You might be familiar with steakhouses, but what if you’re in a Brazilian steakhouse? What should you order?
This can be a problem, but it’s a good problem to have. That’s because a terrific Brazilian steakhouse will have lots of great dishes for you to pick from. You’ve got steaks and scallops, plus a salad bar, so you won’t run out of excellent choices.
If you’re unsure of what to get, then here are some typically fantastic options:
Picanha
This is the ultimate dish in most Brazilian steakhouses. Check out the menu at Chama Gaucha, and the menu will point out that this prime cut of the sirloin is their house’s specialty. This cut comes from the rump of the cow, and you get this cut shaped like a crescent and it comes with the fat cap.
For many, it’s actually the first dish that they think of whenever the subject of Brazilian steakhouses come up. It has to be cut against the grain, or else it will be too chewy.
In a Brazilian steakhouse, servers frequently move around with lots of sausage on long metal skewers. Usually, this is Brazilian chorizo. This is a sausage of cured meat that’s especially tasty, and it’s quite similar to the original Spanish chorizo. You usually get a mixture of hot and sweet pork, with paprika mixed in. Try it, and you’ll love it.
And if there are Brazilian brisket sausages available, get them as well. These feature finely ground brisket with just enough garlic and paprika that won’t overwhelm the meat. Once they smoke this sausage, the flavor is uniquely delicious.
Bacon-Wrapped Scallops
This is another famous item that’s often available, and you have to try it. It starts with fresh sea scallops, then they wrap around a thick coating of cured bacon. They then roast everything together until the bacon is nice and crispy.
What happens is that the smoke flavor from the cured meat (and from the grill itself), along with the bacon fat, seeps into the tasty scallops. You then get this distinctive flavor that you might not encounter in any other dish.
This is not really the only seafood that’s good in a Brazilian steakhouse, but it’s right there at the top. But if the menu features lobster or salmon, try those too!
Beef Ribs
These things are huge, and it’s like they’re fit for huge football players who haven’t eaten in a long while. You get this monstrously large hunk of meat, and it’s fatty and juicy. But it’s mostly bone, though, so you don’t have to worry that you’re getting too much food for your stomach. It’s still a lot of meat, but it’s not as much meat as you’d get from the ribs in a regular steakhouse.
