We have been here before prior to the pandemic when it was a weigh by the pound buffet-style. My partner took me here once because they had been here before several times and said it was their favorite. However that one time, I didn’t really enjoy it because the meat was all overcooked, and the rest of the sides were very mediocre. They agreed with me and were surprised by how mediocre it was on that day. Years later, we decided to try it again to confirm if it was a one time mishap.

Just a note that post pandemic, this restaurant is no longer doing buffet-style and is more of an a’la carte dish menu.

Ambiance

The restaurant really is a no frills local restaurant that just happened to be Brazilian. The service was fast, and they come with a card reader to handle the bill.

Food

The piña colada was too strong and not well blended.

The bife acebolado ($24) came with grilled shell stake with sauteed onions, served with fries, and rice and beans. The steak was ordered medium rare, but unfortunately came overcooked close to medium to medium-well. The beans didn’t have much flavor, but my partner enjoyed this because it reminded them of home. The fries were very puffy and somewhat oily. Make sure to eat this in the restaurant because as leftovers it was very soggy and distasteful.

The picanha fatiada com alho ($28) came with sliced top sirloin topped with roasted garlic, served with farofa, vinaigrette, rice, and beans. Some of the slabs of picanha were cooked perfectly, and other parts came overcooked. Since the steaks arrive on a sizzling platter, the cooks should’ve undercooked them on the grill and let it finish on the sizzling platter. This poor timing cause the steaks to not be enjoyable, and arguably I am not sure if the quality was decent.

As mentioned above, there were little sides that came with our meal. The farofa tasted pretty typical, and the rice and beans were not memorable. The vinaigrette was a decent companion.

Final Verdict

Of all the Brazilian restaurants I have tried so far in Astoria, this is probably one of my least favorite. It was arguably worse now than it was buffet style. If you really crave Brazilian, there are plenty of other, better alternatives around the area.

Yelp Jabs

For what we got, it felt overpriced. I would not recommend.

I think I agree with this sentiment. When the check came, I did have the feeling that this was expensive for what it was and should’ve just gone to a different Brazilian restaurant.

I asked for my steak medium but it was definitely more well done than that and was extremely tough to bite through or even cut with my knife.

My picanha was ordered medium rare, and the first bite was deceptively good. All subsequent bites were just overcooked and beyond chewy. This was due to the steak probably taken off the grill too late.