When it comes to meat, I’m a huge fan. Pork, chicken, beef, lamb, I’ll eat it all. So if you’re a meat lover like myself, have you ever tried Brasilian barbeque? Known as churrascaria in Brasil, we’re talking about grilled meats served table-side along with a wonderful cold buffet. I’ve had the opportunity to do Brasilian barbeque both in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo and can tell you for sure, if you enjoy your meat, you’ll love churrascaria. And I finally had the chance to visit the only churrascaria in the Triangle, Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse, for lunch and a work event. I left that visit stuffed and really impressed by Brasa!
Located up in the Brier Creek area, I really wasn’t expecting to find such a fancy spot in a strip mall. From the outside, Brasa shows off a large and impressive face with large signage and two stone towers complete with burning torches overhead. And inside, Brasa is equally impressive. The space is decorated for the holidays with wreaths, holiday lighting and more, all very upscale. But then what would you expect for a steakhouse? Our group was brought into one of the private rooms in back but walking through the dining room, I was impressed by the sumptuous feel to the space.
Now while Brasa labels itself a “steakhouse”, it’s a bit different than a traditional steakhouse. Brazilian barbeque is typically a mix of table and buffet service where you start the meal off with a cold buffet and then cuts of roasted meat are brought table-side and served individually. Brasa offers up several lunch and dinner types revolving around either the buffet or buffet with a selection of roasted meats. Lunches range from $13 to $28 while dinners run from $32 to $70, all meals are all you can eat (AYCE)! For our lunch we started at the buffet and had a variety of cold salads, marinated mushrooms, fruits, nuts, and more.
On the back-wall, Brasa also offered a selection of delicious hot buffet items such as seafood paella, meatloaf, beef stew, rotisserie chicken, meatballs and more. All the dishes on Brasa’s buffet were re-stocked regularly and looked fresh! For the hot buffet, I really enjoyed the meatballs and paella but didn’t want to over-do it before we got to the main course.
Now that you’ve got your starter plate, it’s time to dig into your proteins! At your table, each diner has a small painted rock at their table setting, green on one side, red on the other. When you’re ready to chow down, just flip it over to green and the staff will stop by with large skewers of freshly roasted meat! The four-meat lunch option included bacon-wrapped chicken, sausage, garlic sirloin and bacon-wrapped filet. If you want a particular temperature of meat, you can make that request to your waiter (passadore) and they all looked pretty Brazilian to me! I enjoyed all the meats, they were nicely roasted without an excessive amount of salt so I was pleasantly surprised.
Sadly, I didn’t stuff myself silly showing an unusual amount of stomach self-control but I was very pleased with everything Brasa had to offer. Given it’s the only Brazilian barbeque in the area, you don’t have any other options but Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse felt really authentic to me. From the staff to the buffet to the roasted meats, the meals here are actually a pretty good deal if you’re a big eater. And even if you’re a vegetarian, you can enjoy the cold buffet and save yourself some money. So thanks so much and obrigado Brasa!
8551 Brier Creek Parkway
Raleigh, NC 27617
919.544.3344
