Seems like they've been around forever. We have a Texas de Brazil. Never been. No desire to go.

They were a real novelty when I was a child. So they have been around a long time. I didn't know they were still a thing, though.

(I didn't proof-read my title... STEAK)

I'm not grossed out by meat, butcher shops don't bother me at all. Cooking meat is fine. But at 12" from my face, right at my shoulder, was just not appealing. Robo, you nailed it, there was no finesse whatsoever!

I had to look up to see if any existed near me. There are a handful in nearby small cities but I never heard of Brazilian steak houses til today. I do not think I would love it either.

My objection to this type of meal is that, although eat less meat the older I get, I tend to spend more on meat and go for the better and more responsibly sourced stuff. When you are being served gobs of meat for a fixed price at places such as a Brazilian steakhouse, you are not getting quality meat. I'd much rather have a few bites of a good steak or piece of lamb, etc., than platters of meat of more questionable quality.

We had one here for a number of years and I was taken several times by some seriously meat loving family members. But it was expensive (like $40 for the meat/buffet - you can also order off a menu), in prime tourist territory and when tourists come to Seattle, they want seafood, not red meat :-) And that 'all you can eat' concept seems to be less popular with today's healthier eaters. So it eventually closed and was replaced with something else.

I will say the meat was very well prepared and to a range of doneness that would satisfy all. And endless .........if you wanted or could eat that much :-) The accompanying buffet choices were tasty and not typical, with a bit of a South American flair. Probably the best thing on the buffet was the grilled pineapple that they would carve at your table - OMG, that was good!!

They made some pretty mean mojitos, too :-)

Yes, they've been around a while -- we're in the Midwest and they've been here for around 15 years . . . however, more and more are opening (it used to be one per city -- like in Tulsa city not like in small midwest town city).

I've heard of this, but have no idea if they are around here. I'm picturing servers with cutting boards, carrying roasts and leg of lamb. Breathing on it, as is everyone who is near it as they cut it. Blech. I know that servers and cooks breathe on my food, but I'd rather the other patrons kept their distance.

We popped in to one for dinner, and popped right out. It wasn't the meat that caught us off-guard, it was the prices! Criminy!

Our experience (just one) was similar to Gardengal's. We went to one in Aruba probably 10 years ago. It was a novelty, the guys in my family thought it was awesome and I thought it was just too much. Like you, Gardengal, we loved the grilled pineapple -- it was the first time any of us had had it, and to this day we frequently make it ourselves.

Yes, I've been to one, also when in Aruba

that was funny..they had a red and a green button(I think) on the table..you need to push the red button or something for them to stop bringing the meat..:) and I wasn't fast enough..the amount of meat that continues to appear on your table is scary.

But then I'm not a big meat eater. I know many people who enjoyed/would enjoy such restaurant.

There is one in Albuquerque called Tucano's. It is a bit pricey (although not $40 a head). The salad bar/buffet has many wonderful things. I enjoy most of the meat and find it a wonderful place to go if you just want to try a bit of a variety of things. A little chicken, a little tri-tip, grilled pineapple, linguisa sausage, etc. The place is pretty loud so it is an okay place to bring children or to meet the large extended family who you do not necessarily have a lot to talk about with. The Brazilian lemonade is also very, very good. It is not a place I would choose to eat at often, but once a year it can be quite fun.

I believe they are growing in popularity, with several chains sprouting up and new restaurants opening. Another term to look for is "churrascaria". I've been to a few, sometimes for work -- the best have been in the Southern hemisphere -- but have not been to one in ages, as it's a lot of meat.

I agree they lack finesse here in the US, especially amongst the chains. However, some are better done than others, especially ones where you can order your specialty skewers for the table.

Is this the same as "charcuterie"? I went to one of these restaurants for someone retiring at work about ten years ago. I remember it was just ok and never ate there again. I think it's a different restaurant now, so obviously this style was not popular here.

Hi, joaniepoanie. No, a charcuterie is kindasorta like a deli. It refers to smoked/preserved meats like salami, prosciutto, etc. Charcuterie is French (in French it's really the pork butcher), churrasco (hence, churrascaria) is Spanish/Portuguese for a style of grilled meat.

I've never heard of such a thing. I guess that just shows how little we eat out...(like almost never!). I like meat, but when I have anything but a burger, at a restaurant, it's usually either over cooked or under cooked. If I"m going to splurge and eat it, I'd prefer to cook it myself, so I can actually enjoy it.

We went to one when we vacationed in Mexico. My DH and sons loved it. I hated it.

I have never been to one I don't think, but it kind of sounds like OHana at Disney. We went there once. I did not like it at all!

We had one of these in my neighborhood. It went out of business.

I went to one in Florida a few years ago when my brother took us. The meat was never so close to the patrons as it was being carved that anyone would be breathing on it!!

I did enjoy, but I can't say I'd want to eat Brazilian style more than once or twice a year.

AND, you can simply stick with the salad bar in these places -- ample tasty food in itself.

I like a good salad bar, but this was mediocre. Everyone who had meat said that it was very good. My husband wanted more of the lamb, but by then he was too full for more.

My first experience with churrascarias was in Rio de Janeiro in 2003. Loved it. The US versions I've tried have been okay, but a bit disappointing on the quality of the meat.

There's one in Plymouth and we decided to try it. Waiters were smoking and the place reeked!!! We left.

I've been to a couple for business related dinners. I'm not much of a meat eater and pretty much skipped the meat but they had a lot of good veggie dishes at the buffet. I'd never go there on my own.