Porcâo & Porcâo - Ipanema - Rio de Janeiro - TravBuddy

Let me start by saying that this was the only churrascaria I went to in Brazil So I really have nothing to compare it to other than Fogo de Chao back here in the US and this place was definitely better than that. I was told that this was the gold standard of churrascarias in Rio, so I couldn't pass it up.

I got a table on a Saturday night with no reservation, but I highly recommend making one anyway. This place is definitely better with a group. It's a banquet-hall type arrangement so most of the tables are for larger groups. It's large, loud, and bright, but not tacky. It's just a large restaurant that serves lots of people.

And those people are here for the food obviously. All you can eat sushi, salads, soups, and of course, meat. You have to bring your appetite, and pace yourself. I made an executive decision to skip the sushi, salads, and soups, and head straight to the beef. Normally all-you-can eat sushi would keep me occupied all evening. But I had serious business to take care of at Porcao. I ordered a half bottle of red, a side dish of fried yucca, and went to town.

The Good
- The waiters work quickly and they are constantly rotating the cuts of meat
- The beef is tender and juicy, barely requiring a knife to cut through
- You can point at a particular piece for the waiter to cut off the bone, depending on how you like it cooked
- So many cuts of meat, you could barely try them all
- The meat is lightly seasoned, letting the quality of the cuts stand alone, instead of masking the flavor with some sauce
- Fried yucca was tasty, and the sushi looked to be high quality (not that I tried any)

The Bad
- It's pricey. My bill came to US$ 65 with a half bottle of wine, and no dessert. This was by far the most I paid for any meal in South America
- You don't really need all-you-can-eat in Brazil. Portions tend to be large anyway so paying 3x what a normal dinner costs didn't make sense to me
- Noisy, not a place for a quiet evening with the Mrs.
- Most of the meats were overcooked for my taste, but you could find some medium and medium rare cuts if you waited a few rounds. If you like your meat well-done, you'll be fine.

Tips
- Don't eat anything all day before you go
- Point to the specific piece of steak you want, and help the waiter cut it off by using the tweezers they give you
- Go slowly and enjoy yourself
- If you want a nice view, try the one in Flamengo
- The white colored one that looks like it could be fish. It's actually cheese covered filet mignon. I won't forgive myself for not trying it.

Overall, I would rate it as "good". I would be interested in seeing some reviews of other churrascarias in Rio for comparison. I have a feeling you can save yourself some money and get equally as good a meal. You should definitely try at least one churrascaria while you're there.

One thing you have to do if you're visiting Brazil, is to try the traditional Brazilian barbeque. Porcâo & Porcâo is certainly a popular place to go, booking in advance could be nessecary. We where told that the restaurant in Flamengo was supposed to be the best (It's a chain of restaurants) but we chose to go to the one in Ipanema anyway. At the arrival we where told there was a self service sallad-bar. It turned out that the sallad-bar contained everything but sallad. There was all types of warm and cold dishes, sauces and snacks. Mostly vegetarian, but also some meat and fish. Several types of sushi. One tip: DON'T ORDER ANY SIDE ORDERS! The waiters are constantly bringing the meat over to the tables tread on spears, it's all types of meat and even some fish. They will slice the meat at your table with large carving knifes, and you have pair of tweezers to pick up the meat. The meat just keeps coming, and coming and you will never be able to taste all the different types. It's just too much, and also quite cheap. The wine list is also wery good, the place have a sommelier and even a small wine cellar.