style to much of the Southwest. This chain has an excellent selection of marinated beef, like the brisket and garlic Parmesan beef, along with chicken and pork options. The restaurant also offers an "unlimited salad festival," a super-exciting way to say salad bar, including grilled vegetables and pineapple.
Chama Gaúcha Brazilian Steakhouse
With locations in Texas and Illinois, Chama Gaúcha cooks its meat over open-flame charcoal, with costumed gauchos bringing it to your table on the famous skewers. The meat selection varies, but expect a big, beefy experience, along with traditional Brazilian rice, black beans, grilled vegetables, and more.
Pampas Grill Churrascaria
In Los Angeles, Pampas Grill has all the meats you're craving, and here, you "pay by the pound" at the Original Farmers Market and Culver City locations. This steakhouse is a great deal at just under $16 a pound, and you can feast on sirloin, Brazilian sausage, garlic chicken drumsticks, and much more.
Churrascaria Plataforma
There are dozens of incredible steakhouses in New York City, but if you're craving Rodizio, Churrascaria Plataforma is your best choice. Offering all-you-can-eat Brazilian cuts for lunch and dinner, this midtown spot serves steak, chicken, pork, and leg of lamb, along with a gourmet salad bar packed with antipasti, cold cuts, greens and so much more.
Alma Gaúcha
The Boston churrascaria Alma Gaúcha promises to bring you all the flavors of Brazil and delivers. Unlike some other spots on this list, Alma offers mains with sides to order, like chicken and picanha with black beans and rice. Of course, if you come hungry, you'll be happy with an all-you-can-eat selection of meats like prime sirloin, beef ribs, lamb chops, and alcatra com queijo—that's a top sirloin with cheese.
Steak Brasil
Based in Miami, this steakhouse spells the word "Brasil" as it is in Portuguese and Spanish, and Steak Brasil delivers on the rodizio experience. If you're up for all-you-can-eat meat in South Beach, this is your spot to feast on nine different cuts of meat, including sausage, chicken drumsticks, prime sirloin, and more.
Via Brasil
This family-owned steakhouse in Las Vegas is off the strip in Summerlin. It attracts locals and Sin City visitors with generous cuts of Rodizio-style meats, including rib-eye, short rib, prime rib, and indulgent filet wrapped in bacon. Don't miss the garlic steak, which is expertly grilled and seasoned with a blend of spices and herbs, including traditional Brazilian garlic and olive oil.
Gaucho Steakhouse
Just outside of Detroit, Gaucho Steakhouse offers a meat fix, including eight different types of skewered beef, pork loin, sausage, shrimp, and chicken wrapped in bacon. The restaurant also offers an extensive salad bar with an impressive selection of cheeses and hot dishes like mushroom risotto and rice and beans.
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