A Meat Eating Adventure – Brazilian Steakhouse

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In the past few years Brazilian Steakhouses have become incredibly popular. Having heard a handful of stories I was very interested to try one out.

The Brazilian Steakhouse experience is half buffet, half steakhouse, all delicious. We visited the Copacabana in Niagara Falls, Ontario with 2 other couples. With a selection of over 20 types of meat, there was something on the menu for everyone. From salmon to lamb and parmesan crusted chicken to bacon wrapped steak, a Brazilian steakhouse really is a meat lover’s paradise. What I found that really set this style of dining apart was the way the buffet works. As per standard buffet rules, you have self-serve access to the salad bar (which had plenty of variety, but was overshadowed by the main course) but all of the cuts of meat are actually brought around to your table as you eat. Each guest is given a pair of tongs and when you would like to try something the server shaves some off pieces from the skewer for you to take. It’s really quite an interesting take on service. As you’re stuffing your face with meat you can choose to turn your ‘meat card’ from hot to cold as an indication that you would like the servers to give you a moment to enjoy or digest what is currently on your plate.

As interesting as the Brazilian steakhouse experience is, it doesn’t come cheap. For 6 of us dining with 3 bottles of wine and round of coffees (you’ll need them after all the meat) our bill was just shy of $600 CDN. There is nothing inexpensive about it. In case you’re wondering, $100/person for dinner requires a very special occasion, even when we’re used to going out regularly on Never a Dull Date ideas.

All of that being said, we found our service was quite good, the food was excellent overall and we had a lot of fun trying something new – even if we did leave with a case of the ‘meat sweats’.

Pro Tips:

• Our waitress was quick to mention that we should ‘pace ourselves’ and she was right. With so much to choose from it’s worthwhile trying a bit of everything. Seatings last for 2 hours, so there is no rush.
• I said that a Brazilian steakhouse is a meat lover’s paradise and while I stand behind that, if you are picky about the way your meat is cooked, you might be disappointed. Everything is served medium and it was all tender, but we really didn’t get a lot of choice when looking for rarer steak.
• The Brazilian steakhouse we went to requires a minimum of 6 people for a reservation and on a Saturday it was packed. Just keep that in mind when you plan to go.
• Don’t turn over the meat card! It may prove harder to pace yourself, but we found certain types of meat were sporadic and we would have been upset if we missed them because the server didn’t stop.
• Don’t be shy – certain meats (lamb chops for example) aren’t always being brought around. If you really want to try something and you haven’t seen it yet, ask your server to have it brought over.

Have you ever tried a Brazilian steakhouse? We’ve heard great and not-so-great things from others, what was your experience like?

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From Ashley:

The Brazilian Steakhouse was an interesting date night. While I am in no rush to go back (or eat another piece of meat!) anytime soon, I had a lot of fun.

And as Adam said, pace yourself. Afterwards, get up and walk around - it's easy to get sluggish and tired after all of that food - and that's not a great way to end a date night!

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